Premier explains RATED programme payment delays

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has addressed payment delays affecting the government’s Registration Apprenticeship Training Employment and Development (RATED) programme, attributing them to budgeting challenges.

Speaking in the House of Assembly recently, Dr Wheatley explained that funds allocated for 2024 were used to settle outstanding payments from the previous year. “Because all of those payments were not processed in 2023, 2024’s money ended up paying for 2023’s work,” the Premier stated. The RATED programme, launched nearly two years ago, aims to provide temporary employment and training opportunities for unemployed residents. Tasks include roadside maintenance and beautification projects. However, the programme has been criticised for its complexity and payment delays, which have led some participants to leave.

Some lawmakers complained about the territory’s appearance after regular bush-cutting exercises stalled, leaving commuters and tourists to battle encroaching overgrowth along the roadsides. Former Deputy Premier Lorna Smith previously noted that the programme was not working as it should and suggested that the Fourth District where she lived was like a wilderness. She described it as the worst she had seen since moving there over four decades ago.