Around the Councils

Latest news from Councils across the state

Advocating for officers

Campaign to protect Council workers in the field

2016 Social Media Conference

See pictures from this successful event

2016 LGProWomen’s Professional Development Forum

THURSDAY 21 JULY Melbourne Park Function Centre,

Batman Avenue Melbourne

Inspire Unite Celebrate

Quarterly magazine for Local Government Professionals Winter 2016

LGPro_FPC_v160516.indd 1 16/05/2016 8:03:56 AM

PROFILE WINTER 2016

Profile is published by Local Government Professionals (Inc)

LGPro Level 3/58 Lorimer Street Docklands 3008 Ph: (03) 9268 6400 Fax: (03) 9646 0469 Email: info@lgpro.com Website: www.lgpro.com

DEADLINES

Profile is published quarterly. The deadline for Spring 2016 edition is 1 August 2016. The magazine will be published in early September 2016.

CONTRIBUTIONS

Story ideas and photographs are always welcome. Please contact Vicki Amiguet, LGPro’s Manager Communication and Sponsorship on (03) 9268 6400 or via email to vickia@lgpro.com

ADVERTISING

For information or to book advertising in Profile, please call Vicki Amiguet on (03) 9268 6400 or via email to vickia@lgpro.com

CREDITS

Publisher: LGPro (03) 9268 6400 Editor – Vicki Amiguet Design: Bull Design Group (03) 9561 3313 www.bulldesigngroup.com.au

Profile is printed on recycled paper.

Main picture at top: From left, Tess Papanikolaou, Sarah Quick and Cameron Gray from Yarra City Council at the Social Media Conference.

ContentsConnect with us at LGProVIC

6-7 Inspire, Unite and Celebrate at LGPro Women’s events

This year’s Women’s Professional Development

Forum and Women’s Network Dinner will celebrate

and inspire women working in the sector.

21 Meet Kim Rawlings an LGPro Fellow

Kim Rawlings provides an insight into her career

and what has helped her to get where she is today.

13 Future Ready – the next steps

Learn about the next steps to implementing our

Future Ready project which provides a roadmap

to the future Local Government workforce.

9 Addressing gender imbalance

Our female Board members presented a submission

to the Local Government Minister on the gender

imbalance at CEO level in Local Government.

22-23 Support yourself, support the sector with LGPro membership

Learn how the support of LGPro members helps

us to make a difference in the sector.

27 Sharing the love through mentoring

Troy Edwards talks about his involvement in our

mentoring program and why he likes to give back

to the sector.

4 | PROFILE WINTER 2016

›We often refer to ourselves as a member organisation. It’s perhaps more accurate and helpful to think of LGPro as the members’ organisation.

The members’ organisation

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

It’s a simple proposition but it

requires a fine balance between

the members driving the work

but not being burdened by

having to do all of it.

The challenge for the Board and

staff of LGPro is to be mindful

and comfortable with leading and

being led to ensure that our efforts

and resources are used in a way

that you feel is reflective of your

needs and aspirations.

Biodiversity SIG submissions

A good example of this working

well is the two excellent LGPro

submissions developed by the

Biodiversity Planning Network

Special Interest Group; Protecting

Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity

2036, and Review of the Native

Vegetation Clearing Regulations.

On behalf of the Board I’d like to

thank the members of this SIG for

their efforts and for representing

the sector so well.

I’d also like to take this opportunity

to congratulate the LGPro Web

Network SIG on developing and

delivering a high quality Social

Media Conference. The work of

the planning committee, and the

SIG more broadly, demonstrates

great leadership in an area of

operation that is vital to the sector.

Next year the Communications

Network SIG will work together

with the Web Network to develop

another outstanding Social Media

Conference program.

Support yourself, support the sector

You will be receiving your

membership renewal this month

and many of your colleagues

will receive invitations to join.

In trying to promote the benefits

of LGPro membership we have

decided on support yourself,

support the sector. We are

continually striving to develop

programs, events and services

that will add value for you,

regardless of the stage of your

career and in a challenging

environment Councils more

than ever need to have people

who are encouraged and

supported to develop the skills

and knowledge required to

drive sector performance.

As your members’ organisation it

is vital that LGPro members drive

our activities and submissions that

represent and support the sector.

The work to develop Future Ready

projects, submissions in the next

phase of the Local Government

Act Review and the Good Practice

Guide for Enforcement are just a

few examples of work that LGPro

members continue to drive.

Reduced rate for Young Professionals

We are excited about offering a

Young Professionals membership

category at a significantly reduced

rate for those working in the sector

who are 36 years and under. This

membership category will also tie

in with the Young Professionals

Network SIG.

Our independence is key to our

ability to work with and for you

without compromise. Not being

reliant on government or other

sources of funding makes LGPro

highly reliant on membership. So

please support yourself, support

the sector by renewing your LGPro

membership and encouraging

your colleagues who aren’t

members to consider joining.

I look forward to catching up with

you at an LGPro activity soon.

BRENDAN McGRATH

PRESIDENT

PROFILE WINTER 2016 | 5

That’s why we are so pleased and

excited with the response we’ve

had to the regional programs we

are offering. Our new program,

Ignite for Outdoor Workers is being

held in north east Victoria with each

of the four days being hosted by

different Councils in the region.

Another new program, Council

Report Writing, has been delivered

in the north east and in western

Victoria at Hindmarsh, and we have

the Core Financial Skills program

being delivered at Warrnambool,

Corangamite, Latrobe and Baw Baw.

Customised online learning

Our online learning which offers

Local Government customised

compliance courses and/or online

performance appraisal is receiving

really strong interest with Greater

Bendigo having signed on and

discussions underway with a number

of other Councils. We recognise

that cost is a significant part of

accessibility and with this in mind

the costing for our online learning

is based on an average number of

users which would typically see

smaller rural Councils receiving

it at a lower rate.

We know there are a range of

activities that work best for all

if they are held centrally. For these

we always seek input and advice

from our regional and rural

members about timing and

format to make their attendance

as convenient as possible.

Representing the sector

We take great care to ensure that

our advocacy work, e.g. submissions

on the Local Government Act

Review, rate capping and legislative

protection for authorised officers

have direct input of our members

from across Victoria and that

our view is representative of the

entire sector.

Continuing with the accessibility

theme, we are upgrading and

updating our member database

to provide you with simpler and

easier online access and improved

communication with our office.

We don’t expect any significant

disruptions (I know you’ve heard

that before) but we will keep you

informed of any changes that might

impact on you as we progress.

Upcoming events

Over the next few months we

have the following events planned

– the Women’s Professional

Development Forum and Women’s

Network Dinner incorporating the

Sally Isaac Memorial Scholarship,

the Aged & Disability Services

Seminar, Corporate Planners

Conference and the first Young

Professionals Network SIG event.

All of these are great opportunities

to continue your professional

and career development, make

important connections and lead

the work of the sector.

I look forward to catching up

with our ongoing members and

to welcoming our new members

and working with you to support

yourself, support the sector.

DAVID PREISS

“Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you.”

– Carl Jung

›Accessibility is a key consideration for all of our work but in a financially constrained environment it has become more important than ever. There’s not much point in claiming to be a statewide organisation if the only way to access our programs and services is to

come to Melbourne.

Making programs accessible

CEO’S MESSAGE

6 | PROFILE WINTER 2016

July is a special month for women working in Local Government with two key LGPro events that recognise and celebrate women in our sector. These events – the Women’s Professional Development Forum and the Women’s Network Dinner – will both be held on Thursday 21 July at Melbourne Park.

The forum will be held during the day starting at 9.30am and the dinner will start with drinks at 6.30pm before dinner is served at 7pm. The number of women and men (at the dinner) attending the events have grown with many commenting that they look forward to them each year.

ForumThe forum started in 2010 to celebrate the Year of Women in Local Government and in support of the national strategy to advance the important contribution made by all women in the sector.

Its objective is to focus on the issues, opportunities and challenges facing women in the sector and to support career development, personal growth strategies and shared approaches to address them. The forum targets all women regardless of their location, level or professional background and the program is developed by LGPro’s female Board members with this in mind. In recent years each forum has had a theme and this year it is – INSPIRE, UNITE AND CELEBRATE. The two keynote addresses, interactive concurrent sessions and facilitated panel session will be based around the theme. Two inspirational keynote speakers, Clementine Ford and Jacqui Cooper, have been secured (see more on them below).

Keynote speakers

Celebrating Women in Local Government

Jacqui Cooper is the greatest aerial skier of all time having represented Australia in 139 World Cup events, nine World Championships and been selected in five Winter Olympic teams. She has won five world titles, 39 World Cup medals, 24 World Cup events and three major World Championship medals.

Jacqui’s sport is unforgiving; she has had knee, elbow, shoulder and hip reconstructions. In 2001 she broke her back in an attempt to win a record third World Title; she went on and won it. In 2002 at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics she injured her knee and broke her leg, just two days before the Olympic competition ending years of dreaming, willing and wanting.

In 2010, Jacqui competed in Vancouver after a year of intense hip and knee rehabilitation. She spent most of the months leading into the Olympics in a wheelchair, learning to walk again and gaining confidence in a sport that is brutal and cruel. She stunned her rivals, coaches and teammates when she came fifth; her best Olympic result in 20 years. In between training and competing in events Jacqui devotes much of her time to sporting committees around the world, providing a voice for her peers at a national and international level. She also works with kids to promote healthy lifestyles, smart choices, nutrition, dreaming big, being active and goal setting.

Clementine Ford is a writer, speaker and feminist thinker. She is a columnist for Fairfax’s Daily Life and is a regular contributor to The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. Her work has also appeared in the Guardian, Cosmopolitan, Girlfriend, CLEO, Sunday Life and The Big Issue. Clementine has been a guest on ABC’s Q&A, Channel Nine Mornings and is a frequent contributor to Channel Ten’s The Project.

