HUMAN RESOURCES

People power initiative

COVID-19 has seen many Councils navigate and adapt many aspects of its operations and none more so than Northern Beaches Council who successfully rolled out several modules in their one-stop human resource system know as People Central - right in the middle of a pandemic!

People Central was envisioned in 2019/20 starting with the introduction of both online performance management, and a learning management system followed by the recruitment and onboarding of modules being added.

In 2020/21 Council went live with the most significant changes including:

·My Time - (UKG Workforce Dimensions) Including a rostering, time and attendance, timekeeping, scheduling and absence management system · My HR (SuccessFactors Employee Central)

Includes relief duties with delegations, updating bank details and other personal information · My Pay (SuccessFactors Employee Central

Payroll) Payroll processing system

At go-live a small, dedicated change team was supplemented by a large group of frontline staff to form a business readiness crew equipped to advocate, consult, train and provide support for users.

HR also introduced My Help (Whatfix) an insystem training tool providing real time help for its less digital savvy workers, to capture time, change their details, apply for leave and access their payslip.

Workforce and Technology Director Karen Twitchett said it was both the right time and the wrong time to implement such significant changes to the organisation.

“It was always the plan to automate, digitise and go online with HR and payroll functions, but when 100% of our workforce were impacted by the pandemic and working from home or working differently it was certainly a tricky time,” Mrs Twitchett said.

“Six months down the track our employees and managers are still learning and growing their capabilities and we have continued to develop organisational capability to deliver further tech driven changes to meet customer expectations.

“Was it worth it? Absolutely and we’ll happily take on the next big tech change, but maybe once the pandemic has come to an end!”

Readiness Crew who supported staff in the lead up to and launch of People Central - they are wearing their safety vests to help staff easily identify who that can reach out to for help.

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This style of promotion provides you with the opportunity to promote your Council to others in the local government sector and to state and federal government authorities, highlighting your best practice programs especially following Covid-19, tourism, initiatives, and achievements. These supplements can also be a cost-effective way for local governments to disseminate information to residents and ratepayers at expos, in new residents’ kits or as information for new businesses moving into your area. They can also provide a good overview of key activities and can be included with grant applications to both state and federal governments. No additional charge for editorial assistance or production plus receive 500 copies of the supplement are provided to Council free of charge.

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JULY 2021

A large, diverse municipality in Melbourne’s north, the City of Darebin prides itself on being inclusive, sustainable, vibrant and multicultural – an enviable community in which residents love to live.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR MAYOR

The City of Darebin is not a simple one to govern; it is not generic. We are strong, energetic and complex – a diverse people in every sense. I was elected along with my fellow eight Councillors in October last year. It is now our privilege and responsibility to guide and govern this wonderful city. We can only do this effectively by working together with our community, businesses and other service organisations. Our Vision for these four years is to be: Vibrant, Respectful and Connected – making sure our community is one where all our people are valued, and no-one is left behind; Prosperous, Liveable and Flourishing – building on and industry, and where all services and facilities that support a balanced, healthy life are easily accessible; Climate, Green and Sustainable – ensuring Darebin is a leader in responding to the climate emergency, and our natural environment is protected and enhanced; Responsible, Transparent and Responsive – recognising we are here to serve our community, in all its diversity, and that we govern transparently and accountably. If this last year has taught us anything, it is that we are in this together. We all need to continue to play an active role in creating the Darebin we want to become. A Message from Our Mayor TCr Lina Messina Mayor, City of Darebin As we focus on the future of Darebin, I want unprecedented challenges for our community, and our organisation. It was a year that saw the introduction of a new 30 years – and Council elections, which would normally be a huge undertaking alone. But of course, we also all experienced the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which required wholesale changes to how we operated, to continue our services to our community. The pandemic also put an enormous strain on individuals, which served as another reminder of the critical importance of effective local government in our lives. Darebin took proactive measures to help our residents and workers who were doing it tough – hundreds of Council staff, who were temporarily unable to work due to lockdowns, were redeployed into projects and programs around Darebin, and we took in an extra 110 people from our community displaced by COVID. We also substantially ramped up our service offering to help thousands of community members. I want to wholeheartedly thank our wonderful were steadfast in leading this city through this time of uncertainty. I also welcome working with our new Council to continue and to see in a new era of prosperity and community connectedness. At the core of the new Act is how we can better listen to, and work with, our communities. It also supports local governments to more easily work in partnership with each other – across municipal ways, to operate. – to ensure we have a future view of our resources. This is important, as we need to make sure we can fund our commitments and provide the facilities and infrastructure our community will need. of our greatest challenges in the years ahead. With our community and businesses pandemic, we maintain our infrastructure and provide our services. Partnership is the only way forward – with our organisations, businesses and service providers – and more broadly, with our local government neighbours, and state and federal governments. It is also how we want to orient our Council and organisation to our community. This a new dawn for Darebin, and we want to grow our connectedness with our diverse communities. We look forward to working together. Sue Wilkinson CEO, Darebin City Council

