News

Councils start their recruiting drives

An increasing number of councils are advertising for Chief Executive Officers and General Managers as the working year gets into full swing.

Councils that have started advertising for new chief executives include Darebin in Victoria, Ashfield, Wyong, Bland and Narromine in New South Wales, as well as the Geelong Region Alliance.

Darebin City Council is searching for a successor to Michael Ulbrick whose contract expires at the end of July.

Ashfield Council and Wyong, Bland and Narromine shire councils are all searching for new General Managers. The deadline for applications for the Ashfield and Wyong positions was February 15.

Applications for Narromine Shire’s GM position close on February 26, while candidates interested in the top job at Bland Shire Council (see here) have until March 3 to lodge their applications.

The G21 Geelong Region Alliance is also searching for a Chief Executive Officer, with an appointment of up to five years being offered. The G21 is a formal alliance of government, business and community organisations working to develop the Geelong region. Applications for the position closed on February 19.

The District Council of Ceduna in South Australia is also searching for a CEO. The position carries a yearly salary of $160,000. Applications closed February 22. Western Australia’s Town of Claremont and Busselton Shire are also searching for new CEOs, with the successful applicant for Claremont’s top job to be appointed for up to five years on a salary of between $165,000 and $185,000.

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Blueprint for addressing council skills shortages about to be released

A blueprint that outlines strategies local government should adopt to ensure the sector has an effectively functioning workforce for at least the next decade will be released in the coming weeks.

The blueprint - titled 'Local Government Workforce: New Decade and Beyond' has been developed by professional bodies with members in the local government workforce – bodies representing engineers; planners; environmental health, human resource and finance workers.

Representatives from the Australian Local Government Association, the Australian Services Union, the Federal Government and Government Skills Australia also played a role. Government Skills Australia is responsible for setting work standards and competencies for local government workers.

John Ravlic, CEO of Local Government Managers Australia, says the blueprint has been drawn-up post the Global Financial Crisis and contains contemporary strategies which will present the local government sector with a way forward to retain and attract staff across the board.

Mr Ravlic says it looks at key areas including the critical need to develop a national data set covering employees in local government. He says national data is essential for the sector to accurately identify areas of labour and skills shortage.

Mr Ravlic says other key areas are training and education, and the need for more collaboration between governments and the professions in each state to address and rectify the staffing problems faced by councils.

He says the loss of staff to the mining sector - which is expanding again - and the ageing workforce are the two main challenges facing local government.

Mr Ravlic says local government has a large number of ageing workers and it needs to extend the working life of older employees for even for 12 or 24 months to allow time to attract new staff to ensure a solid, effective workforce.

The blueprint will be released at a Local Government Workforce Development Forum on March 23-24 – a forum organised by the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government and Government Skills Australia. It will be released as a discussion paper and there will be a consultation period of about eight weeks.

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City of Sydney to help study impact of climate change on labour markets

The City of Sydney has been invited to take part in a global study to analyse the impact of climate change on local labour markets and skills development.

The project is being run by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. It will focus on ways to create environmentally-oriented jobs and up-skill workers to meet the needs of a greener economy. 

Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, says the one-year study will help identify workforce training programs and career development needed for the City of Sydney to remain at the forefront of the global climate change agenda.

Ms Moore says Australia’s economic well-being is driven by its capital cities and a strategic focus is needed on cities to advance Australia’s development, particularly to address global warming.

The Lord Mayor says the four Sydney-based TAFE New South Wales institutes have expressed their willingness to be involved in the project. She says local government areas in Spain, the United Kingdom, the US and Canada have also been asked by the OECD to take part in the study.

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Local Government Risk Management Summit - AGENDA NOW AVAILABLE

 

* AGENDA NOW AVAILABLE *

 

• Wednesday 28th - Thursday 29th April
• Novotel Brighton Beach, Sydney (close to airport)
  
• Agenda now available on summit website www.halledit.com.au/rm2010/agenda

A wide range of case studies will be delivered by Australia’s leading local government risk management practitioners at the inaugural national Local Government Risk Management Summit in April.

At a time when Australian councils face an increasingly complex risk environment with limited resources, this important event will provide attendees with the latest advice about leading local government risk management practices – information attendees can then apply within their own organisations to minimise risk and reduce exposure to liabilities.