She explores issues of gender inequality and pop culture. Her ability to use humour to lay bare ongoing issues affecting women has earned her a huge and loyal readership amongst both women and men. Clementine’s work has radically challenged the issues of men’s violence against women and gender warfare in Australia.

In late 2012, Clementine was voted one of Australia’s most influential female voices by Daily Life readers. In 2013 and 2014, those same readers voted her into Daily Life’s top 20 Women of the Year awards.

Clementine’s number one mission is to speak openly and honestly about the state of the world as we live in it. She hopes to give other women the language and confidence to articulate their own feelings of frustration and anger.

PROFILE WINTER 2016 | 7

Women’s Network DinnerThe dinner has become a key event on the Local Government calendar providing a great networking opportunity. Many Councils take the opportunity to book full tables as reward and recognition for their staff.

Highlights of the evening include the address by the keynote speaker and the announcement of the winners of the Sally Isaac Memorial Scholarship Fund Award which recognises women 35 years and under who have demonstrated achievements in improving community life.

SpeakerDr Susan Carland has a PhD from Monash University’s School of Social Sciences and is a lecturer and researcher at Monash University’s National Centre for Australian Studies. Her teaching and research expertise are in gender, sociology, contemporary Australia and the modern Muslim experience.

Susan hosted the “Assumptions” series on ABC’s Radio National and in 2012 she was named on the 20 Most Influential Australian Female Voices list by The Age. She has also been listed on the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World list and as a “Muslim Leader of Tomorrow” by the UN Alliance of Civilizations. She is a regular paper reviewer and panelist on ABC TV’s News Breakfast and has also appeared on the Agony series, Q&A, Lateline, Studio Ten, The Circle, Sunrise, The Einstein Factor and Compass.

Her writing has appeared in numerous Australian print and online publications, including in the “Between Us” Women of Letters anthology published by Penguin and the “Mothermorphosis” anthology published by Melbourne University Press. She also co-authored The Research Process (6th edition), published by Oxford University Press and Melbourne University Publishing is publishing her PhD thesis, entitled Fighting Hislam (slated for publication in 2017). Susan was a co-creator and presenter of the ground-breaking television show, Salam Café and is an ambassador for the Possible Dreams International charity.

Celebrating Women in Local Government

Registrations for both events will open this month. Look out for further details and the forum program on our website at www.lgpro.com and in our fortnightly email newsletter Your Sector Your News.

The photo booth at last year’s dinner was such a success that we have booked another one this year so guests can have a bit of fun with their colleagues and friends. It will be set up outside the dinner room.

REGISTRATIONS PHOTO BOOTH

LGPRO THANKS THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF OUR WOMEN’S EVENTS

Women’s Professional Development Forum

Women’s Network Dinner

MAJOR SPONSOR

MAJOR SPONSOR

SUPPORTING SPONSOR

SUPPORTING SPONSORS

8 | PROFILE WINTER 2016

The 2015 Sally Isaac Memorial Scholarship fund Award winner, Emily McKie, is even more passionate about providing girls with the opportunity to participate in sport than she was when she won the award.

Nominations for the 2016 Sally Isaac Memorial Scholarship Award close on Friday 10 June and the winner will be announced at the LGPro Women’s Network Dinner on Thursday 21 July.

And all her hard work is getting results as the girl’s football competition that she started only a year ago has grown from 12 teams to an amazing 37 teams this season. Last season there were only divisions for under 12s and under 15s, but this year that has expanded to include under 16s and under 18s.

Emily is busy combining running the competition with assisting sporting teams at an Indigenous Boarding School and her Health Studies degree at Deakin University and loving every minute of it.

“Winning the Sally Isaac Award and the $10,000 educational scholarship that went with it allowed me to stop and really think about what direction I wanted to take my study in. So this year I started my Health Science degree majoring in diversity in the community and sport coaching,” she said.

“The scholarship has given me more motivation to study and I have been able to choose a field that I truly believe in.”

Emily says the growth of the Eastern Ranges Girl’s Football League has been phenomenal and it has been “awesome” to be a part of it. “The whole perception of girls playing football is changing and this will continue now that a national girl’s football competition is being proposed,” she said.

“It doesn’t even have to be football, I just want to see girls given the opportunity to get out there and give sport a crack.”

Emily said winning the award had gained her a lot of accolades in the sporting community and she was thrilled to be invited to speak at the International Women’s Day celebration at Yarra Ranges Council in March.

Each year the award attracts an outstanding field of women aged 35 years and under who have demonstrated achievements in improving community life. The winner receives a $10,000 educational scholarship to undertake a component of a relevant tertiary course in Australia or overseas on an issue or area of work that will contribute to improve community life.

The Sally Isaac Memorial Scholarship Fund Award is in honour of Sally Elizabeth Isaac, an extraordinary woman and young leader

in the Local Government sector who passed away in early 2009. Sally had an amazing capacity for developing people, engaging in policy debate and an absolute commitment to social justice in the community.

For further information visit 2016 Sally Isaac Award or contact LGPro on (03) 9268 6400.

Emily (centre) answers a question during her appearance at Women’s Day

celebrations in March.

Sally Isaac winner continues her passion

2016 Sally Isaac nominations

PROFILE WINTER 2016 | 9

› LGPro is actively advocating to address the poor representation of women at CEO level in Local Government.

Vice president of our Board,

Rebecca McKenzie, with the

support of the other seven women

Board members, presented a

submission to the Minister for Local

Government, Natalie Hutchins

on International Women’s Day

on 8 March outlining how we can

address the glaring imbalance

of female CEOs in the sector.

The submission says there are three

factors which will together over

time influence the demographic

representation of women in CEO

ranks in Local Government in

Victoria. These are:

• Raising the profile of the issue

and providing clear expectations

by setting and measuring

performance against a target

• Increasing the number of

women in candidate pools

by investing in skill and

capability development

• Improving the calibre of decision

making by elected officials

The number of women

appointed to CEO roles in Local

Government at any point in time

since amalgamations has never

been greater than 17 across the

79 Councils in Victoria. Given the

large representation of women in

the Local Government workforce,

this figure is disappointing to say

the least, the submission says.

LGPro called on the Minister to

draw attention to this issue by

establishing a Ministerial Advisory

Panel with representation from

LGPro, ALGWA, MAV, the executive

recruitment industry, academics

with expertise in women in

leadership and ASU or other

relevant union representatives.

This panel should focus on the

establishment of targets and other

initiatives to address the existing

barriers to the appointment of

women CEOs in the sector.

Research has shown that

women, more so than their male

counterparts, will not apply for roles

until they believe that they have the

skills and capabilities to undertake

the role. The submission says there

are many strategies that could be

considered to increase the number

of women applying for CEO roles

and called on the Ministerial Panel

to explore these collaboratively

with the sector.

It also recommended that the

Minister establish a Minister’s

Award of an annual scholarship

for a female Council Director to

participate in LGPro’s Executive

Leadership Program (XLP).

The submission contends that

direct and indirect bias is a

significant factor in the CEO

appointment process and suggests

that there would be merit in

introducing mandatory training for

Councillors involved in the CEO

recruitment and performance

management processes and in

establishing a panel of independent

advisors to sit on selection panels

for every CEO role. Importantly,

decision making would remain

the power of the elected Council.

A contemporary sector with

strong and capable leadership is in

everyone’s best interests. This will

be achieved when appointment

at CEO level is made on the basis

of merit alone and matters of

discrimination are eliminated,

the submission concluded.

Advocating to address the gender imbalance at CEO level in Local Government

Rebecca McKenzie presents the submission to the Minister for Local Government, Natalie Hutchins on the steps of Parliament House surrounded by other LGPro Board Members.

ADVOCACY NEWS

Helping develop your most valuable asset…people.

McArthur Talent Architects is the Management Consulting division of McArthur.

Our business is simple and focused. For the last 20 years we have been helping the Australian Public and Private sectors get the best out of their people.

We deliver a range of high quality, cost-effective solutions that can be tailored to suit any specific environment or business landscape.

• Performance Management

• Psychometric Assessment/Profiling

• Leadership Development

• Employee Engagement

• Remuneration Advice

To find out how Talent Architects can help you optimise your most valuable asset, contact Andrew Alford on (03) 9828 6565.

485 McA LG Nat Remun Survey DPS_HR.indd All Pages 24/02/2015 12:45 pm

Helping develop your most valuable asset…people.

McArthur Talent Architects is the Management Consulting division of McArthur.

Our business is simple and focused. For the last 20 years we have been helping the Australian Public and Private sectors get the best out of their people.

We deliver a range of high quality, cost-effective solutions that can be tailored to suit any specific environment or business landscape.

• Performance Management

• Psychometric Assessment/Profiling

• Leadership Development

• Employee Engagement

• Remuneration Advice

To find out how Talent Architects can help you optimise your most valuable asset, contact Andrew Alford on (03) 9828 6565.

485 McA LG Nat Remun Survey DPS_HR.indd All Pages 24/02/2015 12:45 pm

12 | PROFILE WINTER 2016

› Friends of Alpine Shire CEO Dave Barry describe him as a person who is driven to achieve outcomes rather than as someone who is ambitious.

A leader driven to achieve outcomes

And in the two and a half years

he has been at the helm at Alpine

he has achieved some significant

outcomes including:

• $4 million recurring savings

in the Council budget

• Setting the lowest rates in the

history of the Shire last year

with a rise of 2.9%

• Anticipating to record the lowest

rate increase of any Council in

Victoria this year with a modest

rise of only 2.3%

• Setting a $9.3 million capital

works budget for 2016/17 which

is the highest in the Shire’s history

The real winners in all of these

outcomes has been the local

community which Dave believes

is how it should be. Improving

services to the community should

be at the forefront of all Council

decisions, he says.

The Shire is embarking on some

major capital works including

a $3.8 million project to give

Mt Beauty a major facelift and

building a $3.9 million Alpine Events

Park to support outdoor events in

Bright. These projects will create jobs

during the design and construction

phase and also increase direct

expenditure in the Shire each year.