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A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO

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Work becoming playful

The people experience at the City of Cockburn, WA, is changing - it’s becoming more playful according to Executive People Experience and Transformation officer Jemma Iles.

Ms Iles said staff were on a transformative journey as the City completes an organisational restructure. This includes driving action through transformation teams and promoting a flexible hybrid work culture due to COVID’s effect on where and how people can fulfill their roles.

It’s created a heightened collaborative approach, including the dedication of an old meeting room to staff collaboration and play. The new team space is called the Waabiny Room, which means ‘play’ in the Noongar language of southwest Western Australia.

She said it was an exciting time for the City, its staff and ultimately the community, with an expanded team fostering excellence via fun.

Ms Iles said the City’s new Executive team, which has been boosted by three members to eight, with a 50/50 gender balance for the first time in the City’s history, wanted to encourage collaboration and creative thinking by making room for it with a dedicated staff space at the City’s administration centre.

“We are looking outside local government for ideas, and this is Cockburn’s first foray into providing a permanent dedicated space for staff to collaborate and think outside the box in teams,” said Ms Iles, who is a founding member of the Global Council for Innovative Organisations launched by the Dubai Government Excellence Program.

“It’s a place to let your brain go into neutral, destress, have fun, get creative and mindful, innovate, brainstorm and discuss things that are important to staff and for our community at large, all driven by the staff themselves.

“The City encourages diversity of thought and having a space where our people feel psychologically safe to talk and bring ideas forward is important to us,” she said.

Ms Iles said it would hopefully be the start of more collab spaces around the City’s administration and operation centres.

“It’s a way to complement the more formal meeting rooms and build further connection and trust between staff in a way that decentralises the traditional power structure that you often see in a board room or meeting rooms.”

Many staff members took advantage of an invitation to help furnish and decorate the room with donations of art supplies enabling the creation of wall murals featuring local flowering native plants, and a large blackboard where people are encouraged to leave messages and suggestions.

Jemma Iles.

Gladstone welcomes new apprentices

Gladstone Regional Council (GRC) has welcomed 24 apprentices and trainees for its 2022 intake at an induction ceremony held earlier this month at the Boyne Tannum Community Centre.

The 24 eager recruits will fill a variety of roles across several business units at locations across the Gladstone Region including Agnes Water, Benaraby, Calliope and Gladstone. These roles include: Automotive Mechanical (Heavy Road Trans Gladstone Region Mayor Matt Burnett said it was fantastic to see so many new faces join an organisation that is committed to delivering outstanding service to the community.

“I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to apply and wish the successful applicants the best of luck on their GRC journey,” Mayor Burnett said.

“Council is proud to serve close to 63,000 residents across 10,489 square kilometres and it’s great to see roles have been filled in a variety of different locations within the Gladstone Region.

“Our People Services and Learning and Development Teams took a different approach to finding suitable apprentices and trainees by strategically aligning the recruitment period with other key businesses and industries in our region, allowing us to reach a more competitive pool of applicants.

