Here are the stories that featured in the National Roundup segment of episode #76 of the Local Government News Roundup.
The head of one of Tasmania’s largest government departments has secured the highly sought after CEO position at Gold Coast City Council.
Various media outlets, including the ABC, have reported the appointment of Tim Baker to the position. He is currently secretary of Tasmania’s Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment.
He was also chief of staff to former Tasmanian premier Will Hodgman.
Joe McCabe will remain as acting CEO until Mr Baker commences at Gold Coast on 1st February. Source
Queensland’s Douglas Shire Council is expected to make an appointment to fill its vacant CEO position by Christmas.
Newsport.com.au reports that applications have closed for the role, with a strong pool of applications received.
The vacancy was created when Mark Stoermer announced his resignation in August, just a month prior to the expiry of his three year employment contract. Mr Stoermer is a former CEO of Nillumbik Shire Council in Victoria.
Juanita Warner has been acting in the CEO position since August. Source
South Australia has a new local government minister, at least for a while, following the decision by Deputy Premier Vicki Chapman to stand aside for a state ombudsman investigation.
The ombudsman is looking into whether Ms Chapman had a conflict of interest relating to a ministerial decision about a port proposal on Kangaroo Island.
As has been widely reported, Ms Chapman denies she had a conflict of interest in the matter despite a parliamentary committee inquiry finding that she did.
Josh Teague, a backbencher from an Adelaide Hills electorate, has been sworn in as a minister and takes on the portfolios of Attorney General, Planning and Local Government in Ms Chapman’s absence. Source
Changes to state legislation around use of micromobility devices such as electric scooters has been welcomed by the City of Hobart, ahead of a hire-and-ride trial.
City of Hobart’s City Infrastructure Committee Chair Bill Harvey said the legislative changes will allow the City of Hobart – in collaboration with the City of Launceston – to proceed with the long-awaited trial.
It was announced in September that two experienced micromobility vendors – Beam and Neuron – had been selected to operate e-scooter hire services in the two cities.
It is hoped that e-scooters will be available for hire in Hobart before Christmas, once changes to the Tasmanian Road Rules have been enacted. Source
A new release of data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows employment in local government across Australia steadying, while state public sector employment is climbing.
The Mandarin has analysed the data, and reports that there are 190,800 people working in local government across Australia, a growth of 2.5%.
That compares to almost 250,000 at the federal government level, up 0.6%, and 1.6 million public servants employed by state governments, up 3.3% in the last financial year.
The biggest increase in public servants was in Victoria, followed by NSW. Source
Coming up next week is the announcement of the winners of the National Federation Awards, celebrating achievements of local governments across Australia.
The awards, presented by Local Government PRofessionals Australia, honour local governments for their effort in making a difference in their communities.
They showcase the innovative solutions that demonstrate leading practices, deliver quality services and better outcomes for communities, and have the potential to be replicated across the country.
Winners will be announced in five categories, including Environmental Leadership and Sustainability; Innovative Management Initiative; Community Service Delivery; Partnerships and Collaboration; and Emerging Leader.
The award ceremony will be live streamed on the Local Government Professionals Australia YouTube channel from 3.00pm AEDT on Tuesday 30th November. Source
Pre-poll voting has opened in the NSW local government elections.
Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock said the eligibility criteria for pre-polling voting had been relaxed this year to ease crowds on election day, 4th December.
People are allowed to vote by post if they are isolating due to COVID-19; live in a retirement village, nursing home or are in hospital; or they reasonably believe attending a polling place on election day will pose a risk to the health or safety of themselves to others. Source
Meanwhile the NSW Electoral Commission still has a significant number of vacancies for paid jobs for the upcoming elections, particularly in the southeast of the state.
The ABC reports that hundreds of jobs are yet to be filled in the Bega Valley, Eurobodalla and Snowy Monaro local government areas. Source