Case study presentations will cover topics including: successfully implementing an Enterprise Risk Management framework in a local government organisation; incorporating risk management into organisational governance and culture; optimising internal auditing and audit committee procedures; ensuring council contractors meet compliance requirements; and how councils need to address the risks posed by climate change.

Speakers will include:

• Peter Napier, Integrated Risk Management Coordinator at Ipswich City Council and Vice President of the Risk Management Institution of Australasia.
• Donna Graham, Corporate Counsel, Glen Eira City Council
• Ken Muir, Risk Management Coordinator, Penrith City Council
• Geraldine Wood, Executive Manager Corporate Governance, Townsville City Council
• Simon Iliffe, Manager Risk Management Services, Shellharbour City Council
• Jeff Webb, Director Risk Services, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
• Glen Davis, Chief Executive Officer, Northern Grampians Shire
• Ian Waters, Redland City Council’s Risk & Liability Services Manager
• Greg Hunt, Executive Officer, South East Councils Climate Change Alliance
• David Simon, Data Manager, National Exposure Information System (NEXIS), Geoscience Australia
• Grant Whitehorn, a former Director Enterprise Risk Management at the Department of Defence, and currently a Consultant for RiskWare
• Tony Harb, Director, InConsult
• And Wollongong City Council’s former General Manager, Rod Oxley, who will provide insight into the Wollongong Council corruption scandal and detail the difficulties faced by councils to install a risk management framework that prevents corrupt activity.

Summit attendance enquiries should be directed to: Denise McQueen, Hallmark Conferences + Events, Ph: (03) 8534 5021; Email: denise.mcqueen@halledit.com.au.

Summit sponsorship and exhibition enquiries should be directed to: Ben Hutchison, Summit Director, Ph: (03) 8534 5025; Email: benh@halledit.com.au.

Further information is available on the conference website www.halledit.com.au/rm2010.

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Inquiry follows failure of shared services alliance in NSW

The recent break-down of an alliance designed to manage and deliver shared services for four councils in the New England region of New South Wales has led the State Government to conduct an independent review of local government services in the area.

NSW Local Government Minister, Barbara Perry, says the review will look at ways that services are currently provided by Armidale-Dumaresq, Guyra, Uralla and Walcha councils, and ways in which the services can be improved.

The New England Strategic Alliance of Councils broke down in 2009 after being formed five years earlier in the face of the councils being forced to amalgamate. The alliance was designed to provide shared services in a wide range of areas including community services, customer services, finance and budgets, information technology, land information, loans and investments, internal audit and risk management, and plant and fleet operations.

Under the provisions of the alliance, each of the four General Managers of the councils was assigned a portfolio responsibility for the delivery of specific shared services. It was intended the alliance would allow communities covered by the councils to retain their own identity and set their own policies and procedures for development.

Minister Perry says residents and ratepayers will have an opportunity to participate in the review through public forums and a submission process.

The inquiry will be chaired by Gabrielle Kibble - a former administrator of Wollongong City Council - who has to report her findings to Minister Perry by the end of May 2010. Further information about the inquiry can be found here. 

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Victorian council enters court enforceable OH&S undertaking

A Victorian council must publish an article in the Municipal Association of Victoria’s magazine outlining the risks and responsibilities relating to workplace bullying as part of a court enforceable undertaking made under the state’s Occupational Health and Safety Act.

WorkSafe Victoria says the undertaking entered into by Macedon Ranges Shire Council follows incidents in 2006 in which a council employee was allegedly bullied by a manager.

WorkSafe says council systems put in place to prevent bullying and address the problem were not effective. The undertaking requires the council to implement actions, including:
- Employ an independent consultant to train all council workers in preventing, identifying and managing workplace bullying by September 30, and report on the outcome to WorkSafe;
- Conduct refresher training at least every two years and provide all new staff with anti-bullying training;
- Ensure all staff with management responsibilities have accountability for OH&S and the return to work of injured people; and
- Conduct a workshop on bullying involving senior council managers and human resource managers from central Victoria, and report the outcomes to WorkSafe.

