Work health and safety

We put safety first in everything we do. A healthy and safe workplace that promotes staff wellbeing and a strong safety culture will help to achieve the vision of Safety and how we do business around here.

To achieve this vision, Council adopted a three-year Work Health and Safety (WHS) Strategic Plan in 2018. This is aligned to the Community Strategic Plan and Operational Plan.

This Plan identifies safety goals as: • developing a work health and safety management system that drives legislative compliance and operational efficiency • embedding a risk management program to identify and control work health and safety risks with a goal of eliminating workplace incidents, injuries, and illnesses • building consultative platforms to drive safety, accountability, innovation and collaboration • measuring safety performance to ensure clear safety goals and continual improvement • building a robust safety culture and leadership team that drives a safety-first mantra.

Our Work Health and Safety Management System aligns with the AUS/NZ4801 framework, ensuring a riskbased approach and legislative compliance. Through collaboration and consultation, the workforce has learnt how to achieve sustainable change and effective processes and systems to minimise and control risks.

Key policy and processes include a WHS policy and commitment, injury management and recover at work framework, individual WHS responsibilities and accountabilities for all staff, emergency management and preparedness, first aid management, consultation coordination and collaboration mechanisms, WHS issue resolution, confined space management, incident management and reporting, WHS objectives and statistical reporting, working alone guidelines, and confined space management. Key policies and processes for review in 2021 include contractor management, inspection and testing, hazardous substances, and chemical management, purchasing and design control. Following the review of the WHS Risk Management Program, we aligned the program with our Enterprise Risk Management Framework for complicity. This will move us towards a holistic approach to effectively identifying and controlling WHS risks while eliminating workplace incidents, injuries and illness.

Achievements

We updated the Injury Management and Recover at Work framework to comply with State Insurance Regulatory Authority guidelines, and rolled out procedures for WHS responsibilities and duty statements for all workers, managers and officers’ duty of care obligations. The new procedure is part of on-boarding new staff. Our WHS Committee held 10 meetings in the reporting period, in line with the statutory obligations. The WHS Committee endorsed the new WHS Guidelines for working in cold weather, during hot weather and in poor atmospheric conditions. We began to draft a Safe Driver Policy to improve staff safety which will also reduce our insurance liability. We introduced the new online Confined Spaces Register. Safety Week was held in October 2019 with various safety awareness events including a safety innovation initiative where staff raised suggestions to mitigate workplace risks. Safety Week incorporated onsite health checks with external health professionals. We adopted a Working from Home during COVID-19 Policy and checklist and processed 350 working from home requests. We developed WHS Guidelines for interacting in the field (COVID-19) and interacting with customers in the workplace (COVID-19) to communicate infection control procedures. We carried out risk assessments on the application of the public health orders prior to reopening Customer Service Centres, libraries, museum, community centres and halls. We modified the online event booking system to include additional criteria and information in line with the public health requirements.

We established a COVID-19 Rivernet intranet page as a central source of information for staff to access online safety and well-being related resources. We completed the annual StateCover WHS management systems audit, meeting relevant safety standards and incorporating recommended safety improvements, culminating in the renewal of our insurance.

We achieved improved risk assessment processes and safety systems at work, through an increase in positive safety reporting, a reduction in workplace injuries and a reduction in the costs associated with workers’ compensation claims. We have achieved a premium reduction of more than $1 million since 2016/2017, which is forecast to continue into 2020/21. WHS incident reporting and lost time injuries reduced but reported hazards increased. This increase in the identification of hazards enabled the WHS team to mitigate risks and reduce incidents including lost time injuries and supported these efforts with relevant WHS training and toolbox talks.

Georges River during COVID-19. Photography by Elder

Depot team. Photography by Elder

Work related fatalities and lost time injuries for Georges River Council – comparison of last three financial years

Hazards, near misses and no lost time injuries reported

Hazards, near misses and no lost time injuries reported

Statutory information

Senior staff remuneration

Senior staff defined by the Local Government Act 1993 is the General Manager and Directors (Executives). This remuneration is for the period 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020.

Senior Staff Salary (cash) Component

Vehicle Allowance

General Manager

Senior managers $429,792.46

$1,570,295.96 $9,693.16

$57,544.45

Super -SGL

$20,531.42

$123,342.54

Bonus

$Nil

$Nil

Non Cash Benefits

$Nil

$Nil

Motor Vehicle

$Nil

$Nil

FBT

$Nil

$Nil

Total Remuneration

$460,017.04

$1,751,182.95

Statement of activities EEO Management Plan

The Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Diversity and Inclusion Plan demonstrates our commitment to support a fair and harmonious work environment for all employees. We believe diversity is what we represent and what we will continue to strive towards.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and thriving workplace culture that celebrates differences in all its forms and to ensuring employees do not face unnecessary barriers to participating in, or realising their potential in, employment.

We are committed to building and valuing a diverse workforce that represents the community we serve – a workforce that fosters a safe and professional workplace where we respect our differences, draw upon our strengths and collaborate in unity to create our diverse culture. We embrace and celebrate the diversity of people, such as differences in cultural backgrounds, race, ethnicity, disability, age, gender identity or sexual orientation. The EEO, Diversity and Inclusion Individual Action Plans remove any employment-related disadvantages and barriers and support our staff to realise their full potential while working for us. We drive a united, professional, and honest workplace where we are accountable for our own actions. We strive to adopt a workplace that fosters innovation, performance and productivity by empowering our diverse workforce to utilise the unique skills, ideas, perspectives, and qualities that they contribute every day.