Add to this a $7 million streetscape

project which will transform the

towns of Bright, Myrtleford and

Porepunkah and the fact that fees

and charges for many Council

services across the Shire have

dropped dramatically and there

are certainly many reasons for

Alpine residents to be happy.

One example of the lower fees

and charges is a family pass to the

swimming pool which was reduced

from $300 to $99 last year and has

been further reduced to $89 this year.

Dave admits that there have been

some tough decisions made to

achieve these outcomes including

reducing the Shire’s full time staff

from 143 to just under 100. “Naturally

this process has not been easy.

For me significant change requires

bringing people on a journey with

you and in this case our staff have

been fantastic and prepared to put

the greater good above themselves.

It shows how committed they are

to our community” he said.

“Reducing our staff and cutting

our vehicle fleet from 22 to six has

helped to put money back into

ratepayers pockets through lower

rates and fees and charges, and we

are undertaking some major projects

that benefit the local community

and bring more tourism dollars

into the region,” he said.

Dave has worked in Local

Government for the past 13

years. Prior to this he had a varied

career starting out as an electrical

engineer in the defense forces in his

native Ireland, then setting up and

operating a successful technology

business before moving to Australia

in 2003 for personal reasons.

His first Council role was in

economic development at Alpine

Shire Council, then as a Team Leader

in economic and commercial

development at Albury City where

he worked with a visionary General

Manager who was passionate about

delivering transformative projects

that would benefit the community.

“Basically we bought up difficult sites,

removed the barriers that prevented

them from being commercially

viable and sold them to developers

to achieve a specific, and often

varied outcome, for our community”.

“At that time Councils in NSW were

cash strapped so they had to look

for innovative ways to improve and

it was exciting to be part of that.”

Dave then became a Director at

Towong Shire Council where he

was fortunate to work as part of a

team that secured funding for $12

million of new community facilities

in a short period of time – increasing

annual competitive funding from

$150,000 to $3.8 million.

Dave believes great leaders need a

range of attributes and in particular

maintaining a focus on what delivers

outcomes and not being distracted

by a never ending list. In his time in

Local Government he has focused

on achieving one or two projects

each year that make a fundamental

difference to the community.

FEATURE ARTICLE

› LGPro’s Future Ready project, which provides a roadmap to the future Local Government workforce, has moved to the next level following a collaborative workshop

of CEOs, Directors and Managers representing 19 Councils on 27 April.

Future Ready moves to the next level

Developed in partnership with

Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC),

Future Ready’s vision is to create a

sector workforce that can adapt and

respond to emerging and changing

community needs while remaining

financially sustainable.

The project will drive change

through a range of priority projects

that have a whole of sector focus.

The projects have been collated into

the following three project streams:

• Community focussed services

• Workforce

• Enabling environment

A steering group with two

CEO representatives from the

overarching Project Control Group

at the helm has been formed for

each stream. The workshop on

27 April gave each steering group the

opportunity to scope their stream’s

priority projects and identify key

milestones, resource requirements,

risks and interdependencies.

The objective is to ensure that

there are priority projects which

have short, medium and long term

deliverables. An update on progress

of the project was shared with

the Minister for Local Government

and LGV at a meeting on Thursday

19 May 2016.

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

LGPro Future Ready

THE MEAT IN THE SANDWICH OR SANDWICH MAKERLGPro invites Executive and Personal Assistants to this special program and lunch

Friday 24 June from 11.30am-2.30pm Maddocks, Level 6/140 William Street, Melbourne EAs and PAs are key contacts for people at all levels in the organisation including Councillors. With Council elections coming up later this year it’s easy to see how they could be the ‘meat in the sandwich’.

Learn how to deal with any tricky situations at this specialised program led by Liana Thompson and Tony De Fazio.

Liana has more than 20 years in Local Government while Tony’s career in the sector spans 39 year.

CEOs EAs & PAs and EAs and PAs who are LGPro Individual Members are FREE as a thank you for their support. Cost for other EAs and PAs is $99 incl GST.

CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER

WINNER

2016 LGPRO AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE

SPECIAL PROJECTS INITIATIVE

Warrnambool City Council, Tourism Services, Oddball Nature of a Regional Movie

Warrnambool City Council seized an opportunity to help with the production of the film which tells an amazing story that was not well known outside the region and as a result the movie has brought with it an unprecedented promotion of Warrnambool and the Middle Island Maremma Project so that Warrnambool is now regarded as the “home of Oddball”.

Council sought to capitalise on the $7 million movie to maximise the tourism, environmental and community outcomes for their region. These aims were split over production, promotion and launch phases of the movie’s development.

The movie generated enormous community engagement. Local people feature in the film, the economic impact includes a lift in tourism and the securing for the short to medium term of funding of the maremma project through sponsorship, donations and merchandising.

Council developed an “Oddball Bed Bank” with local tourism operators donating bed nights to help the production company extend the shooting days in Warrnambool. This resulted in two and a half weeks of filming in Warrnambool. Council was also involved in the promotional plan for the film’s launch. Outcomes included a 20-minute story on Channel 7’s Sunday Night show which reached 1.6 million viewers.

‘Meet the Maremmas’ sessions were offered in Warrnambool during the movie launch to provide people with an outlet for their immediate interest in the story behind the movie. About 2000 people participated.

Council also developed the Oddball Club, an email database to update the community on the progress of the movie. More than 100 movie extras were drawn from the club.

The local community was asked to participate in a Penguin Box Building Day that was filmed by Channel 7. A total of 24 boxes were built.

Warrnambool City Council seized on the opportunity to ensure Warrnambool was central to the story told in the movie. Although Oddball is based on a true Warrnambool story, it could have been adapted to be filmed anywhere.

The willingness of the community and Council to embrace the movie production was noted by Oddball director Stuart McDonald who said: “It was like we showed up and we said to the community ‘we want to tell your story’ – they said, ‘great because so do we, so how can we help’.”

Council harnessed the excitement in the community to develop possibly the largest promotion ever of Warrnambool. This promotion was across all areas of Council and the community.

Whilst Oddball is not the first movie to be based on a regional Australian story, it does showcase how Local Government can seize an opportunity to maximise the benefits to both community and visitor economy through a strategic all of Council approach. It has resulted in an immediate impact of people seeing the movie and then visiting Warrnambool to see the true story.

In 2013, it was announced that the movie Oddball was to commence production. The movie is based on the true story of the maremma dogs which protect a Little Penguin colony on Middle Island, off Warrnambool.

14 | PROFILE AUTUMN 2015

WINNER & HONOURABLE MENTION

Melton City Council, Kel Tori, Luke Shannon and Michael Tudball, Western BACE

HONOURABLE MENTION

The Western Business Accelerator & Centre for Excellence (Western BACE) is an innovative project that delivered a 6-star green star sustainable facility in a significant growth centre within the City of Melton.

It has also provided a direct link into local employment, emerging and new business growth whilst addressing a skill shortage within the local workforce. In addition a sustainable business model has been developed with the establishment of a skills-based Board to govern and grow the facility.

The City of Melton is within the fastest growing region in Australia and is one of Melbourne’s designated growth corridors. With an annual population growth rate at over 4.5% there is ongoing pressure to create local employment opportunities as at present 83% of residents leave the City each day to find work.

As a demonstration project the Western BACE and its location within the future Toolern Metropolitan Activity Centre has served as a pivotal point of activation within the precinct.

The facility has highlighted the need for Councils to be able provide high level and professional business centred facilities for businesses to develop and meet. The rate of engagement in the initial stages with mature businesses has demonstrated the need for such a localised space.

The Western BACE project team, where possible, has facilitated employment opportunities for local businesses from both the City of Melton and broader local region by sourcing local products, ensuring that the design and construction of the facility included opportunities for local business involvement and by working collaboratively with project partners to identify programs.

The City of Melton is working with the Western Melbourne Regional Development Authority and LeadWest to pursue the possibility of the Western BACE operating as a central support facility for a range of smaller, industry-specific business accelerators across western Melbourne, enhancing the project’s impact and supporting the growth of local employment opportunities across the broader western Melbourne region.

PROFILE AUTUMN 2015 | 15

Nominations are open for the 2016 LGPro Aged & Disability Services Awards and will close at 5pm on Monday 25 July.

Nominate now for 2016 Aged  & Disability Services Awards 

The awards celebrate individuals and teams working in Local Government who have made  a significant contribution to Aged & Disability Services in Victoria. This year’s categories are:

•  Outstanding Program or Project – Grant based (funded) •  Outstanding Program or Project – Non grant based (not funded)

Nominations will be via an online process similar to last year.

Award winners will be announced at the LGPro Aged & Disability Services Awards Dinner on Wednesday 7 September at Bayview Eden in Melbourne. The dinner is held in conjunction  with the LGPro Aged & Disability Services Seminar which will be on Thursday 8 September.

Click here for more information and to nominate

WINNERS & FINALISTS

WINNER

2016 LGPRO AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS INITIATIVE

Glenelg Shire Council, Great South Coast Beyond the Bell Team, Great South Coast Beyond the Bell

In the longer-term, Beyond the Bell seeks to mobilise an entire community across a vast geographic area to ensure all local young people are supported and encouraged to achieve their full potential.

Four years in, the project has inspired a regional coalition that is now actively engaged in addressing gaps and problem areas across the life continuum, from birth through to adulthood. It has created a deeper understanding of the barriers to education attainment and how these might be addressed.

The primary goal of the Beyond the Bell initiative was to bring together all tiers of government, organisations, community groups and individuals across south west Victoria to support them to work together in a Collective Impact framework.

The long-term ambition is to create a future in which the region’s young people are encouraged and supported to achieve their full potential. Outcomes to date include:

• The project is now a priority of the Great South Coast Group, Regional Development Australia and Regional Development Victoria

• The formation of six Local Action Groups, each with its own action plan based on local need and culture and development of a regional strategy

• Activation of around 100 volunteers across the region

• Engagement with 2500 community members

Unlike other approaches, Beyond the Bell is not looking to government to solve the problem. Instead, it has adopted a grass roots approach underpinned by the philosophy that it takes a village to educate a child.

