Orange City Council is launching a new COVID-19 Rebound Group to help the city recover from the economic impact of the current pandemic.
The COVID-19 Rebound Group will be chaired by Orange City Council’s CEO Dave Waddell. Mr Waddell said that the time is right for the community to prepare to rebuild.
“The COVID-19 crisis has taken a toll on all Australians, specifically those in the business sector,” David Waddell said. “Businesses of all kinds have experienced closures, loss of customers, and in extreme cases temporary total loss of income. Orange City Council sees now as the perfect time to work closely with the community and those businesses who have been directly affected by the crisis to work out a way forward, ensuring businesses themselves get a say in how that plan may look.”
REBOUND: Community leaders come together to launch a new steering group to help the Orange economy recover from the economic impact of COVID-19
Orange Mayor Reg Kidd said he is looking forward to hearing more from the community about how they have been impacted and how Council can assist with making sure town recovers as soon as possible.
“These last few months have most likely been the worst ever for a lot of our local businesses and community members,” Cr Reg Kidd said. “Everything is still very uncertain, but as government restrictions slowly continue to ease it is our chance to get in early and work out where the damage is done so once the country begins to get back to the new normal, Orange is ready and waiting to do the same.”
The new group is designed to be a steering committee that will take advice from pre-existing committees such as Council’s Employment and Development Committee and other community members, following advice from the State and Federal governments.
Invitations for the ‘COVID-19 Rebound Group’ will be issued next week to local businesses and community members and a core group will then be formed.
Orange City Council’s Employment and Economic Development Policy Committee chair Cr Tony Mileto said this group is a good example of community leadership, putting those directly affected by the crisis at the forefront of how the recovery will be planned.
“As we begin to receive membership acceptances and the Rebound Group begins to form we will start to get a real understanding of how we need to go about things moving forward,” Cr Tony Mileto said. “Although the group may only be in action for a number of months, this is the time for us to start working on a plan.”