This action plan has individual programs to ensure we satisfy our commitment to EEO and Diversity and Inclusion. The Action Plans include: • Diversity Action Plan 2019 – 2021 • Multicultural Action Plan 2019 – 2021 • Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2019 - 2021 • Youth and Young Professionals Plan 2019 – 2021 • Mature Age Action Plan 2019 – 2021 • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan 2019 – 2021

Each Plan has a set of goals, actions, lead work areas and timelines for completion.

Significant initiatives and achievements for this period include: • leadership team involvement in mentoring and coaching to promote upcoming female leaders in the community and Council e.g. True Women, Australasian Management Challenge • a communications plan enabling our staff to utilise the resources actioned by the Diversity and Inclusion

Committee

a Multicultural Champion appointed as part of the Executive team senior management and coordinators completing diversity and inclusion people management skills training a recruitment policy and employer branding to promote our diversity, inclusion and belonging new talent pools that provide opportunities for potential employees for the next 12 months Upskilling through online training modules for all levels of staff.

Overseas visits representing Council

There were no overseas visits representing Council during 2019/20.

External bodies that exercised functions delegated by Council

South Sydney Planning Panel (SSPP)

Sydney and Regional Planning Panels were introduced and mandated under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 to NSW in 2009 to strengthen decision making on regionally significant development applications and other planning matters. The functions of the SSPP is to: • determine regionally significant development applications (DAs), certain other DAs and s4.55(2) and s4.56 modification applications • act as the Planning Proposal Authority (PPA) when directed • undertake rezoning reviews • provide advice on other planning and development matters when requested • determine site compatibility certificates under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing for Seniors or

People with a Disability) 2004.

Development applications

The planning panels determine regionally significant DAs, certain other DAs and s4.55(2) and s4.56 modification applications. • Regional development, as outlined in Schedule 7 of the State Environmental Planning Policy (State and Regional

Development) 2011 • development with a capital investment value (CIV)* more than $30 million • Development with a CIV* more than $5 million which is: - council related - lodged by or on behalf of the Crown (State of NSW) - private infrastructure and community facilities - eco-tourist facilities - extractive industries, waste facilities and marinas that are designated development, - certain coastal subdivisions • development with a CIV* between $10 million and $30 million which is referred to the Planning Panel by the applicant after 120 days. *Capital investment value (CIV) is calculated at the time of lodgement of the DA for the purpose of determining whether an application should go to a Planning Panel - refer to Planning Circular PS 10-008.

Rezoning reviews

The planning panels may undertake independent reviews of some council and Department of Planning, Industry and Environment decisions in the plan making process. By providing an opportunity for an independent body to give advice on LEPs, the review processes allow councils and proponents to have decisions about the strategic merits of proposed amendments reconsidered.

A request for a rezoning review can be submitted by a proponent where Council: • has notified the proponent that the request to prepare a planning proposal is not supported, or • has not indicated its support 90 days after the proponent submitted a request accompanied by the required information, or • has failed to submit a planning proposal for a Gateway determination within a reasonable time after the council has indicated its support.

The review and determination should be in accordance with the Planning Circular PS 18-012 (or as updated). The Planning Panel will determine whether the planning proposal should proceed, or not proceed, for a Gateway determination. The Panel’s decision will be based on the strategic and site specific merits of a proposal.

Georges River Local Planning Panel (LPP)

Local planning panels (formerly Independent Hearing And Assessment Panels) are panels of independent experts that determine DAs on behalf of Council and provide advice on other planning matters, including planning proposals.

Under the EP&A Act, local planning panels became mandatory in 2018 for all Greater Sydney councils so that the process of assessment and determination of DAs with a high corruption risk, sensitivity or strategic importance is transparent and accountable.

The functions of the Georges River Council Local Planning Panel (LPP) are to: • determine development applications, modification of consent applications and review of determinations that are within the delegations pursuant to the provisions of the EP&A Act and from the Council • provide advice on planning proposals pursuant to the provisions of the EP&A Act • act as the PPA for specific planning proposals as identified by Council • provide an independent and open forum for interested people and the community to make submissions relevant to the applications before LPP • increase transparency for the determination of significant DAs and planning proposals made to the Council • achieve good urban design and development outcomes consistent with the relevant legislation and planning controls.

Bodies in which Council had controlling interest

Georges River Council had no controlling interest in any corporations, companies, partnerships, syndicates, ventures or other bodies in 2019/20.

Bodies in which the Council participated

Council representatives participated in the following external organisations during 2019/20: • Advance Diversity Services • ANSTO • Australian Smart Communities Association (ASCA) • City Possible • Committee for Sydney • Georges River Keeper (GRCCC) • Greater Sydney Commission (Kogarah Collaboration Area) • Local Government Professionals NSW • LGNSW IT Professionals Network • NSW Public Libraries Association • NSW Public Sector Network

Planning Institute of Australia Realise Sydney (former Business Enterprise Centre) Records and Information Management Professionals Australasia Reframing Aging Group Engagement (RAGE) Regional Development Australia Resilient Sydney South East Sydney Local Health District Board Community Partnerships Committee South Sydney Regional Advisory Council (SSRAC) Smart Cities Council Australia and New Zealand Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) St George Business Chamber Sydney Regional Illegal Dumping Squad Carss Park Community Garden St George Police Area Command University of New South Wales and Street Furniture Australia – Smart Suburbs Collaboration University of Technology Sydney, Regional Development Australia Sydney and ANSTO Innovation partnership

Georges River Civic Centre