Welcome to your July edition of In Focus News; designed to keep you informed about our current programs and activities.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Preparations are well underway for the annual conference being held at the paranaple convention centre from Wednesday evening, 16 October until Friday 18 October at 2:00 pm.

It Starts with Us is a call to action for the leader in all of us.

The Conference will commence with a Pre-Conference Welcome networking event at the Southern Wild Distillery, Providore Place on Wednesday 16 October from 6:00 pm for an hour.

Then join us for two days of connection, thought leadership and inspiration as we hear and learn from those who are making a positive difference in our local communities.

Please keep an eye on the website prior to the program being finalised to stay up to date with speaker and event information.

Registrations are now open. Please note that Full Registration does not include the Pre-Conference welcome on Wednesday evening. You need to register for that separately.

To register online click here.

NATIONAL REPORT

As an extension of the opportunities for professional development, we offer here on the ground like the Australasian Management Challenge, LG Professionals Australia leverages its national footing to offer our members opportunities for growth on the international level.

As LG Professionals Tasmania members, you have access to the growing suite of international opportunities from LG Professionals Australia, including the yearly International Mentoring Program that is growing further across South East Asia and professional local government exchanges between countries like Korea, Japan and the United States.

LG Professionals Tasmania, as part of the wider LG Professionals network, has also been able to promote the great work of our council professionals at the Federal level. We all know how integral untied grants like the Financial Assistance Grants are to supporting the day-to-day operations of our hardworking teams. We put together a document Committing to Communities with our national partners to take up to the Federal Government prior to the election earlier this year.

By Matthew Atkins - Deputy General Manager, Devonport City Council

National Board Director, LG Professionals Australia

Director, LG Professionals Tasmania

MEMBER PROFILE - JESS RADFORD

Each newsletter we aim to feature one of our current members. In this edition, we have interviewed member, Jess Radford who is the Manager HR, Customer & Community Services at Sorell Council.

Jess, what do you do in your role and how long have you been doing it?

The response to this could vary on any given day and that’s what I love about it. I have a diverse role and am responsible for the management of Customer Service & Business Support, Communications, Community Services, Corporate Administration, Records Management, Human Resources and Payroll. I am a member of the Senior Management Team and am proud to be a contributor to a team which has a strong focus on continuous improvement and contemporising our organisation. I am approaching 15 years with Sorell and have been in my current position for 5 years.

What made you want to work in Local Government?

My mum actually. I was living in the Northern Territory, studying a Bachelor of Education and was planning to move back to Tassie. Council had a temporary position advertised for a Leader of their Vacation Care program. Mum sent me the application details and told me to apply. I got the job and soon after was offered a permanent position running After School and Vacation Care, whilst I continued my studies. 15 years later I have held seven different positions within the Council, completed a Bachelor of Social Science and done a variety of things from changing nappies to negotiating enterprise agreements. I really enjoy the diversity of working in Local Government and the opportunities to make a difference both within the organisation and the community.

What made you join LG Professionals Tasmania?

Back in 2008, my manager at the time encouraged me to apply for the Raymond West Scholarship. I did and was selected and sent by what was then LGMA to the National Congress on the Gold Coast. I became a member and attended many meetings and state conferences which were fantastic networking and learning opportunities. In more recent years, having had three periods of maternity leave and working part-time it hasn’t been possible to attend. However, I recently attended the Emerging Leaders Program in Launceston, which was brilliant (thanks Mary) and am looking forward to becoming an active member once again.

What interests do you have outside of work?

Getting away in the caravan with my family and camping with friends somewhere off the grid, spending days at the beach and on the water, climbing rocks, riding bikes and finishing the day sitting around the campfire with a Tassie Pinot.

If you could give your 12-year-old self a piece of advice what would it be?

It is more important to do stuff than it is to have stuff.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I was an Olympic Torch-Bearer in the 2000 Olympic Torch Relay.

What do you think are some of the biggest challenges facing the sector at the moment?

I think the biggest challenge facing local government at the moment is the ability for us to generate sufficient revenue in order to provide the level of service and quality/range of assets that the community expect. This is particularly challenging for non-metropolitan Councils to achieve who don’t have a strong commercial and industrial rate base. In dealing with demographic shifts, technology advancements and responding to increased customer expectations without increasing rates beyond inflation, it is becoming increasingly necessary for us to reconsider how we operate, structure our organisations and develop innovative approaches and alternative operating models to deliver more for less, in order to remain financially sustainable.

Biggest regret outside of work in the past 10 years?

Overthinking and worrying about things that really don’t matter, instead of making the absolute most out of the time I have with my children whilst they are little and not achieving my goal of purchasing a jet ski before I was 30.

GOOD LUCK TASSIE AT THE NATIONAL CONGRESS!

NATIONAL CONGRESS & BUSINESS EXPO 2019 IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

Best of luck to the Tasmanian Regional Award and Australasian Management Challenge winners who will compete in the National Titles at the Congress in Darwin next week:

Emerging Leader of the Year Award - Erica McKinnell, Break O'Day Council
Environmental Leadership and Sustainability Award - Dion Lester, LGAT. Project: Feasibility Study into Statewide Waste Management
Innovative Management Initiative Award - Devonport City Council. Project: LIVING CITY Devonport
Excellence in Community Development and Service Delivery Award - Claudia Taylor & Sarah McCormack, City of Launceston. Project: ABCDE Learning Sites
Partnerships and Collaboration Award - Rebecca Stevenson, Huon Valley Council. Project: Evacuation Centre
Australasian Management Challenge Tas Regional finalist - Kingborough Quolls, Kingborough Council

Our warmest congrats to our Raymond West Scholars who will attend the Congress.

Katelyn Cragg - Project Officer, LGAT
Sandy Loring - Environmental Health Officer, Burnie City Council

BUILDING A MENTALLY HEALTHY WORKPLACE THROUGH POLICY

Having the right policies in place can help set the foundations for great mental health and wellbeing practices in your workplace and demonstrate that psychological safety is important to the business. In a Thriving Workplace, Organisational systems and formal processes drive the development of mental health-focused workplace policy. These policies are actively implemented in the workplace. A clear strategy or policy on mental health and wellbeing should exist, and be understood, visible and accessible to all workers.

This webinar is the third in a five-part series focusing on each of the domains of the thriving workplace: Leadership, Connectedness, Policy, Capability and Culture. This webinar series will be of interest to executives, business owners and professionals in HR, OD, WHS, Employee Wellbeing, Learning and Development. During this webinar, you’ll learn what to consider when researching and designing a mental health and wellbeing strategy and then implementing your policy and bringing it to life through your day to day operations and practices.

Date: Thursday 8th August

Time: 12.00 pm – 1.00 pm AEST

Presenter: Danielle Raven, Program Manager Workplace Mental Health & Wellbeing, SuperFriend

Register here

LG Professionals Tas Platinum Partner

LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEGISLATION REVIEW

The Minister for Local Government, the Hon Mark Shelton MP, released the Tasmanian Government’s Reforms Direction Paper, outlining the proposed reforms to Tasmania’s local government legislative framework. The proposed Reform Directions outlined in the paper have been informed by research, practices in other Australian jurisdictions, feedback and submissions as well as discussions and advice from the Review Reference Group, who were appointed in February 2019.

A copy of the Reforms Direction Paper is found on the DPAC website here.

For further information visit the Department of Premier and Cabinet website.

The July edition of LG Review News is available to view or download here.

We are very interested to know if you have any ideas or requests for activities, programs or services you wish to have on offer during the year.

You are welcome to call or send me an email if you have any specific requests or ideas.

Kind regards,

Mary Frost