The initiative has galvanised the community to take responsibility for addressing this complex and multifaceted issue.

It has engaged stakeholders and partners at every related touch point in a young person’s life, from maternal and child care to kindergartens, libraries, primary schools, secondary schools to the alternative and higher education providers, service clubs, health and welfare providers, as well as individuals and other groups.

This work has not been easy. Traditional ways of working involving competition for control, scarce resources and skilled staff has been a barrier, as has the lack of skills in adaptive leadership, action learning and working collaboratively in a Collective Impact setting. This has entailed some difficult conversations, workshops and other tools to build the necessary trust and relationships to do this work.

Beyond the Bell has engaged representatives from Local Government and the education, health and welfare sectors, including the local Aboriginal community, young people, parents and other interested community members.

There is now broad understanding of Beyond the Bell across the Great South Coast community (approximately120,000 people).

Beyond the Bell has ushered in a new spirit of collaboration, fostering regional networks and relationships and providing the tools and knowledge to be better able to work together.

This is a revolutionary, community-driven response to a complex social issue. It recognises that the current system is failing the area’s young people, almost half of whom are not going on to attain Year 12 or equivalent.

16 | PROFILE AUTUMN 2015

Frankston City Council, On the Right Track

Sunraysia Sustainability Network, Nardia Baker, Martin Hawson, Mark Jenkins and Robert Watson, Sunraysia Sustainability Network Project

Yarra City Council, Sustainability and Strategic Transport Team,In Your Patch: Local Sustainability in Action

FINALISTSOn the right track was a partnership initiative between the Kokoda Youth Foundation and Frankston City Council promoting the spirit of the Anzac’s and identifying the values engraved on pillars at the Papua New Guinea war memorial as key attributes for lifelong success.

These values are:

• Courage (bravery and honesty)

• Endurance (strength and growth)

• Mateship (loyalty and integrity)

• Sacrifice (selflessness and volunteering)

It provided young people aged 14-17 years with an opportunity to develop themselves mentally, physically and emotionally by participating in endurance based learning. Participants were provided

with an alternative way to express themselves in a safe and supportive environment, enhancing their ability to navigate the challenges of life.

The program was a one of a kind initiative in Victoria delivered in partnership with the Kokoda Youth Foundation and the 39th Battalion. It was made up of two components; community service and endurance based activities and was a great platform for young people to develop disciplines in relation to their social, leadership, and physical skills. Through this challenge participants were able to demonstrate to their leaders, parents, schools and themselves the leadership and team building skills they developed over the course of the program’s intensive physical and personal development sessions.

Through ongoing community and government partnerships with Sunraysia Sustainability Network (SSN), the Mildura Eco Village (MEV) project represents a vital step towards education of the community about the challenges of regional self-sufficiency.

MEV is a multi-stage, long term, sustainable community precinct, situated on 11 acres of land next to the Mildura Landfill and Transfer Station. The facility provides community partnerships and a focus on innovation; environmental education and activities; renewable energy and retrofitting; water conservation and recycling for business; and sustainability training, events and festivals.

Through the SSN community partnership, MEV offers a unique and innovative range of sustainability,

education and energy saving demonstrations and solutions, including:

• A 9 Star energy-rated MEV Centre, the development of which was recognised ‘as an exemplar of sustainable design’, winning two design awards from the Victorian Building Designers Association Awards in 2013

• A unique Solar Distillation Demonstration project, featuring 70 solar powered desalination panels, producing up to 600 litres/day of distilled water from contaminated, stormwater, or saline water sources

• An Eco House ‘retrofit’, demonstrating the ease and value of investing in domestic retrofit options

• A community garden

Yarra Council’s In Your Patch project was a successful pilot resulting in six community partnership projects including a highly successful solar bulk-buy, a new compost hub and several new and enhanced gardens and compost systems.

It represents a fresh approach to a long-standing aspiration of Local Government to foster effective community action for sustainability.

The results have validated the strategies used which included community empowerment, peer-to-peer engagement, group capacity building and Council driven community partnerships. It successfully reached a diverse audience and enabled new collective action. In Your Patch has also provided learning that is now being integrated into the Yarra Annual Grants.

The objective of the project was to increase collective action for sustainability across Yarra, using a community partnership approach with a particular focus on connecting neighbours and targeting new audiences, particularly the ‘hard to reach’.

A community empowerment and partnership model was adopted where community members led the projects and were partnered by Council.

The project sought ideas from the community and then provided seed funding and extensive tailored support to turn the ideas into reality. It also worked at the group (rather than individual) level to facilitate collective action using a peer-to-peer engagement approach, empowering trusted community members to engage the people around them.

PROFILE AUTUMN 2015 | 17

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PROFILE WINTER 2016 | 19

›LGPro is leading an advocacy campaign calling for more protection for authorised Council officers carrying out their duties following an increase in the number of officers being assaulted.

Calling for more protection for authorised officers

We have written to the Sentencing

Council Victoria calling for the same

sentences to apply to offenders

who assault Council officers in the

line of duty to those that apply to

emergency workers.

The lack of legislative protection

for Council workers was also

highlighted in our December 2015

submission to the Local Government

Act review. Part of our submission

called for “the introduction of a

specific offence provision(s) within

the new Local Government Act that

applies to causing serious injury or

the death of a Council appointed

authorised officer mirroring the

current offences to which section

10AA of the Sentencing Act applies

using the definition of ‘serious injury’

within section 15 the Crimes Act.”

LGPro has also raised our concerns

on this matter in regular meetings

with the Minister for Local

Government, Natalie Hutchins.

Authorised Council officers includes

those working in the areas of

domestic animal control, parking,

food regulation enforcement, public

health and wellbeing, planning and

environment enforcement and

regulation, tobacco control, building

regulation and local laws.

Our letter to the Sentencing

Council Victoria said: “sadly,

authorised Council officers are

frequently subject to abuse and

sometimes assault while carrying

out legitimate duties, including

enforcement of State legislation.”

The letter went on to say we are

concerned that the sentences handed

down to perpetrators of these assaults

is inadequate and does not take into

account the trauma caused to the

individual and their family and the

impacts and costs imposed on their

colleagues and employer.

Section 10AA of the Sentencing Act

1991 prescribes a minimum term

of imprisonment for the offence

of causing injury intentionally or

recklessly against an emergency

worker (as defined). Unfortunately

the definition does not include

Authorised Officers of Local

Government, the letter stated.

As the peak body representing

Local Government officers, LGPro

believes that when a person assaults

a Local Government authorised

officer while in the execution of

their duties, they should be subject

to the same mandatory sentencing

arrangements as those people who

assault police, emergency workers,

hospital staff and fire fighters.

Greater Bendigo signs up for online learning with LGProGreater Bendigo City Council is the

first to sign up for the six compliance

courses that LGPro has developed

in conjunction with Global Vision

Media (GVM) as part of our new

specialist online learning offering.

The compliance courses are

designed to support officers working

in Local Government to perform

their duties in the areas of:

• Information privacy

• OH&S

• Workplace bullying & harassment

• Equal employment opportunity

• Fraud prevention and awareness

• Victorian Charter of Human

Rights and Responsibilities

The courses were developed with

a high level of engagement from

Council officers to ensure they

are relevant and specific Local

Government examples will be used

in the delivery of the programs. Each

course has been checked and signed

off as legally compliant by HR Legal.

Samples of the six courses are

available online for other interested

Councils to check out to see

if they meet their requirements.

LGPro and GVM are also able to

develop customised online courses

and modules to meet the needs

of individual Councils.

Any Council wanting further

information on the online

compliance courses, or to

discuss customised courses

can contact Leanne Bickley

at LGPro on (03) 9268 6400.

ADVOCATING FOR COUNCIL OFFICERS

› Our 2016 Social Media Conference attracted a record number of delegates all keen to learn what’s next in the rapidly developing fields of digital media and online engagement.

What’s next in social media

Nick Williamson, a systems thinker

and innovator from New Zealand

talked about projects he had led

which had changed the relationship

between citizens and Councils by

moving the Council’s role from

arbitrator to facilitator.

The workshop sessions focused

on digital storytelling, social media

analytics, paying for social media

tools, livestreaming and how to

engage during a crisis. The lightning

talks, where seven Councils each

provided a five minute presentation

on a cutting edge social media

project they had implement proved

popular with delegates.

The day finished with an on the

couch session where panellists

answered questions from the floor

and shared tips on how to take social

media and online engagement to

the next level.

Conference delegates were busy

tweeting during the day so much

so that #LGProSM16 was actually

trending which was great news!

Tracey Slatter, CEO of Port Phillip City Council opened the conference.

Session presenter, Leigh Price from Amicus Digital with Natasha Leary from Greater Bendigo City Council.

A record number of delegates attended

the conference.

Marco Bass from Moreland City Council provides the secrets to successful storytelling.

Emma Lewis (left) and Vicki Daddo both from Latrobe City Council.

Steve Fuery from Bass Coast Shire Council tweets during the conference.

Sean Kavanagh and Heidi Taylor from Hume City Council.Nate Leslie from Yarra Ranges Council presented a session called Pay to Play.

SOCIAL MEDIA CONFERENCE PICTURES

PROFILE WINTER 2016 | 21

What’s next in social media

›Kim Rawlings, Manager City Futures at Knox City Council, is a valued LGPro Fellow Member. In this Q&A interview she shares with us some of her career background and insights.

Meet LGPro Fellow – Kim Rawlings

You joined LGPro in 2008, why?

I’d recently moved back to Victoria

and re-joined Local Government

after 10 years working in Local

Government in Queensland.

I wanted to establish myself back

in the sector in Victoria and more

importantly make connections

and build networks, I looked to

LGPro as a great way to do this.

What has been your major involvement with LGPro and has this assisted your career?

My most significant involvement

with LGPro was when I was awarded

the inaugural Sally Isaac Award in

2009. This award and recognition

more than anything before

resonated and had a great impact

on me. It really consolidated for

me what and why I do what I do,

I am strongly motivated by my

community contribution both

personally and professionally.

