March 2022

THE FUTURE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The State Government commenced engagement on the first phase of the future of Local Government Review on the 25 February.

There are three documents available for your interest: Review Roadmap, Guiding Principles and the Review Themes.

The Roadmap outlines why a review is being undertaken now, who is doing it and how it will be done, the structure and themes of the review and the engagement process.

The first consultations will take place over March and April.

In Stage 1 there will be engagement sessions with:

Mayors
General Managers
Elected Representatives (6 regional forums)
Council employees (6 regional forums)
2 x Online Sessions – one for Elected Reps and one for Employees
Online submissions Portal

Recently our President and Deputy President met with the Chair of Local Government Board in relation to the review. The meeting was very positive and indicated a real desire of the Board to engage with professionals employed in the sector. The Board has encouraged LG Professionals Tasmania to engage with its member base as part of the review to ensure that its views are conveyed to the Board.

LG Professionals Tas will shortly conduct a survey and members are strongly encouraged to participate in the consultation sessions already scheduled.

The review will be structured around the following themes:

Community Wellbeing (includes emergency management, health and care programs, cultural activities and facilities)
Economic Development and local promotion (includes tourism, advocacy)
Environment (includes waste management, natural resource management, animal control)
Finance and administration (includes rates, charges, financial management, workforce, shared services)
Infrastructure provisions and management (includes roads, halls, parks, stormwater)
Governance, accountability and representation (includes councillors and council information)
Land use planning and other regulatory services (includes building and development approvals, heritage, public health standards)

Information will be available at www.futurelocal.tas.gov.au and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/futurelocaltas throughout the process which aims to provide recommendations to Government in June 2023.

INNOVATION & DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION SIG

Registrations are closing soon for the hybrid I&DT SIG.

Hear from:

Matt Gray, City of Launceston | Virtual Team - Intranet replacement project
Michael Craig, Harbour Software - Doc Assembler Agenda and Minutes Solution as an Agent of Change - O365
Michael Glazer, Huon Valley Council - Microsoft Endpoint Manager and Apple Business Manager
Samara McIlroy, Office of the State Archivist - It’s not just an IT project: Why trusted tech requires good recordkeeping
Amelia Buchanan, Red Piranha - Navigating Cyber Security – Now and for the future

Date + Time + Venue

Tuesday 29 March, 9:45 am – 3:15 pm at the Aberdeen Meeting Room, Devonport City Council or via Teams

Investment

Member: $33 inc GST

Non-Member: $66 inc GST

Proudly sponsored by

AvePoint | Day One Digital | Harbour Software | Hewlett Packard Enterprise | Red Piranha

RISK, LEGAL & PROPERTY SIG

Registrations are now open for the Risk, Legal & Property SIG.

Hear from:

Joe Mullavey, Page Seager - COVID-19 and Employer Liability
Jan Davis, RSPCA - Who the RSPCA is, what we do, the legislated roles and powers for RSPCA and councils
Robert Stevenson, City of Hobart - Introducing E-Scooters
Robb Meijers, Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania - Rapid Impact Assessment App
Brian Smith, SlipStream Cyber Security - Safeguarding Cyber: a more sophisticated risk management approach to cyber threats

Date + Time + Venue

Thursday 7 April 2022, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm at the Recreation Ground Complex, Campbell Town

Investment

Member: $33 inc GST

Non-Member: $66 inc GST

Proudly sponsored by

Page Seager | JLT Public Sector

INTRODUCTION TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAM

The Introduction to Local Government workshop provides an overview to local government and the important role it plays.

Developed by LGPro Vic for Tasmanian council officers, the program is designed for people who are new to local government or those who wish to improve their knowledge of council governance.

The virtual program is an online 3 hour session that covers structure, roles, functions, decision-making processes and includes case studies that demonstrate common issues that officers may be required to navigate.

Registrations are now open and placements are limited.

Date + Time
Tuesday 7 June, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Thursday 15 September, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm

Investment
Members $200 (inc GST)
Non-members $250 (inc GST)

For LG Professionals Tas members wishing to attend, please initially email Emma at emmaj@lgpro.com with your full name, job title, email address, membership status and the preferred method of payment so that the applicable member rate can be set up for you.

Non-members, please register below.

Registrations: 7 June

Registrations: 15 September

LG PROFESSIONALS AUSTRALIA - LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2022

The Local Government Professionals Australia National Leadership Summit (formerly Canberra Behind the Scenes) provides an exclusive opportunity for council CEOs, general managers and senior executives to meet with federal political leaders, senior departmental officials and industry experts to discuss issues that matter to you.

The Leadership Summit is being held in Canberra from 22-24 March 2022. This is a rare opportunity to engage directly with the officials and decision makers behind the funding decisions, programs and policies that will directly impact your council and your community.

Read the program here.

Registrations are now open.

MEMBER PROFILE - MICHAEL GLAZER

This month we have interviewed Michael Glazer, ICT Business Systems Officer from the Huon Valley Council.

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

I have been with the Huon Valley Council for 2 and a half years now as an ICT Business Systems Officer being a relatively small team my role encompasses pretty much everything ICT from endpoint devices to servers and everything in between. I enjoy working with staff and developing innovative ways to make work processes more efficient and user friendly with technology.

What made you want to work in Local Government?

I bought a property in Tasmania in 2018 while on holiday, having worked in the State government in QLD for 19 years and keeping my eye open for something similar I saw a position at Huon Valley come up and thought it would be an interesting change and an opportunity to learn. I am lucky to have such a great mentor and manager (Hi Trici) to guide me through the workings of LG.

What made you join LG Professionals Tasmania?

I enjoy networking with people and sharing knowledge and experiences. I was also seeing some great workshops. Joining LG Professionals has enabled me to build those contacts and relationships.

What interests do you have outside of work?

I love anything to do with adventuring outdoors that’s always consistent, otherwise, my interests vary far and wide I love learning new skills, I spend most of my time working on the property/farm. I don’t remain static for long so I am always working on some sort of project or out exploring the beautiful Tassie wilderness.

If you could give your 12-year-old self 1 piece of advice what would it be?

Be kind (especially to yourself).

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

I don’t own a PC or TV at home and live off-grid. I do have an iPad though.

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

I think Cybersecurity and ICT, in general, is a huge challenge, demands and threats have increased substantially but I think funding and budgets have not for a lot of municipalities.

Biggest regret outside of work in the past 10 years?

I try not to focus on regrets but I would rather regret the things I have done than regret the things I have never done.

COMMONWEALTH BANK

Commonwealth Bank is Australia’s leading provider of integrated financial services.

Our purpose is to improve the financial wellbeing of people, business and communities across Australia.

We are committed to local governments, by partnering to deliver customised financial solutions that recognise the valuable role councils play in the community and the pressures to deliver more from limited resources.

With our forward-looking approach, we’re continuing to transform and improve services and achieve efficiencies through technologies for better decision making and customer experience.

NATIONAL APPOINTMENT FOR TASMANIAN LGAT PRESIDENT

LGAT is pleased to announce the appointment of LGAT President and West Tamar Mayor Christina Holmdahl as Vice President of the Australian Local Government Association

(ALGA).

ALGA is the national voice of local government, representing 537 councils across the country.

LGAT Chief Executive Officer Dion Lester congratulated Mayor Holmdahl on the prestigious national appointment.

Read the media release

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