City Taskforce - Industry Representation

The leaders of Newcastle are a united voice providing collaborative governance for our city. 

A City Taskforce, led by the City of Newcastle, has been established to oversee the recovery phases of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The City Taskforce is made up of 17 key city leaders from across manufacturing, small business, financial services, tourism, transport and logistics, arts and culture, workers, education and the community sector. The first meeting was in mid-April and the Taskforce will conclude at the end of the year. 

The City Taskforce is providing local leadership to local issues, and acting as the local coordinating advisory committee for community and economic resilience. The City Taskforce has established five clear work streams including advocacy, direct industry support, local evidence base, youth employment, and most importantly, providing a collaboration forum for new ideas.

City Taskforce members have provided in-kind contribution of staff / human resources to support the work streams. This support is facilitated through an Action Team (25 members) and smaller working groups. The Action Team includes representatives from all City Taskforce members, as well as from diverse population groups across the city including young people, Indigenous community, multicultural community and disability community.

City Taskforce Members and Meeting Communiques

Meeting Communiques

Meeting No 5. City leaders focused their discussion on the second edition of The Newcastle Response, highlighting significant impacts to the tourism sector, as well as commercial rental vacancies across the city and eroded business confidence in the context of further job losses and economic impacts as a result of COVID-19. Full communique: 3 July 2020

Meeting No 4. City leaders focused their discussion on the first edition of The Newcastle Response, which highlights the challenges facing the community sector, as well as the forecasted impacts of the end of Government supplements, such as JobSeeker and JobKeeper, legislated to 27 September 2020. The Taskforce was also briefed on the Affected Industries Roundtable, facilitated by City of Newcastle on 4 June 2020, at which representatives from industries such as retail and hospitality, tourism, live music and arts and culture shared their experiences and local insights. Full communique: 5 June 2020.

Meeting No 3. City leaders focused their discussion on sharing aggregate data from each of the 17 organisations they represent to paint a clearer picture of COVID-19's impacts on Newcastle and the Hunter Region, as well as refining work streams to inform faster policy decisions. The Taskforce received the latest briefings and analysis on health, policy and economy with the national labour force data. Full communique: 15 May 2020.

Meeting No 2. City Leaders focused its discussion on work streams and resourcing to implement priority programs and initiatives aimed at getting the City back up and running and supporting the community’s most vulnerable.Full communique: 1 May 2020

Leadership Team
Action Team

Advocacy Work Stream

The City Taskforce has been sharing our local stories and experiences with key State and Federal Government decision-makers. Called 'The Newcastle Response', these memos outline the local community and business impacts, the effectiveness of current government measures, details on how we are mobilising our own resources and identify opportunities to partner with State and Federal Government bodies to accelerate and increase impact.

The Newcastle Response - Community Sector
The Newcastle Response - Tourism Sector
The Newcastle Response - Youth Employment
The Newcastle Response - Arts Sector

Industry Response Program

Background
Successful applicants

Local Evidence Work Stream

Background
Actions to date

Greater Newcastle Youth Employment Charter

Youth (18-25 year old) unemployment is one of the most significant issues arising from COVID-19. Research indicates that the disadvantages felt by young people now will be carried through a lifetime. The impact of youth unemployment has been particularly severe in the Greater Newcastle region; collectively, we need to act.

The City Taskforce has developed a Youth Employment Charter as an affirmation of their commitment to maintain and expand opportunities for young people in the region. The Charter includes pledges across five categories:

  • Youth Employment
  • Youth Training
  • Youth Voice
  • Youth Support
  • Youth Celebration

Click here to access the full Greater Newcastle Youth Employment Charter. 

The following organisations have committed to the Youth Employment Charter. If you would like to add your organisation, please email Mr Simon Massey, Economic Strategy and Government Relations Manager at the City of Newcastle. 

City of Newcastle Logo City of Newcastle
Logo NIB
Logo Port of Newcastle