I have also undertaken the Executive

Leadership Program (XLP) with

LGPro. This fabulous program

gave me the opportunity to relfect,

learn, share and get clarity about

my career and contribution.

Have your career goals and

aspirations shifted over the years?

Yes in some ways but in others no.

I’ve always been pretty clear about

what I wanted from my career,

where that takes place is what

has shifted over the years.

What are your thoughts on leadership skills, are they inbuilt or can they be taught?

While I think there are certain inbuilt

attributes that great leaders have,

I also think you continue to grow

and learn always as a leader. So yes

there are leadership aspects that

can be taught, however, from my

experience the best leaders have

a natural ease about them and

are genuine and authentic.

You manage a large team at Knox, what do you do to ensure their career aspirations are met?

I don’t see it as my responsibility

to meet my team’s career

aspirations, however I do see it

as my responsibility to create the

environment and opportunities for

my team to learn, grow, contribute,

engage, be challenged, to do and

be the best they can be in whatever

work or endeavours we collectively

seek to deliver.

We would like to see our Fellow members mentor our younger members, what advice would you give younger people working in the sector?

I think it’s very important to know

why you do what you do, what

motivates you and how that

aligns with the organisation you

are with. I am a big advocate for

mentoring and would encourage

anyone with an aspiration for a

career in Local Government to

establish a mentoring relationship

with someone experienced in

the sector, their perspective and

wisdom is usually invaluable.

Have you had mentors in your

career and how have they helped?

Yes absolutely both in the sector

and external to the sector, when

I think about the big moves I’ve

made whether it’s been a new job,

new location or a more significant

role, my mentors have been crucial

at these points in my career.

Why do you like working in

Local Government sector?

I love working for Local Government,

it’s not a job it’s a vocation and I

know it’s very cliché but you can

really make a difference. I love the

work that we do, I take my role

and the work we do very seriously,

we affect and create a legacy in

our communities and cities, this

is a significant responsibility and

a privilege to be part of.

What are your thoughts on the

low representation of women

CEOs in the sector?

This is a complex issue and has

many dimensions to it. However

reflecting on my own aspirations

and experience, leadership in Local

Government is incredibly rewarding

but is not easy, the challenges

are complex, large and real, the

expectations are high, the hours

are long. Work life balance amongst

other issues is still a prevailing

challenge and if I’m honest this

is still a barrier for me and many

other women I know in the sector.

Where do you see yourself

in five years?

I’ve been in Local Government for

more than 20 years working to

improve our cities and quality of

life for communities, about eight

years ago I co-founded a grassroots

charitable organisation and my

passion in this space is growing all the

time. In five years I would like to be

spending more time in community

based or non for profit work.

MEMBER NEWS

22 | PROFILE WINTER 2016

Melanie Birtchnell Manningham City Council

Renae Buckley Casey City Council

Kylie Cheal Greater Bendigo City Council

Graham Haylock Whittlesea City Council

Renee Herps Maroondah City Council

Justin Horne Moorabool Shire Council

Angela Hunt Ararat Rural City Council

Kathy Hynes Knox City Council

Craig Ion Maribyrnong City Council

Lisa Ippolito Hume City Council

Amarita Kinnoo Glen Eira City Council

Vicki Klapsinos Moreland City Council

Colin McLean Mornington Peninsula Council

Anne McLean Mitchell Shire Council

Vicki Millen Cardinia Shire Council

Leah Mulcaire Borough of Queenscliffe

Christine Priest Wagga Wagga City Council

Sarah Quick Yarra City Council

Glenn Reddick Warrnambool City Council

Amber Ricks Northern Grampians Shire Council

Siobhan Sullivan Yarra Ranges Council

Waudi Tahche Cardinia Shire Council

Sainath Tavate Baw Baw Shire Council

Kevin Van Boxtel Greater Dandenong City Council

Melanie Williams Knox City Council

Siobhan Wood Monash City Council

Simon Woodland Yarra Ranges Council

*This is not a full list of new members. Some members requested not to be listed.

›We would like to welcome the following new members who joined LGPro between 16 Feb and 11 May 2016. We look forward to working with you to shape our wonderful sector.

Welcome to new Members

Here is more information on LGPro Individual Membership or call our office on (03) 9268 6400 and ask to speak to Michelle Cox our Membership Development Manager.

JOIN LGPRO AND HELP US TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Support yourself, support the sector

We thank all of our members

for their valued support over the

past year which has helped us to

provide high quality and relevant

programs, conferences and

events; to celebrate excellence

in the sector through our award

programs; to advocate to other

levels of government on issues

affecting Local Government

and to administer our 30 Special

Interest Groups.

In the past 12 months our

membership has grown giving

us an even stronger voice and

influence. Our members have

provided valuable input into a range

of submissions to government

on diverse issues including rate

capping, the review of the Local

Government Act, the representation

of women at CEO level, protection

of authorised Council officers,

and the environment.

We are committed to continue

to develop and deliver services

that support people working at

all levels in Local Government

including forums and leadership

development for CEOs, Directors

and Managers through to career

advancement opportunities and

mentoring to the growing number

of young professionals working in

the sector who want to take their

career to the next level.

› LGPro is proud to be your member association and we could not operate successfully without your loyal support.

PROFILE WINTER 2016 | 23

Kylie Sprague, Manager Communications & Customer Service, Greater Dandenong City Council

“My 18 year Local Government career has been at Greater Dandenong starting as a

Public Affairs Officer, being promoted to Manager Public Affairs and then to Manager

Media & Communications, Customer Service and Civic Facilities which includes

about 50 staff. I think it is the best job in the organisation!

“My first involvement with LGPro was through a Special Interest Group (the PR

Network back then), which provided a fantastic forum to meet other people in Local

Government, share information, learn from guest speakers and each other. I still attend

the network meetings for all the same reasons, and to gain a better understanding of

what’s happening across the sector and discuss topics of interest to us all.

“My Council is very supportive of LGPro from the CEO down. So others know

that if I’m attending an LGPro meeting or event, then I’m definitely going to bring

something back that will be of benefit. Furthermore, their training courses are so

highly regarded that I have staff lining up to get on them and the feedback is fantastic. My favourite event is the annual

Women’s Professional Development Forum, I set aside this date as soon as it’s released!

“LGPro provides opportunities for personal and professional development; the ability to network with others in the

sector; and to be able to attend conferences and events that are specifically tailored to our needs as Local Government

professionals. I don’t like wasting precious time, so it’s important for me to only attend things of relevance and interest.”

Joanne Turner, Economic Development Officer, Rural City of Wangaratta

“I started my Local Government career in 2008 with an amazing group of people at the Greater

Shepparton City Council where I managed the Learn to Swim program and ‘wet area’ at Aquamoves

for two years before moving to the Event and Tourism team. Three fantastic years and many amazing

events and experiences later, I moved closer to family and friends in north east Victoria and joined the

events team at Wodonga Council as Grants and Sponsorship Event Coordinator. After the 12 month

maternity leave position finished, I started my current role as Economic Development Officer at

Wangaratta Council.

“I am a relatively new LGPro member and my membership was gifted to me by my Council as part of

LGPro’s ‘Be the Bridge’ campaign. Already my membership has allowed me to access a broader range

of information and resources. Being part of a rural Council, it’s often hard to attend industry events,

networking and workshops so the membership is helping to bridge that gap a little.

“Networking is an important part of any job and I am confident LGPro will open up networking

opportunities. It’s amazing what you can learn about what other people do and know over a coffee,

or at lunchtime at a conference. Working collaboratively is something I believe is really important, so the more

opportunities that LGPro, individual Councils or other organisations can provide for people to work or learn together,

the better.”

Marianne Di Giallonardo, Director Corporate Services, Maroondah City Council

“I have had 35 years in extensive leadership roles in Victorian Local and State Government, (former

Cities of Croydon and Nunawading and current Whitehorse, Nillumbik and Maroondah City and Shire

Councils as well as Departments of Human and Community Services) across a wide range of service

delivery areas. I have also been involved in sector related Boards including being a member and

treasurer of the LGPro Board, chair of LGPro’s Awards for Excellence sub-committee, and a mentor

in the LGPro Mentoring Program.

I have maintained my LGPro membership over many years because it offers significant benefits

including keeping up to date with sector changes, professional development opportunities, special

interest groups and has a regular advocacy seat with the Minister for Local Government at which

members can table particular viewpoints without fear or favour.

This involvement has been enormously rewarding personally and professionally as it has provided a vehicle to get to

know others, learn and develop in the sector and give back to strengthen the sector to ensure we are all growing to

be the best we can be when we serve the people in our various communities in our wide ranging Local Government

roles. These benefits have been passed on to my organisation as we continue to grow and recognise our people.”

What our Members say…

http://www.oraclecms.com/

NEW LGPRO MEMBERS

Individual Membership categoriesFellows

Those who have more than five

years Local Government experience

and who have demonstrated an

outstanding contribution and

commitment to the sector.

Members

Those who want to further their

career, grow their networks and be

recognised for their contribution.

LGPro will ensure you are an

integral part of the bigger picture.

Part Time Members

For professionals who are working

part time (0.6 or less).

Young Professionals

Those who are 36 years and

under, want to be connected

with sector leaders and are

interested in shaping the sector,

this category is for you.

Don’t forget if you go on long

service or maternity leave, let

us know and we will suspend

your membership for the time

you are away so it’s there for

you when you return to work.

To see the full range of Individual

Membership benefits visit

LGPro Membership and go

to Individual Membership

or contact Michelle Cox

Membership Development

Manager on (03) 9268 6400.

PROFILE WINTER 2016 | 25

LGPRO HAS THREE TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP:Individual Members: Professionals working in Local Government who join LGPro as individuals. There are four categories of Individual Members. For further information see story below.