“This adjustment also meant that school leavers that were successful in joining our business, were able to get a vision on the beginning of their career path before finishing the year ensuring that we’re keeping our local talent, local.”

Council’s 2022 apprentices and trainee intake has been assisted by the First Start program under the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative.

First Start provides wage subsidies to local councils and community-based organisations to employ additional trainees.

The program offers opportunities to young people and disadvantaged job seekers to gain nationally recognised qualifications and 12 months employment by undertaking a traineeship or longer for apprenticeships.

First Start is one of seven programs that make up the Queensland Government’s Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative.

Lake Macquarie invests in mental health

Lake Macquarie City Council is helping its staff build resilience and support each other by investing in Mental Health First Aid training and resources to assist employees.

Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based training course that gives people the skills and confidence needed to have supportive conversations with colleagues and help guide them to professional help if needed.

Two staff have completed training as Mental Health First Aid Instructors. Council’s first round of targeted Mental Health First Aider training took place in late 2021 and is now being offered across the workforce.

Manager People Culture and Risk Kellie Reeves said staff across Council have expressed interest in becoming Mental Health First Aiders.

“The interest in the Mental Health First Aid program shows how important the issue of mental health is to our people,” she said.

“We want to ensure this support is easily available to all staff, which is why we made the conscious choice to provide the opportunity for an employee from our City Works department to gain instructor accreditation.

“City Works is our largest department and it’s comprised primarily of outdoor workers who can be harder to engage with due to the remote nature of their work. Additionally, the majority of City Works employees are male, who we know from statistics are less likely to seek treatment for mental health conditions and are at greater risk of suicide.”

In addition to providing Mental Health First Aid training, throughout the pandemic the Council has worked closely with its Employee Assistance Program provider to make resources available to staff, facilitated mental health webinars for Safe Work Month and R U OK? Day, and encouraged staff to participate in the Let’s Lift Lake Mac project, a partnership between Council and Avondale University aimed at improving participants’ mood and wellbeing.

“We’ve received really positive feedback from staff on these initiatives, and are proud that we can help support the emotional wellbeing of staff during these especially challenging times.”

Trainees helping diversity

While weathering the impacts of the pandemic, Lake Macquarie City Council has had its sights firmly set on improving the diversity of its workforce now and into the future.

The Council is committed to ensuring its workforce reflects the community it serves, but according to Talent Acquisition Coordinator Penny Howell, in 2019 the organisation was some way from achieving this goal.

“Figures from our 2019-2022 Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Management Plan showed that in 2019 women made up 41.3 per cent of our workforce, while they accounted for 51.2 per cent of the city population, while Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) People represented 1.65 per cent of our workforce and 2.7 per cent of the Lake Macquarie population,” she said.

“Over the life of the Plan, which is now in its final year, we’ve taken steps to address these disparities and create a more diverse and inclusive organisation.”

Several actions in the Plan relate directly to Council’s recruitment processes including successfully applying to Anti-Discrimination NSW in October 2020 to gain exception to recruit 10 female-identified and 10 ATSI-identified Trainee Works Assistant roles, and again in September 2021 to recruit an ATSI-identified Cadet Environment Health Officer position.

In 2021, Council redesigned a Trainee Records Officer role to provide an opportunity for a person with a disability.

“We’ve boosted ATSI participation in our workforce to 2.4 per cent and female participation to 44 per cent, as at June 2021, and, based off this success, we’re exploring opportunities for future identified traineeships for people with disability.”

While proud of the organisation’s achievements, Penny said the work at Lake Mac is ongoing.

“We are on a positive path to creating a more diverse and inclusive organisation but there is always more that can be done in this space.” Natural Area Projects Officer Amanda Shields who began her career with Council in January 2021 on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identified traineeship.

Business workshops

Victoria’s Mount Alexander Shire Council has begun it’s small business workshops series with a suite of sessions on offer to help our local businesses improve skills, network with others and get expert advice.

The free workshops, delivered in partnership with Business Victoria and Monarch Institute, cater to businesses of all shapes, sizes and stages.

