Council nominated as a finalist in the Queensland Multicultural Awards
Date published: 23 July 2018
Townsville City Council has made it to the finals of Queensland’s Multicultural Awards.
The Construction, Maintenance and Operations (CMO) team will represent Council at an awards ceremony held in Brisbane next month.
Townsville City Council is one of four nominees that will be competing in the Government (local and state) category at Brisbane in August.
Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said she is proud of the work environment being created at Council.
“This is a great example of the culture being built at Council, we have a diverse workforce and we want to accommodate that in a reasonable and understanding way,” Cr Hill said.
“There were over 133 nominations for this year’s awards, and I’m thrilled that Council’s CMO team will be representing Townsville at the finals in Brisbane.”
The nomination came after the CMO team took steps to support workers by accommodating prayer times during work hours and incorporating religious garments into their Council uniforms and personal protective equipment – while ensuring they met workplace health and safety guidelines.
The team also provided information to workers on how best to do their job during Ramadan and keeping employees safe and cool while working during the day.
The CMO team employs 400 staff and a large number of these employees are from non-English speaking backgrounds.
Infrastructure Committee Chair Cr Mark Molachino said an inclusive and skilled workforce is good for the Townsville community.
“The CMO team has done a great job with this and it’s good to see that being recognised with both the nomination for the award, and by making it to the finals,” Cr Molachino said.
Construction, Maintenance and Operations General Manager Michael Bissell said the nomination of the team was well deserved.
“We have a team that are very respecting of their work colleagues and have gone above and beyond to make sure every member feels comfortable and supported while on the job,” Mr Bissell said.
“We offer a 20 week program for our multicultural trainees and during this program they are given on-the-job experience, formal training and obtain a nationally recognised qualification.”