Council Subscribers: Councils in Victoria who support the services LGPro provides to the sector and who receive a range of benefits for their subscription. These include:

• Advocacy and representation to State and Federal Government and key stakeholders to ensure the Local Government officers’ perspective is heard

• The opportunity to have tailored programs delivered at their Council

• Five complimentary and half price Individual Memberships for nominated staff

• Eligibility to nominate for the Awards for Excellence

Corporate Partners: Businesses and organisations with an interest in developing relationships with people working in Local Government. Corporate Partners also receive a range of benefits. To see these visit LGPro Corporate Partnership.

Renewal invoices will be emailed to inboxes soon so look out for these and continue to be part of something bigger with LGPro membership.

For further information on membership please visit LGPro Membership or contact LGPro on (03) 9268 6400

LGPro membership renewals for 2016/2017 will be sent out this month. We value the support of our members which allows us to provide representation, advocacy, networking and professional development to people working in Local Government in Victoria.

26 | PROFILE WINTER 2016

Sharing the love through mentoring

›We may offer a second LGPro Mentoring Program this year depending on demand. The program runs over eight months bringing together Council officers from all levels to learn from each other by sharing knowledge, expertise and skills.

Troy Edwards, Director of Corporate

Services at Yarra Ranges Council, is

sharing his experience and wisdom

as a mentor in the program for the

first time this year.

Tell us about your career and how long you have worked in Local Government?

I have been with Yarra Ranges

Council since 2011 and have been

in the Director Corporate Services

role for the last three years. While

Yarra Ranges is my first Council role,

I have been working in and around

the sector my whole career.

I started my working life as a

graduate in the Commonwealth

public service and from there I have

had roles as a policy adviser in the

Federal Parliament, worked with

the MAV for a number of years and

then worked with a wide range

of Local Government clients as

a director of Socom public relations.

How long have you been an LGPro member and why did you join?

I joined LGPro when I started at

Yarra Ranges. LGPro plays such

a central role as an advocacy

voice for the sector but also

as a professional development

body that actively supports

and develops its members.

Why did you decide to become a mentor?

The Mentoring Program is a

practical and positive way I can

share my professional experiences

with a colleague. It’s about giving

back something to the sector as

well as making new contacts

and stretching my own thinking.

Even today I have a couple

of mentor style relationships

that I use when I need a

sounding board and some

independent advice.

Tell us about the mentors in your career?

At various times throughout my

career I have benefited from the

time and wisdom of mentors.

A good mentor helps in a number

of ways – by providing different

perspectives on issues, by being a

sympathetic ear, by giving me that

shot of confidence to back myself.

In my experience with mentors,

the common thread is being able

to sit down and share my issues

with someone who is solely there

for me. It sounds simple, but it is

very important.

What do you hope to be able to provide to your mentee?

I hope through the mentoring

program I can provide my mentee

with a safe space to explore the

professional opportunities and

challenges of work and career.

I hope I can add value to the

relationship through sharing

my different career experiences

asking the right questions at the

right time. And I hope we can

have a few laughs along the way.

What do you hope to gain from being part of this program?

I’m hoping that it will give me a

chance to further enhance my own

mentoring skills as well as stretching

my thinking as a leader. There is

also the value that comes from

making a small contribution to the

development of one of the many

talented and dedicated professionals

working in the sector.

Do you think being involved in the program will provide you with new skills that will assist in your role and your Council?

For sure. I think that mentoring and

coaching are critical skills for leaders

in the contemporary workplace.

The program is an opportunity to

practice and enhance my own skills

as well as giving me an insight into

new and difference ways of working.

I believe there is great deal that we

can learn off each other that we can

apply to our own organisations.

Tell us about the charity work you are involved in outside your Council role?

I’ve had a chance to be involved

in public and not for profit bodies.

This includes a number of years

on the board of Museums Victoria

and more recently as an advisory

board member of the Castan

Centre for Human Rights Law at

Monash University. The centre

uses its human rights expertise

and innovative approach to public

engagement to influence legislation

and government policy, promote a

fairer society and to educate human

rights leaders through its programs.

And funnily enough, I got involved

with the Castan Centre through

one of my mentors!

If you are interested in becoming

a mentor or mentee phone

(03) 9268 6400.

MENTORING PROGRAM

PROFILE WINTER 2016 | 27

Let us tailor programs to meet your needs› Metropolitan and rural Councils are benefiting from LGPro tailoring professional

development programs for their staff and delivering them on site.

We can adapt a broad range of

our programs using real life

examples provided by individual

Councils or develop training to suit

the needs of a specific Council.

In the past two months our trainers

and facilitators have led tailored

programs at Whitehorse, Hindmarsh,

Wangaratta and Ballarat Councils.

These have included Report Writing,

How to develop a Strategic Resource

Plan, Core Financial Skills and

Election Caretaker Period.

Having tailored programs delivered

on site is particularly important in

regional Victoria so staff do not

lose travel time to the city and the

programs are made more relevant

when using case studies from

individual Councils.

We have received fantastic feedback

from Councils where these programs

have been delivered, some of

which is featured below:

Krysten Evans, Baw Baw Shire Council

“The LGPro Caretaker Period

Workshop was timely and extremely

informative. The facilitator delivered

information in a very relaxed and

relatable manner on the upcoming

election in regard to the caretaker

provisions that need to be considered

and applied. This information, which

can be quite overwhelming at times

to take in, provided me, as I am

sure many others who attended,

with a clear and comprehensive

introduction to caretaker provisions

and legislation, or strengthened what

we already knew. It was engaging

with a mix of group work, peer led

discussion and excellent presenter

facilitation! For someone like me

who is relatively new to the

governance world, this was a

great workshop to build my basis

of understanding on caretaker

period provisions and general

Local Government election

information.”

Taegan Salt, Hindmarsh Shire Council

“Our staff required further training in

report writing and after researching

appropriate trainings/sessions we

found that LGPro could tailor and

deliver a program to ensure our staff

got the most out of it. Staff provided

great feedback after the session

and I believe they benefited greatly

from it, particularly considering the

majority of them were not keen

to take another day off for training.

Their feedback was that they were

pleasantly surprised with the content

and how they have gained a better

understanding of requirements,

along with report writing skills that

they can take back to their positions

and have appropriate content

in their reports. We would most

definitely encourage other Councils

to take advantage of this.”

Fiona Shanks, Rural City of Wangaratta

“LGPro tailored its Finance for

Non-Finance Officers program for

our organisation using our budget

planning and reporting processes and

real data from our finance system in

all practical examples. Our Manager

Finance and the Manager People

and Performance liaised with LGPro

in advance to discuss our needs

and requirements and how it would

work in a practical sense. Staff who

attended were all very positive about

the course and having it run locally

and within their normal work day

was far better than travelling and

staying overnight in Melbourne.

The onsite cost was very competitive.

This particular course has helped

improve our overall organisational

financial management skills and

understanding. I would certainly

encourage other organisations

to look towards LGPro in the first

instance to address a skill gap and

the tailoring process was a breeze.”

Contact Leanne Bickley at

LGPro on (03) 9268 6400 to

discuss how we can tailor a

program to meet your needs.

PROGRAM NEWS

Graduates from a recent Ignite program that was held regionally.

| 27

›In years gone by when working in town halls, it was touch and go to find me at my desk. I preferred walking around, dropping in on colleagues, holding serendipitous corridor conferences, attending meetings in others’ offices or, better yet, in nearby cafes.

Workers on the move (here, there and everywhere)

By and large, this was aberrant

behaviour. But since my role was

corporate communicator, I found

having a finger on the pulse

this way was critical to success,

while sitting diligently in front of

a computer just didn’t hack it.

Human nature has us adapt

our working environment into

what best suits the individual.

In bureaucracies there’s also

a tendency to establish team

territories – no better way to do

that than inhabit walled spaces

bearing department names.

Then I moved into open plan

offices, a new flavour meant to

equalise fiefdoms and in principle,

make it easier to collaborate.

Needless to say, this suited my style,

and a bonus was discovering the

ability to “zone out” and ignore the

organised chaos around. Others

experienced open plan as quite a

distraction. The principle of having

personal space hadn’t changed

though, it was just noisier.

Fast forward a few years, and a

new form of office environment

is on the scene, one that facilitates

“activity based working”, or ABW.

As is implicit in the name, this turns

the notion of a personal workstation

on its head – no longer fully owned

personal meditation zones, but

places for multiple users, designed

for the kind of work you’re doing.

It’s an office arrangement that gets

workers to move around (like I did)

seeking out environments fit for the

task, including hubs for collaboration,

quiet rooms for concentrated work

and places to simply park oneself

and respond to emails.

Proponents of ABW cite a range

of benefits, including cost savings,

improved productivity, worker

fitness and attracting those who like

it that way. It’s probably a little early

to say, but a couple of factors do

suggest ABW might just work.

As always, one factor is technology.

Workers who are constantly on

the move need to carry with them

what once sat on desks, namely

mobile equipment, and to have

fast and robust internet connections

to documents, information and

each other.

The other is more subtle. We live

in a world where being remotely

connected is the norm, so

reproducing the modern lifestyle

into a new office style is quite

reasonable. But herein is the key

to ABW succeeding or not. It will

take much more than office refits

or giving everyone a tablet and

cloud computing to gain the

benefits ABW hopes for.

Activity based working is first and

foremost a cultural shift. Those

organisations which don’t put

this at the centre in the change

process, and make office geography

secondary, are destined to fail.

Would ABW suit me? Well, I would

be fully available of course, but

possibly never found.

Verne Krastins

Sector Connector 0411 258 455

VERNE KRASTINS FEATURE ARTICLE

28 | PROFILE WINTER 2016

New program for outdoor workersLGPro’s Ignite program has been

tailored specifically for outdoor

workers at Councils in north east

Victoria and is being offered for

the first time from August.

The Ignite for Outdoor Workers

program has been designed for

supervisors, team leaders and

coordinators working in an outdoor

roles to assist them to develop skills

to manage and lead people.