WorkSafe Victoria’s Acting Executive Director, Stan Krpan, says any suggestion of bullying in a council workforce affects individuals and has “a chilling effect on staff morale, its local and industry reputation and increases costs”.

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LG Jobs now the leading local government employment website in Australia

 

- LG Jobs is the #1 Google search for “Local Government Jobs” & “Local Council Jobs”

LGJobs is now the largest online employment site for local government, with over 180 positions listed each week.

It is published by Hallmark Editions, who also produces Councillor Magazine, LG News and Council Manager magazine.

LGJobs is an excellent way to maximise the exposure of your positions vacant whilst minimising your advertising outlay. For a cost of only $220 plus GST (discounts available for advertising packages) your position will be listed on the LGJobs website www.lgjobs.com.au, which receives an average of 22,000 hits per day, and the weekly LG Jobs e-newsletter (18,000 subscribers) until the specified closing date, or for a six week period.

All relevant positions are also listed on our associated boards and mail outs - EnviroJobs, EngineeringJobs, PlanJobs, WaterJobs and RoadJobs FREE of additional charge.

To advertise with LGJobs simply email your ad copy to blake.duggin@halledit.com.au or telephone (03) 8534 5012. Your ad will be loaded and live on the website with a confirmation email and link sent to you before the close of business on the day received.

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Ways to improve number of women in management roles examined in latest Council Manager

The challenge facing Australian local governments to increase the number of women in council manager and Chief Executive positions is analysed in-depth in the latest edition of Council Manager magazine.

In recognition of 2010 being the Year of Women in Local Government, the February/March edition of Australia’s national magazine for senior managers in local government features commentary from a number of current local government women CEOs about how they believe councils can improve the proportion of women in key management roles.

Also in this edition of Council Manager magazine is an examination of how Stonnington City Council has improved its organisational culture, and an article describing how Shoalhaven City Council has implemented a successful staff retention program. Canterbury City Council’s initiatives to improve its governance processes are also examined in this edition.

Published by Hallmark Editions, which also produces LG News and Councillor Magazine, Council Manager is a quarterly magazine that provides senior management of local governments across Australia with a rich stream of case studies about leading-edge council management practices that managers can use to benchmark their own council’s performance.

For information about how to subscribe to Council Manager, please phone Naomi Braham at Hallmark Editions on (03) 8534 5000, email naomi.braham@halledit.com.au or visit here.

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Darebin searching for new CEO

Darebin City Council in Melbourne’s north is searching for a CEO to succeed Michael Ulbrick, who has been with the council for nine years.

Mr Ulbrick‘s contract expires at the end of July and a statement issued by the council quotes him as saying it is time to explore “other opportunities and interests”. Applications for the CEO’s position closed on February 22.

Meanwhile, in New South Wales, Narromine Shire Council is advertising for a General Manager to succeed Ian Rogan, who left after two years in the position. Mr Rogan is staying in the district, but hasn’t made a decision on his future. The GM’s position carries a package of $150,000 - $165,000 and the deadline for applications is February 26. Further details can be found on the LG Jobs website here.

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Ashfield Council searching for new GM

Ashfield Council in Sydney is searching for a new General Manager to succeed Ken Gainger.

Mr Gainger left Ashfield late in 2009 to fill the GM’s role at neighbouring Marrickville Council.

Applicants for the Ashfield General Manager’s position had until February 15 to submit their applications.

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Busselton Shire seeking new CEO

Busselton Shire Council in Western Australia is searching for a Chief Executive Officer to succeed Andrew Macnish, who has held the position for more than six years.

Mr Macnish announced in September 2009 that he was stepping down in a mutual agreement with the council. He will remain in the job until the new CEO starts work at the beginning of July and then begin a full time Masters Degree in Sustainability.

The successful applicant will be appointed on a three to five-year contract and will attract a salary of between $220,000 and $250,000. Applications for the position closed on February 17.

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Events

3rd Victorian Sustainable Development Conference

The 3rd Victorian Sustainable Development Conference is to be held on May 25-26, 2010, at Zinc, Federation Square, Melbourne.

