A decision by the NSW Government to allow more interstate tradespeople to work in NSW could turbocharge the Tweed flood recovery effort, but only if Queensland Labor gets on board, Tweed MP Geoff Provest says.
“Every other Australian State except Justine Elliot’s friends in Queensland Labor have signed up to the NSW-led Automatic Mutual Recognition (AMR) Scheme and I call on her to get on the phone given her very close links to the Queensland Premier,” Mr Provest said.
AMR was introduced in NSW, Victoria, ACT and Norther Territory on 1 July 2021, with South Australia and Tasmania following in December 2021 and in Western Australia on 1 July 2022.
On 1 December NSW will allow licensed interstate workers from participating jurisdictions to work in NSW. This including plumbers, gasfitters, architects, surveyors, driving instructors and bus drivers.
Treasurer Matt Kean said the changes will ensure qualified and registered tradies from participating states can work in NSW sooner, supporting a more timely response to future natural disasters and addressing critical labour shortages.
“We’re making it easier and cheaper for interstate chippies, plumbers, and brickies to come to NSW and help with the flood recovery effort,” Mr Kean said.
Member for Albury Justin Clancy said local tradies and the cities, towns, and communities along the NSW-Victorian border would benefit from the cut to red tape.
“We cross the Murray River every day for our business and personal lives – automatic mutual recognition of trades just makes sense,” he said.
But that won’t happen for people crossing the Tweed River unless Queensland Labor relents, Mr Provest said.
“Floods have had a devastating impact on businesses and residents in our region and we desperately need this new level of cooperation between states to remove additional fees and fast track tradies to work on both sides of the border,” Mr Provest said.
All states and territories except Queensland are participating in the AMR scheme.