It will be held over four days

from 9am-4.30pm at Councils

in the north east and participants

must attend each day. The dates

are: 11 August at Wangaratta,

22 September at Moira, 20 October

at Murrindindi and 17 November

at Alpin.

The program is designed for people

who are new to, or have limited

experience in a supervisory role,

those with no formal leadership

training or those who want to update

or extend their leadership skills.

The Ignite program content and

case studies have been adapted

to ensure it is relevant to outdoor

workers and the duties they perform.

Places will be limited to the first

18 participants who register for

the program. The program can be

tailored for outdoor workers in other

Councils in Victoria.

For further information and to

register visit Ignite program or

call (03) 9268 6400.

This is what the new team space looks like at the pilot site at Casey City Council.

PROFILE WINTER 2016 | 29

› LGPro’s Biodiversity Planning Network (BPN) Special Interest Group has prepared submissions to the State Government on two key areas of interest to the group.

Advocating for improved biodiversity across Victoria

One submission was on the draft

plan called ‘Protecting Victoria’s

Environment – Biodiversity 2036’

and the other commented on

the consultation paper on the

‘Review of the Native Vegetation

Clearing Regulations’.

Both were prepared with the direct

input, expertise and knowledge

of the SIG members who are

well-placed to provide advice to

the State Government on the state

of the environment in Victoria and

the ways in which biodiversity can

be better protected. Below is an

overview of both submissions.

‘Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2036’ submission key points

• The plan seeks to ‘protect

Victoria’s environment’ but

only deals with biodiversity

• The plan does not adequately

consider (or engage with)

the significant role of Local

Government in protecting

biodiversity

• A Local Government-affiliated

agency should be created to

implement the Biodiversity Strategy

and/or environmental legislation

• The State Government

needs to significantly improve

its leadership, funding and

investment in conservation

activities

• Targets set during the next

phase of Plan’s development

need to be visionary and reflect

the scale of work that is required

to protect Victoria’s biodiversity

Review of the Native Vegetation Clearing Regulations submission key points

• The BPN is supportive of the

review of the Native Vegetation

Clearing Regulations and the

improvements proposed in

the consultation

• The proposals in the six

key themes will result in

much-needed improvement

to the regulations

• The BPN supports a delayed

implementation of any reforms

if such a delay will result in native

vegetation clearing regulations

with improved functionality,

reliability and accuracy

• It is critical that the native

vegetation clearing regulations

interact cohesively and

productively with key

legislation and policies

• The review of the native

vegetation clearing regulations

continues to reflect a greater

emphasis on efficiency and cost

effectiveness than on protection

of Victoria’s biodiversity

• The continuation of a largely

economic approach to native

vegetation clearing regulation

does not adequately recognise

that native vegetation is diverse,

dynamic and not readily

assessed by the lay person.

For copies of the

full submissions visit

http://lgpro.com/representation

SIG MEMBERS SPEAKING OUT

Biodiversity Special Interest GroupThis SIG is for Local Government

staff who implement biodiversity

legislation and policies with the aim

of assisting in the protection and

enhancement of natural values within

their municipality and the State. The

group’s aims and objectives are to:

• Discuss emerging issues with the

aim of providing advice to policy

makers and to advocate for the

protection of biodiversity

• Share knowledge and experience

to improve the implementation

and outcomes of legislation and

policy (e.g. Native Vegetation

Framework, local policy)

• Provide an ongoing mechanism

and forum for communication,

consultation and liaison with

other government agencies and

stakeholders on biodiversity issues

• Provide opportunities for

professional development, peer

support and communication

There are currently 82 members

representing 33 Councils but

the groups is keen to expand its

membership to include members

from all Councils in Victoria.

For further information on

joining this SIG contact Michelle

Cox at LGPro on (03) 9268 6400.

› A new Young Professionals Special Interest Group has been established to formally connect the growing number of young professionals working in the sector.

New Young Professionals SIG

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS

Young Professionals Development Program for 2016

30 | PROFILE WINTER 2016

Mentoring Workshop with Kay RundleThis workshop will build your skills to develop a successful mentee/mentor relationship.

Mentoring is a personal enhancement strategy through which one person facilitates the development of another by

sharing known resources, expertise, values, skills, perspectives, attitudes and proficiencies. It allows the mentee to build

skills and knowledge while attaining his/her development goals. Conversely, it provides an opportunity for the mentor

to further enhance their skill and knowledge areas by continuously reassessing and building upon those areas.

Kay Rundle is a former CEO with 15 years’ experience leading three Councils. As CEO, Kay was responsible for

driving change within these organisations, restructuring for efficiency, strategic planning, ensuring effective

governance, managing the financial responsibilities and building and maintaining key relationships within business

and with community leaders. She has provided executive coaching to CEOs in Local Government, the hospital

sector, private schools and senior public servants.

Date: 5 August 2016

Location: LGPro Level 3/58 Lorimer Street, Docklands

Time: 9.30am-4pm

Effective Communications – Webinar with Matthew Gordon, Our SayThis webinar will focus on developing effective digital communication strategies to engage your local community

and how to measure the success of that communication. Matthew Gordon is co-founder and Director of OurSay,

Australia’s largest e-democracy Platform which is revitalising Australian democracy by connecting residents with

Australian leaders and decision-makers using social media and face-to-face engagement.

Date: Thursday 8 September 2016

Location: Online

Time: 11am-12 noon

Friends with Professional BenefitsThis Q&A session will be a great opportunity to ask a panel of CEOs questions around how Local Government is

changing, how to improve your networking skills and how to find a mentor. Participants will be asked to submit their

questions prior to the event, and questions will also be taken from the floor. The session will finish with a fireside

chat with key Local Government executives at the Firehouse Restaurant, Ringwood at 12.30pm.

Date: Friday 11 November 2016

Locations: Box Hill Town Hall and Firehouse Restaurant,

253-257 Maroondah Highway, Ringwood

Times: Q&A session time: 10.45am-12 noon,

Firehouse session time 12.30pm

For further information on these events visit www.lgpro.com or call (03) 9268 6400.

While in the past we have

offered tailored events for young

professionals, the SIG aims to

promote the positive impact

young professionals working in

Local Government are having

and to address the challenges

and opportunities that many

face today in the public sector.

Its focus will be on designing and

delivering professional development

specifically tailored for professionals

36 years and under to combine

learning and networking and to

help young professionals develop

their careers.

The SIG already has a core group

of dedicated members who have

helped to develop a program of

events for 2016 which is outlined

below. If you are interested in

joining the Young Professionals

SIG, email sig@lgpro.com

Price: LGPro Young Professional Member $265

Non Member $365

Places are limited so register now

Price: LGPro Young Professional Member Free

Non Member $30

Price: LGPro Young Professional Member Free

Non Member $50

PROFILE WINTER 2016 | 31

› More than 30 Local Government communications specialists crammed into the LGPro meeting room for the Communications SIG network meeting in May.

Communications SIG members learning from each other

A Victorian Electoral Commission

representative provided valuable

information about the upcoming

Council elections, including timelines

and VEC contact details for residents

of individual Council areas.

There was also a round table

discussion on the different

approaches Councils were

taking to communicating the

rate capping message to their

residents; the dos and don’ts of

Council communications during

the caretaker period including

the use of social media; what

Councils are doing on their

intranets plus their latest social

media campaigns.

SIG Convenors Tracey Varley

from Yarra Ranges and Michael

Sinclair from Hume were thrilled

with the turnout and the valuable

information shared at the meeting.

“So many of the messages we work

on in our organisations on a day to

day basis are things we all have in

common – attending SIG meetings

enables us to share the work we

are doing, while also learning about

the different approaches of other

comms teams,” they said.

The SIG meets three to four times

a year and Tracey and Michael are

keen to encourage more members

to join the network and to assist

them to create agendas that are

relevant and timely.

“We want to include regular

presentations from members to

showcase work they are doing on

particular projects – we can all learn

from the work of others. We will

also be looking for opportunities to

attract guest speakers from other

organisations to gain insight on

relevant topics,” they said.

The next Comms Network SIG

meeting is planned for Friday 19

August – so if you missed out on

attending the last meeting, save

this date. Tracey and Michael are

also keen to hear from others

interested in joining them as

convenors. For further information

email sig@lgpro.com or call

Michelle Cox on (03) 9268 6400.

Tackling youth unemployment head on

› Yarra City Council’s Yarra Young

Entrepreneur program is tackling

youth unemployment head on, supporting

young people to create their own, real

and viable employment opportunities.

The program’s innovative approach

was recognised in the 2016 National

Awards for Excellence in Local

Government where it won the Youth

Economic Participation category and

is now in the running for the national

award to be announced this month.

Yarra’s Economic Development and

Youth Services teams developed the

program in response to increasing

youth unemployment – and requests

from young people for assistance in

developing their business ideas.

The first eight young people to complete

the program took part in a series of

training workshops to discuss and

develop their business ideas. All were

from a culturally and linguistically diverse

background, lived on the public housing

estates and had limited or no connection

to employers in their fields of interest.

They were connected to local mentors

in their field of interest who provided

ongoing support and facilitated

connections with relevant local

businesses and industry opportunities.

One of the participants said: “What I really

enjoyed most was coming to a place

where like-minded people came together

and shared their passion, people who

talk about their dreams, it fires me up,

encourages me to do a lot much more

than I was already doing.”

Of the eight participants, two have started

their own businesses, with five others

becoming employed.

Due to its success, the program will be

delivered again in 2016 and Yarra City

Council is working with the cities of

Darebin and Moreland to replicate this

program in the northern metropolitan

region in 2016.

› Gary Lee, the International Student

& Youth Project Officer at the City

of Melbourne, has been named the

2016 New Australian of the Year’ by

the Australia Day Council for his work

in empowering CALD communities,

particularly international students.

His energy and innovative ideas are

highly recognised in the sector and

his ability to build instant rapport

with students is exceptional.

Gary has been involved in championing

countless award-winning programs for

the City of Melbourne including the

Essendon Football Club GLoBALL Program,

the Salvation Army 614 – The Couch

and the EDGE International Student

Leaders’ Program (now the Melbourne

International Student Conference).

