Campaign aims to lure electricians to Qld

A multimillion-dollar promotional blitz is underway in three states in an effort to encourage more interstate tradies to help with Queensland’s flood recovery efforts.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Tradies in Paradise campaign is being promoted across a range of targeted advertising platforms as well as to spectators at AFL games in South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria. (New South Wales was excluded as part of the campaign as it also experienced widespread flooding.)

“We want to encourage more cabinetmakers, carpenters, electricians, gasfitters, plasterers, plumbers, tilers and other construction trades along with architects, certifiers, designers, building engineers, planners and surveyors to move to Queensland and continue the rebuilding effort,” the Premier said.

“That’s why we are delivering a marketing campaign across Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

“Collectively, impacted Queenslanders are facing years of repairs and reconstruction so the more skilled boots we get on the ground, to keep projects moving forward, the faster we can get families back into their homes and businesses reopened.

“While we’re encouraging tradies to come for at least eight weeks’ recovery work, we’re hoping our long pipeline of major infrastructure projects in the lead-up to Brisbane 2032 might just make them decide to trade up to paradise and stay forever.”

The Tradies in Paradise scheme was launched last month with offers of up to $1750 to be paid to the first 1000 tradespeople who move to Queensland and work for eight weeks rebuilding communities impacted by the recent South East Queensland flood.

Minister for Employment and Small Business Di Farmer said the first people who answered the Tradies in Paradise call are now able to submit their incentive payment applications for up to $1750 after completing eight weeks of flood recovery work.

“Once tradies have completed their eight weeks’ work, they should go to the Tradies in Paradise website to access the incentive,” Farmer said.

“It’s definitely not too late for tradies to take advantage of our Tradies in Paradise scheme but they’ll need to register their interest so they can get moving to Queensland to start working here.

“There is plenty of needed and rewarding work to do here and plenty of fun and adventures outside of work hours as well.”

People who work in the eligible trades and professions and moved from interstate to support reconstruction efforts after the waters went down in a range of affected council areas will have completed, or be closing in on, the eight consecutive weeks of work requirement and can then apply for the $1500 Tradies in Paradise incentive payment and up to an additional $250 to reimburse travel costs.

The application form is now live on the Tradies in Paradise website and tradies are encouraged to complete the online eligibility checker.

For further information, visit: www.qld.gov.au/tradiesinparadise.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Darren