Workshop topics include helping business owners and operators establish their businesses, excelling in the digital sphere, and taking things one step further with marketing.

The first workshop was run by business owner and mentor, Penny Glover. Ms Glover has facilitated workshops for small businesses in metropolitan and regional Victoria through Business Victoria for the past seven years. She runs her own business as a training and development consultant and is currently engaged as a Business Mentor in the VCCI Small Business Recovery and Resilience Mentoring Program.

Shire Economic Development Officer, Eva Parkin said the program’s focus on business planning and building digital skills was in response to local business needs.

“Local businesses are telling us, now more than ever, how important it is to have a strong online presence,” said Ms Parkin.

“Last year’s digital sessions were really popular, so we’re excited to be able to offer workshops this year that focus on the digital side of running a business.”

“Things like having a professional-looking website, running social media, crafting enewsletters and creating digital ads are all really useful ways that businesses can build and maintain a strong online presence.

“The breadth of knowledge and experience that Penny Glover brings to these workshops is incredibly valuable for local businesses, as well as the chance to meet and network with others in the same boat,” said Ms Parkin.

Visitor numbers soar

The Greater Shepparton Visitor Centre in Victoria had a busy Christmas and New Year period at its new location in the SAM precinct, adjacent to Victoria Park Lake.

The Visitor Centre recorded a 275 per cent increase in visitors across the two weeks, compared to the 2020/21 festive period. Of the 2,140 visitors, 80 per cent were from Greater Melbourne, as well as a number of interstate travellers.

Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor, Cr Kim O’Keeffe said she was delighted to see lots of new and returning visitors to the region.

“The Greater Shepparton Visitor Centre staff and volunteers have done an amazing job to keep up with the demand across the festive period.

The Visitor Centre recorded its busiest day on Wednesday 29 December with 273 visitors walking through the door, what an incredible effort.”

“The staff reported that lots of people who attended the Greater Shepparton Visitor Centre were looking for family friendly activities, dining recommendations and to participate in the Moooving Art Round Up, which is fantastic for the region and our local economy,” Cr O’Keeffe said.

“More than half of the visitors through the Visitor Centre’s doors also visited the SAM Museum. It’s great to see the attractions of Greater Shepparton on display through these busy times. Our region has so many great things to offer.”

Learning road rules

Mount Alexander Shire Council in Victoria supported Cyclesafe Mount Alexander and Bike Bendigo to deliver the low-cost bike-riding sessions in Castlemaine and Newstead during January.

“Riding to school was commonplace a generation ago, but these days, most children are driven to school – particularly at primary school level,” said Simone Hooppell, Council’s Healthy Heart of Victoria Health Broker.

“As a consequence, fewer children have had the opportunity to develop their road safety skills and experience through riding to school.

“These workshops give young people the opportunity to learn current road rules, develop their riding skills, and learn strategies for safe on-road riding,” said Ms Hooppell.

Council is providing the workshops as part of their commitment to support improved health and wellbeing for the community, as outlined in the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2021-2025.

“Cycling to school offers teenagers independence and regular exercise,” said Ms Hooppell.

“We know this has benefits for people’s fitness and mental health, and it’s also good for the planet,” she said.

“Along with students starting year seven in 2022, we welcome children in grade five, six, or year eight who are interested in improving their bike skills.”

Participants could choose to attend a twoday workshop in Castlemaine or a 1-day workshop in Newstead. Both sessions will be held from 10.00am to 3.00pm.

This program was proudly supported by Healthy Heart of Victoria, Mount Alexander Shire Council, and the Victorian Government.

Expo postponed

The Bathurst Careers Expo, scheduled for 15 February 2022, has been cancelled.

The Expo, set to be held at Charles Sturt University for the first time, was initially scheduled to be held in August 2021, but was postponed until the new year in a hope that COVID restrictions would have eased.

With the return to school, and current restrictions in place until at least the end of February, a decision has been made to cancel the February event and focus on the return of the Careers Expo in its original August timeslot.

