It was July 15 when 170 Norco staff members were told they were employed for another 10 weeks after a bespoke Federal Government Support Package was announced by CEO Michael Hampson at the 11th hour.

That 10 weeks comes to an end next Friday, September 23 as workers once again face the prospect of being stood down.

A Norco spokesperson said in a statement about the Ice Cream Business Unit (ICBU) yesterday, "As previously communicated, the ICBU staff will be stood down post the first rostered shift after 23 September as we will not be in a position to provide useful work for our employees when the current Government arrangement ceases."

It is not clear how many of the 170 jobs will be lost and how many will be retained as part of the Ice Cream Factory rebuild.

This is the million-dollar question or multi-million-dollar question. Will Norco rebuild the ICBU?

The Norco spokesperson went on to say, "Norco welcomes the announcement that the Federal and NSW State Governments will inject nearly $60 million to support Northern Rivers businesses in their flood recovery efforts. However, we are disappointed that they have not supported any of the three project options we submitted as part of our Anchor Business Support Grant application."

We estimate the total cost of the flood to Norco to be $141.8 million. This includes restoring our facilities to how they were pre-floods, the cost of clean-up and damage, inventory and workforce costs, as well as further flood mitigation works. And while we welcome and appreciate the $34.7 million from the goverments, it falls well short of what we need to safeguard the factory's future.

We continue in positive dialogue with the govemment and remain hopeful that we can secure a better outcome, for our workforce, our farmers, and the broader Lismore community.

If we are unable to achieve this, it's likely that 240 jobs will be permanently lost from the Lismore community - something we've been fighting hard to avoid since the floods occurred.

Norco has been part of the Northern Rivers community for more than 127 years, and with increased support from the governments in these rebuild efforts, we hope to be here for another 127 years.

The Lismore App understands that Norco has the use of another $11 million which is an unused portion of a $15 million grant from 2019. That would take the rebuild total to $44.7 million.

Norco posted a $12.7 million profit for the 2020/21 financial year, it is not clear what the financial performance of the ICBU was. Norco is Australia's oldest dairy co-operative as well as operating rural supply stores.

So, the decision for CEO Michael Hampson and the Norco Board is whether a nearly $100 million rebuild for the ICBU in South Lismore on a floodplain is worth rebuilding on profits of $12.7 million.

The negotiations will continue between Norco and the State and Federal Government to determine if the ICBU financial support package should be increased. Following the conclusion of those discussions, Norco CEO Michael Hampson and the Board of Norco need to make a decision on whether the Ice Cream Business Unit reopens of closes for good meaning the loss of an iconic piece of Norco for Lismore and the permanent loss of 240 jobs.

Until that day arrives, the workers that will be stood down next week are looking for some form of redundancy payout to tie them over as they search for work. For some, that will not be difficult in a climate where Lismore and the Northern Rivers is crying out for qualified tradespeople.

Steve Magann from the Electrical Trades Union told the Lismore App there is a meeting next Thursday (22 September) on the public holiday Day of Mourning for Queen Elizabeth, to discuss what exit money employees will be entitled to receive. The meeting includes representatives from the Australian Meat Workers Union and the Australian Metal Workers Union.