He was also responsible for the Lord

Mayor’s Student Welcome (LMSW), and

recently organised his sixteenth LMSW

event. In 2009 this event was awarded

the International Education Association

Australia (IEAA) best practice/innovation

in international education award.

Outside work, Gary is a volunteer and

ambassador for Melbourne Victory, the

AFL Multicultural Community Program,

Welcome to Australia and Bully Zero

Australia Foundation. He is also plays

a lead role for the Moroccan Children’s

Appeal, a not for profit organisation

dedicated to helping underprivileged

children with severe medical conditions.

As the Chief Choreographer and Director

of dance crews PoisE’n and PoisE’n Bollypop,

Gary has used them as platforms to connect

international students with the Australian

community through performing arts and

volunteering for more than a decade.

When asked why he does the things

he does, he says: “I get the biggest

thrill in seeing people succeed but

more importantly, that no one gets

left behind. I don’t see myself as

someone who is defined by one thing.”

Championing the cause of international students

COUNCIL NEWS FROM ACROSS VICTORIA

What’s happening in Local Government

Gary Lee with some international dancers.

Participants in the Young Entrepreneur program with Yarra Mayor Cr Robert Colanzi.

Cardinia’s ‘glowing’ budget consultation

› Casey Council has introduced

a pilot site at its Works Centre

in Narre Warren for its staff to test

flexible working ahead of the move

to its $125 million Bunjil Place

community precinct in 2017.

The Council is seeking increased

efficiency, cost-effective space

utilisation, improved collaboration

and innovation and a renewed

customer focus by adopting

flexible working.

CEO Mike Tyler said that as the

needs and expectations of the

community change, Council must

be ready to adapt. Flexible working

allows us to better align our work

processes and customer needs

to ensure we continue to deliver

for our community.

“The flexible approach being

tested at the pilot site provides a

range of workspaces, including

meeting rooms, training rooms

and breakout spaces and they are

provided at almost three times the

amount seen in traditional offices.

This allows staff to choose the

most appropriate workspace to

increase their productivity,” he said.

“Improved technology, such as

smart mobile devices, headsets

and a web-based phone

system also provide increased

opportunities for staff to work

more efficiently and collaborate

across office locations.”

Mr Tyler said many financial and

sustainability benefits are already

being realised at the pilot site,

including a decrease in the costs

associated with traditional offices

due to a 41 percent reduction in

storage and a 24 percent decrease

in desk space. A decrease in

paper and stationery use will also

deliver year-on-year reductions.

“Feedback from staff will help

shape the Bunjil Place work

environment. The early adoption

of flexible working will also ensure

that when Bunjil Place opens

staff will be ready to hit the

ground running!” he added.

› With rate capping firmly on the agenda and

a continuing focus on doing more with less,

Cardinia Shire Council faced an even bigger challenge

when releasing its draft 2016/17 budget.

Council wanted more community feedback than ever

and to achieve this, community consultation had to

be modern, easy and importantly, relevant to residents

who would not engage with Council normally.

Engagement from residents through Council’s existing

online channels, particularly via mobile and tablet

devices, was booming so Council decided to take

advantage of this by partnering with a company

called Glow to launch an online engagement

platform tailored specifically for these devices.

The platform allowed residents to complete one

or two surveys:

• Your say in 30 seconds, tell us what you want?

• We’re investing in your local area, please help

us get it right.

Residents were able to give feedback via a number of

tick box options, smiley faces and an optional feedback

box for an official budget submission.

Council was delighted by the level of engagement with

Survey 1 receiving 1,381 responses and Survey 2, 569

responses. Almost half of respondents indicated they

were generally happy with the services and facilities

Council provided. They were particularly happy with

libraries, garbage and waste and community and family

services, as well as how Council consulted online. In

addition, Council donated the cash equivalent of one

meal to charity SecondBite for each response received.

Casey staff use pilot site to test flexible working

Casey workers enjoying their new flexible work environment.

COUNCIL NEWS FROM ACROSS VICTORIA

What’s happening in Local Government

PROFILE SUMMER 2015 | 33

34 | PROFILE WINTER 2016

What’s the worst job you have ever had?

In Local Government surveying

in Spring after a series of magpie

attacks which left me both sore

and embarrassed.

What makes you laugh?

My daughter, it’s amazing at

two years old how much trouble

she can get into – most of which

I find amusing – not so much to

her mother.

What are your favourite sports to watch and to play?

I’m a bit of a cricket tragic, having

gone to a number of World Cup

matches over the years. I’ve never

been any good at playing it, but

that didn’t stop my involvement.

Swimming is also something I enjoy.

Who would you like to sit next to on public transport?

Rock and rolls Mr. Nice Guy, Dave

Grohl. Big fan of his music, his character

and what he does outside of music.

I’d say a very unlikely occurrence.

Any hidden talents you may have?

If I do, they are also hidden from me.

If you could take three things to a desert island what would they be and why?

My family – they’d love a holiday

My guitar – to help pass the time

My tent – it’s quite luxurious.

› Celia has been Director Corporate Services at Maribyrnong City Council since 2013. Before that she was Community Services Director at Manningham City Council (2007-13)

and Manager Family Youth and Children’s Services at Yarra City Council (2003-07).

› Justin has been Manager Infrastructure Development & Projects at Warrnambool City Council for the past three years. Prior to this he was a Senior Civil Engineer at Mansfield

Shire for four years and a Design Engineer at Horsham Rural City Council for nine years. All of his roles in Local Government have been very broad in an engineering sense, from asset management to contract management to design. One of the things he likes best about working in rural and regional Victoria is the ability to have a diverse role.

In this 5 minutes with we profile LGPro Board Member, Celia Haddock and Individual Member, Justin Hinch

As the LGPro Board Treasurer can you provide three simple tips for Councils to save money?

• Don’t rush to replace staff. Take

time to review the position and

minimise acting arrangements

• Don’t be afraid of raising fees

and charges. If you are providing

a quality service, people don’t

mind paying for it

• Being flippant – experience has

taught me to tread carefully when

it comes to parking meters!

What you enjoy outside of work?

My favourite thing has to be spending

time with my family – my husband

Wayne and our two daughters,

Emily, 18 and Sophie, 15. We’re all

foodies and love mini breaks away

whenever we can find the time –

between rowing season and VCE

commitments. I also enjoy swimming,

walks along the beach and spending

time with my fabulous book club

friends – there’s nothing like a lively

discussion on politics or world events!

Something about yourself that may surprise people?

My great grandmother was Jamaican.

Amusing situations you have faced at work?

We spend a lot of our time at work

so you have to enjoy it, and you have

to have some fun. But I think I should

err on the side of diplomacy and not

tell tales!

Your last holiday destination and why you chose it?

I’m a Kiwi. Since it was three years

from our last trip back, we spent a

lot of time visiting family which was

wonderful. And finally, after 20 years of

travelling to NZ, I enjoyed good coffee

across the country. I’ve been spoilt by

years of great coffee in Melbourne.

Your favourite film and why?

The Big Chill. It’s a dark(ish) comedy

about friends who reunite. Apart from

the amazing soundtrack (Creedence

Clearwater Revival, Aretha Franklin,

Marvin Gaye, The Temptations,

The Rolling Stones and Three Dog

Night) – the film is filled with terrific

performances from William Hurt,

Glenn Close and Kevin Kline. I saw

it for the first time when I was in uni

and it’s been my favourite ever since.

Celia Haddock

Justin Hinch

Justin with his daughter.

| 35

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CALENDAR

Diary Dates

362

71

PROGRAMS DATE INFORMATION

Nominations open in September for the 2017 program

To equip and support senior executives in Local Government

Nominations open in September for the 2017 program

For those who aspire to positions of leadership and to those who aspire to provide leadership in a particular area of interest in Local Government Victoria

Nominations now open for Series 2 which starts on Thursday 15 September

Program to help people develop the competencies required to manage and lead people

Wednesday 10 AugustA program for non-specialist governance staff to help them better understand appropriate decision making models for Local Government

Wednesday 17 AugustTo support non-finance staff to perform their financial planning and reporting responsibilities

Thursday 9 JuneDesigned to provide anyone writing Council reports with a better understanding of what makes a good report

Wednesday 19 August, LGPro office

Designed for those who are new or recently appointed to the sector

PR

OG

RA

MS

EVEN

TS

EVENTS/ACTIVITIES

Thursday 6 August and Friday 7 August

For CEOs to discuss issues of common interest

Thursday 21 July, Melbourne Park Function Centre

A forum to address the issues, opportunities and challenges facing women in the sector

Thursday 21 July, Melbourne Park Function Centre

Great networking opportunity for women working in Local Government

Wednesday 5 August, LGPro office, level 3/58 Lorimer Street, Docklands

Targeting, but not exclusive to Local Government professionals under 36, irrespective of their position, discipline, band, level and status

CONFERENCES/SEMINARS

2016 Aged & Disability Services Awards Seminar

Thursday 8 SeptemberA one day seminar for all Local Government staff working in the areas of aged and disability services

2016 Corporate Planners Network Conference

Friday 21 OctoberFor Local Government staff working in the areas of corporate, community and social planningC

ON

FER

ENC

ES

AWARDS

Nominations close on Friday 10 JuneA $10,000 educational scholarship open to all women aged 35 years and under who have demonstrated achievements in improving community life

Nominations now open and close on Monday 25 July

Open to individuals and teams working in the aged & disability services sector in Local Government

LGPro Awards for Excellence

Nominations open on Monday 1 August and close on Monday 10 October

Acknowledging the excellent work being undertaken in the Local Government sector

LGPro Corporate and Community Planning Award

Nominations open Monday 11 July and close on Friday 2 September

Open to individuals and teams working in corporate and community planning in Local Government

AW

AR

DS

For further information regarding these or any LGPro event visit www.lgpro.com or contact LGPro on (03) 9268 6400

Connect with us at LGProVIC

http://www.oraclecms.com/