Bathurst Mayor Robert Taylor said in the last week a number of stallholders and schools had contacted Council to withdraw from the event, while Council has also been closely monitoring the current situation.

“Given the high level of interaction between stall holders and expo attendees, the decision has been made to cancel the February event,” he said.

“We will focus on the return of the Careers Expo in its usual August timeslot and we will work with our sponsors, stallholders and schools to deliver an event for students and other job seekers.”

To help those who are currently in the job market, the contact details for each of the stall holders who were going to take part in the February events will be listed on the Bathurst Business Hub website (bathurstbusinesshub.com.au), so they can get in touch for any employment opportunities.

Details on the August 2022 Bathurst Careers Expo will be announced in coming months.

Mural draws attention

A large mural inspired by conversations with local Aboriginal people is stopping people in their tracks as they walk the streets of Huonville in southern Tasmania.

Painted on the wall of the Huon Valley Council’s Community Hub, the mural of black swans flying over the Huon River acknowledges the original owners of the land and celebrates Aboriginal culture and stories.

Mayor Bec Enders said following the establishment of the Hub in December 2020, Council surveyed the community to better understand what features they would like to see included both in the Hub and in the neighbouring green space.

“The design responds to feedback gathered through the survey, as well as ideas and desires we heard from our community through the Huonville Town Team Movement and through general discussions,” Mayor Enders said.

“Importantly, we want the greenspace to acknowledge the original owners of our land and celebrate Aboriginal culture and stories.”

The mural, supported by Community Bank Huon Valley, is part of a beautification and activation project, as well as a recovery action.

Aboriginal Elder, Rodney Dillon, said the swans tell their own stories.

“Aboriginal people would watch the swans and they could tell if it was going to be a dry or a wet year by where the swans built their nests… close to or away from the water line,” Mr Dillon said.

“There are lots of different things happening around us, nature has a way of expressing itself... if we take the time to watch, listen and learn we can all help care for country.”

The mural was painted by Jamin, a Hobartbased artist who is known internationally for his vibrant murals and street art.

Jamin spent around 24 days on the wall in total and he said spending time in the Huon Valley and making a work for the people had been a real privilege.

“I remember one day I was doing a mural in another town and a man told me that he thought it humanised the place and I think that’s exactly what murals do,” he said.

Huon Mural.

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Marisa new HR head for Stirling

The City of Stirling has welcomed Marisa Kouts as its new Human Resources Manager.

Marisa has extensive senior Human Resource experience having worked across a number of large and complex industries including State Government (Western Australia and Victoria), Professional Services, Legal, Engineering Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM), Oil and Gas, Infrastructure and Environment, Power, Energy/Utilities and Retail.

Over the past decade, she has been employed in a variety of senior Human Resource leadership roles in State Government organisations including the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office, Western Australia Police Force, the Department of the Attorney General and most recently at the Department of Justice as their Manager, HR Strategy and Workplace Services.

Prior to this, Marisa worked in the Engineering and Energy sectors and will bring to the City diverse expertise leading Work Health and Safety, Employee Relations and Human Resource strategy, people and culture transformation, and organisational change management.

On a personal level, Marisa is passionate about her two children, home design, going on adventures and food (cooking and eating!).

She is a self-confessed Human Resource geek and strives to always be learning something new, carrying on traditions and unearthing inspiration in the teams she manages and organisations she works in.

Launchpad for business

Central Coast Council announced this year’s Social Enterprise Launch Pad Program with an information session being held later this month.

The Program will include a series of workshops and one-on-one mentoring sessions that will run from late March to June 2022.

Central Coast Council’s Community and Culture Unit manager Glenn Cannard said the annual Social Enterprise Launch Pad Program supported the development of innovative new enterprise models within the region and helped turn community focused business ideas into a reality. “The free program, which has been running since 2012, provides a step-by-step guide to research, plan, seek funding and establish a social enterprise that benefits our community – whether it be social, environmental or creative,” Mr Cannard said. “This annual program has helped start-ups, entrepreneurs, not for profit organisations and new businesses with a social vision go on to successfully launch community focused ventures such as the Iris Foundation’s ‘Wings to Succeed’ project.” Sue Liptrott, Executive Officer of Iris Foundation said taking part in the Social Enterprise Launch Pad Program was a supportive and creative experience.