The Conference will be solution-oriented, bringing together key decision-makers from the private and public sectors, industry leaders, local government, scientists, conservationists and others to discuss ways in which to achieve real and lasting change in areas such as:

• Water
• Waste and resource recovery
• Energy efficiency
• Climate change response
• Planning and urban design
• Land remediation
• Air quality
• Human health
• Sustainable workplaces

Speakers include:

• Dr Kate Auty, Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability
• Anita Roper, Chief Executive Officer, Sustainability Victoria (Invited)
• Richard Bolt, Secretary, Department of Primary Industries
• Kevin Love, Deputy Secretary, Department of Sustainability and Environment
• Clare McArdle, Executive Director, Melbourne @ 5 Million Integration Unit, Department of Planning and Community Development
• Fiona Calvert, Director, Sustainable and Active Transport Policy, Department of Transport
• Rob Freeman, Chief Executive, Murray-Darling Basin Authority
• Professor Chris Davis, Commissioner, National Water Commission
• Professor John Thwaites, Chairman, Monash Sustainability Institute
• Stuart McConnell, Director, Future Focus, EPA Victoria
• Brendan Sydes, Principal Solicitor, Environmental Defenders' Office
• Peter Williams, Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte Digital 
• Carl McCamish, Executive General Manager, Origin Energy
• John Hunt, Technical Manager, Thiess Services
• Louise Hicks, Partner, DLA Phillips Fox
• Dave Appels, Economist, Frontier Economics
• Erin Simpson, Sustainability Services Manager, Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Professor John Wilson, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Swinburne University/Spokesperson, Engineers Australia
• Professor John Fien, Innovation in Leadership Programme, RMIT
• Professor Ralph Horne, Director, Centre for Design, RMIT
• Dan Atkins, Managing Director, Shaper Group
• Chris Newman, Manager, Councils Reforming Business, Local Government, Department of Planning and Community Development
• Phil Hughes, Principal Consultant: Sustainability and Water Management, Halcrow
• Jennifer Williams, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Corporate Express 
• Mike Lloyd, IP Management Consultant, Griffith Hack Patent and Trademark Attorneys
• Donavan Marley, Research Scientist, CSIRO Land and Water

The Conference will also feature best practice case studies in the above areas, as well as addressing challenges of sustainability, and provide advice on how state and local government and business can truly achieve social, environmental and economic sustainability.

The price for registering to attend the two-day Conference is just $695.

To view the Agenda or to register, go to www.halledit.com.au/vsd2010 or contact Denise McQueen on (03) 8534 5021 or denise.mcqueen@halledit.com.au

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Australian Road Engineering & Maintenance Conference

• March 16-17, 2010
  
• The Sebel & Citigate Albert Park, Melbourne

The 5th Australian Road Engineering & Maintenance Conference has been designed to alert road engineers from local government, councillors, managers, as well as consultants, contractors and suppliers, about the most important new developments and issues in roads and their environs.

This two-day event will bring together councils, state government road managers, and the private sector. Speakers have been drawn from South Africa, The Netherlands, New Zealand and from throughout Australia and include speakers from Local Government, State Road Authorities, Consultants and Contractors. Over two hundred delegates are expected.

Ian van Wijk, Technical Executive, Aurecon, South Africa, will present on Road Maintenance Management in South Africa - Experiences from Provincial and Local Road Authorities. For a full list of the speakers and their presentations please see www.halledit.com.au/roads10.

Sustainable Practices and the Environment will feature strongly on the program and in many presentations. It includes major roads, local roads, traffic areas, residential streets, rural roads, footpaths and road reserves. All speakers are asked to present very practical presentations.

Key conference topics include achieving Sustainability on Road Infrastructure Projects, Road Delivery Models & Contracts, Road Maintenance Practices & Management, Good Paving & Sealing Practices, Landscape Design and Cracks: Treatment & Prevention.

Case Studies are a feature of this conference including Local Government Case Studies.

A series of Workshops will be conducted parallel to the speaking stream and there will be an exhibition for opportunities to update on services, equipment and road materials.

For more information, including registration, please see the website www.halledit.com.au/roads10 or contact Denise McQueen, Ph: (03) 8534 5021 (direct) or (03) 8534 5000 (switch), Fax: (03) 8534 5121, denise.mcqueen@halledit.com.au

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