Words: Dale Keehne I am pleased to be able to announce the outcome of the latest discussions on Tuesday 5 November to develop our Enterprise Bargaining Agreement between United Workers Union officials and other employee representatives, our Enterprise Bargaining Advisor and myself as CEO. These discussions were scheduled to take place many weeks ago as the next key step to progress discussions. I would like to thank Fair Work Commissioner Riordan who facilitated these very constructive and positive discussions to help us all reach agreement. There are a range of improvements to our workers’ salaries and conditions that I have already recently introduced to ensure our workers’ can begin to benefit from them. These improvements include a 4 per cent increase to salaries and Locality, as well the Outdoor, Apply First Aid, Sleepover and Meal Allowances, increasing the starting wages for all our Level 1 employees, the provision of Apply First Aid Allowances to our Community Night Patrol and Sobering Up Shelter workers, the increase in paid parental leave from 8 to 10 weeks, and an additional $7,000 payment to Level 8 Council Services Managers for extra hours worked. Council had also committed to a 3 per cent pay increase in 2025 and another 3 per cent increase in 2026. These improved conditions will also be included in the new proposed Enterprise Bargaining Agreement if it is approved by workers in the next few weeks. Additional changes that we have made to the proposed Agreement are: the addition of a fourth year to the agreement with a further 3 per cent pay increase from 1 July 2027 and a corresponding increase in the Locality, Outdoor, Apply First Aid, Sleepover and Meal Allowances; back pay for the 2024 4 per cent pay increase from 1 July to 19 September, more flexibility in approving the Bi-lingual Allowance; recognition that Individual Flexibility Arrangements could include changes in daily hours of work and days on which work is undertaken where agreed by an employee and the Council; and, outside the agreement, the increase of the proposed Air Conditioning Subsidy when staff are on leave and their Council provided housing is vacant from $25 to $50 a week. I look forward to putting the proposed Enterprise Bargaining Agreement, with the support of the United Workers Union and other employee representatives, to all workers to consider and vote on, so we can gain formal endorsement of the wide range of improvements to our workers’ salaries and conditions. I take this opportunity to thank the United Workers Union and employee representatives for their hard work and their representation during the agreement discussions and negotiations. As an ex-trade union official for many years, it gives me great satisfaction as CEO for us to unite to support our highly valued workers. Dale Keehne CEO

The Gattjirrk Festival, founded by East Arnhem Regional Council's President Lapulung Dhamarrandji , recently celebrated its 42nd anniversary.

3,176.64 tonnes of scrap metal have been recycled as part of our ongoing Scrap Metal Recovery Project.

East Arnhem Regional Council's (EARC) Nutrition Officer Minay has been out bush collecting photos for a new book she is publishing.

The election of the Groote Archipelago Regional Council (GARC) has been postponed from 26 October 2024 to 15 March 2025. The new Minister for Local Government has decided to postpone the election in light of concerns of community members that there were no electoral wards for the election of the 7 GARC Councillors. East Arnhem Regional Council understands and has raised this concern itself in previous months. On behalf of EARC I would like to assure all the people of the Groote Archipelago that we will continue to deliver all current and planned projects, initiatives and services to each of the three Groote communities. EARC will continue to meet with the three Local Authorities, to continue to listen and be guided by the voices of the people in the three communities of Milyakburra, Umbakumba and Angurugu and their related homelands. I would like to thank all our EARC workers in the three Groote Archipelago communities who continue to deliver the wide range of quality services to the Groote communities, with the support of our Regional based managers and staff in Nhulunbuy and Darwin. This is happening based on agreement to a request by the GARC Constituting Member for EARC to continue to deliver services to the GARC area from when it was officially declared on 1 September 2024 until the election of a new Groote Council. EARC will then continue to deliver services under an Agreement for Services from the election of a Groote Council now scheduled to be declared in April 2025, for all Local Government and Support Services and other Community Services through existing contracts with EARC. As the Agreement for Services is due to start 5 months later from April 2025, the nominated end date of 30 June 2025 (or a later agreed date), may well have to be considerably later. EARC will also continue to discuss closely with the new NT Government what funding is actually needed to ensure the maintenance of service delivery levels across the whole East Arnhem region, at whatever point in the future the Groote Archipelago Regional Council is due to actually deliver services itself. EARC can confirm that when employees are finally due to move from working for EARC to GARC, that the standard of their current salary and conditions will not be reduced, in line with National Employment Standards to protect workers through transfer of business. Dale Keehne Chief Executive Officer East Arnhem Regional Council

Congratulations to Councillor Evelyna Dhamarrandji who won an award for the 2024 Annual NT Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Collaborative Program.

In September, Natashia (Gamanydjan) Curtin visited Ramingining Library for the launch of her children's book 'Just Like You'.

Our Animal Management Program team performed a community-wide biosecurity census in Ramingining and Galiwin'ku to target animal health concerns and keep an eye out for any potential biosecurity threats.