“In 2021, Iris Foundation was accepted to take part in the Social Enterprise Launch Pad Program and we were so grateful for the opportunity,” Ms Liptrott said.

“We were looking to introduce a project that would enhance the existing ‘Because We Care Boutique Central Coast’ and provide further support to women in need.

“Launch Pad provided not only the construction and formulation of a defined pathway forward, but also valuable marketing tools for immediate use. These were instrumental in creating a platform to apply for grant funding for our new ‘Wings to Succeed’ project and I am happy to say that we were successful in receiving a Council Social Enterprise Grant in 2021 and the project is now underway.”

Sue Bradley, concept founder of SWAMP (Sustainable Wetlands Agriculture Makers Project) Central Coast said that participating in Council’s Social Enterprise Launch Pad Program in 2020 had been key to the start-up success of SWAMP’s community garden project Sustainable wetlands.

and education and training programs. “The Launch Pad program has given me the confidence to establish lasting relationships with community organisations, to form partnership programs and reach out to local MP’s, government and private organisations as well as Council,” Bradley said.

“The continued mentoring after the program was to me, one of the most helpful resources. I highly recommend this program to anyone wishing to bring their social enterprise ideas to life. Through these conversations I was able to locate a site on crown land for SWAMP Central Coast where people can connect and discover the importance of growing food with sustainable methods and respect to Because we care boutique.

the land and environment.” Council Administrator Rik Hart expects this year’s program to be bolstered from an increased movement in society to undertake work with a purpose and give back to the community.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has many people rethinking their careers and long-term goals and want to use their skills and talents to help others and service their community,” Mr Hart said.

“I expect this year’s program will attract an increased number of participants and look forward to seeing what social enterprise ideas will come to the table for the benefit our region.”

This year’s development program will be delivered in partnership between Council, Business Centre and Community Compass.

For more information on this program search ‘social enterprise’ at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au or email Gregory.Combes@centralcoast.nsw. gov.au

Project assists Indigenous jobseekers

The Kensington Gardens Reserve Project, located in the Kensington Wama / Kensington Gardens Reserve was opened by Premier Steven Marshall on 17 January.

The project aimed to completely revitalised the City of Burnside’s most popular recreational reserve and delivered a range of environmental, recreational, cultural, and economic benefits.

The Council worked closely with Kaurna Traditional Owners to ensure best-practice cultural heritage management throughout the project and deliver a range of cultural heritage recognition initiatives, including a place of reflection and a cultural walk with interpretive signage and artwork.

The projects Heritage, Economic Workforce Participation Package supported the jobseekers in attaining accreditations and skills to pave the way for long-term construction industry careers.

The project created five full-time positions for Indigenous job seekers, as well as six casual roles. Around 23 per cent of the overall workforce hours of the project is attributable to indigenous workforce participation.

According to the City of Burnside council the project represented the exciting start of their journey towards reconciliation and provided a platform to discuss, learn and experience hands-on Kaurna culture.

In addition to the obvious recreational and amenity benefits, the project has delivered substantial environmental improvements including: Improved stormwater quality runoff from the polluted urban Wattle Park catchment before it is discharged into the downstream Stonyfell Creek system. · An extensive revegetation program with at least 40 new trees, 1,450 shrubs, over Indigenous art forms part of the new facility.

4,300 groundcover species, 4,800 new biozone plantings, and over 10,000 new plants in the wetland. · Improved local biodiversity, tree health, habitat, and riparian ecosystem and · Opportunities for future harvesting and reuse of stormwater.

Funding partners for the $7.4 million project included $3 million from the Federal Government, $850,000 from the South Australian Government’s Open Space grant program, $215,904 from Green Adelaide’s 2019-20 Water Sustainability Grants scheme and $81,000 from Tennis SA / Tennis Australia.