Regional communities, jobs supported by COVID-19 Jobs Support Loan

Proterra Group, an engineering consultancy and waste management service company, has been providing essential services to communities and councils since 2008 and will maintain their commitment to the region and staff throughout COVID-19.  

Proterra Group was among the first business in the state to access a Queensland Government COVID-19 Jobs Support Loan.  

The loan scheme administered by the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA), provides finance of up to $250,000 for businesses and non-profit organisations impacted by COVID-19 to assist with carry-on expenses such as employee wages, rent and rates and other expenditure. 

Finance manager Fiona O’Dea said Proterra Group had always been committed to providing essential services in regional and remote Queensland  

“As a business, our focus first and foremost is the servicing of communities in regional and remote Queensland,” Ms O’Dea said.  

 “We have three main service offerings in our business – the provision of civil engineering services to local government, the management of landfills on behalf of councils and data asset collection and conditional assessment of council’s stormwater pipes through the use of CCTV and still cameras. 

“We see all these services as being essential for these local communities, however in the current climate it is even more crucial that we keep our waste management services which currently operate in Goondiwindi, Longreach, Blackwater and Tieri operating.” 

Ms O’Dea said the COVID-19 Jobs Support Loan allowed them some certainty for the future of the business during COVID-19.  

“We see this as a safety net in which to ensure we can ride out the unknowns of the next few months,” she said.  

“We aim to keep our essential services up and running.  

“We are committed not only to our communities, but also to our employees. We employ in regional Queensland where the loss of any jobs can have deep consequences to the community.  

“We have 40 employees and currently we are all still working and we will be doing our best to ensure this does not change. 

“It is safety nets like this loan that will make a difference to us heading into the unknown. We are really passionate about supporting regional and remote Queensland and we want to keep bringing our essential services to those communities.  

“We are determined we will come through this and come out the other end the same strong company that we are now.” 

Ms O’Dea said the loan was approved within days of application.  

 “The steps were easy to follow and not difficult. It was a straight forward process,” she said.  

“The turn-around was quite quick, I was absolutely amazed. 

“We are grateful of the opportunity.” 

Existing COVID-19 Jobs Support Loan clients can find important information about the ongoing management of their loans on the COVID-19 Jobs Support Loan page.

QRIDA is delivering the $1 billion COVID-19 Jobs Support Loan Scheme on behalf of the Queensland Government.