At the 2008 Local Government Managers Australia National Congress at the Gold Coast,
Local Government FOCUS invited delegates to nominate individuals or teams from their council who are improving their council’s operations or enhancing service delivery within their community.
In this edition, we showcase the next two of our high achievers for 2008.
Mandy Gatliff, Manager Family and Youth Services, Frankston City Council, Victoria
Located on the eastern shores of Port Phillip Bay, approximately 40 kilometres south of Melbourne CBD, Frankston City Council covers around 130 square kilometres and is strategically placed as the activity centre for the Mornington Peninsula and the nearby southeast growth corridor of Melbourne.
Council has a population of approximately 119,000 people, a high proportion of which is disadvantaged. Having worked with Council since 1995, Council’s Manager Family and Youth Services, Mandy Gatliff, is charged with providing the best possible services to improve quality of life for these residents.
As part of her role, Mandy is responsible for a range of children’s services, including maternal and child health, childcare centres, support to kindergartens and neighbourhood house committees of management, out of hours school care and youth services. There is also a number of special projects, such as the Best Start Program, which is a Victorian Government early years initiative; the program supports families, caregivers and communities to provide the best possible environment, experiences and care for young children in the important years from pregnancy to school.
Frankston was one of the first councils in Victoria to become involved in the program, due to its high level of disadvantage in some pockets of the municipality.
As part of Best Start, Council identified an area in the City where infrastructure was tired, run down and insufficient to meet the needs of the community. As such, in 2002 work began on developing a facility that would serve as a family and children’s services hub. With the first sod turned at the site in September, Mandy Gatliff said it was very rewarding to see the project finally come to fruition.
“As well as Council, there has been a local primary school, three different State Government departments, and a number of local stakeholders, such as the kindergarten and neighbourhood house committees, involved,” she said. “While this shows tremendous collaboration and cooperation between all involved, the time, effort and advocacy involved became more complex.
“After five years of persistence, it is great to see the project finally off the ground.”
Mandy Gatliff said the project’s success is due to her team’s ability to get people to buy into commonly shared objectives, and a great team of staff.
“People working with families and children usually have a passionate commitment to improve the lives of families and children,” she said. “They must want to make a difference in the lives of others.
“From a managerial perspective, you must have a strategic vision of how the community sector works, and an understanding of the political context. For instance in children’s services, Federal, State and Local Government have different roles to play, which sometimes overlap.”
Working for Local Government, Mandy most enjoys being at the closest level of government to the people and engaging with the local community and working with them to achieve change.
She said Frankston’s reputation as an area of great disadvantage is always a challenge, but there are a lot of good news stories as well.
“It is important that these good news stories are recognised, so we can build pride in the local community,” she said. “Frankston is a place of great natural beauty, with a community that wants to finds better ways to connect and support each other.”
“Action speaks louder than words, and as such, Council is extremely opportunistic – using every opportunity to talk to the community through local newspapers and newsletters, and through communicating and advocating with Government departments.”
In the future, Mandy hopes to see a highly functional, happy and healthy community for Frankston residents.
Frankston General Manager Communities, Gillian Kay, nominated Mandy to appear in FOCUS. She said Mandy’s efforts to improve early childhood outcomes for Frankston’s areas of significant disadvantage have been exemplary.
Governance Team, Northern Midlands Council, Tasmania
As one of the largest and most diverse municipalities in Tasmania, Northern Midlands Council covers an area of 5,130 square kilometres and has a population of approximately 12,500 residents.
This is expected to steadily increase over the next five years as development continues to occur in the historic townships of Longford, Perth and Evandale and surrounding areas.
Council’s Governance Team comprises the General Manager, Mark Pitt; Executive and Liaison Officer, Lindsay Harwood; and Executive Assistant, Gail Eacher.
Gail is responsible for the provision of confidential, accurate and timely secretarial and administrative support to the General Manager, Mayor, management team and elected members.
Mark Pitt said she makes the team tick.
“She does a fantastic job and is crucial to the smooth running of our Council,” he said.
With 30 years’ experience in Local Government, Lindsay Harwood has spent the past 15 years as Council’s Executive and Liaison Officer.
He said that part of this role involves liaising with a broad range of community management committees associated with the operation of recreation grounds, municipal buildings and swimming pools.
Lindsay also fulfils the role as Secretary of four Local District Committees, which operate in accordance with terms and conditions contained in a Memorandum of Understanding. The committees comprise nine residents who serve for a term of two years, as well an elected member.
According to Lindsay, the Local District Committees provide a focal point for information to and from Council, identify and prioritise local needs, and provide advice and feedback on local issues.
Although Lindsay is required to travel considerable distances on an after hours basis to attend some of these Local District or Management Committee meetings, he believes that Council’s support is valued and greatly appreciated by the rural communities.
“Being part of the successful Northern Midlands Governance Team is extremely fulfilling and is a result of great leadership and mutual respect and trust within the team,” he said.
“We have a great working relationship and we strive to achieve and work closely with all other staff members, elected representatives and the community.”
Mark Pitt said although the Governance Team only comprises three employees, the positive attitude and professionalism of the team, together with all other employees, ensures that the Northern Midlands is a unique and very special place to pursue a Local Government career.
In dealing with the broad issues under the umbrella of the governance flag, Mark mentioned that risk reduction is a crucial issue for councils and is the responsibility of everyone.
“Reinforcing the risk message is the key,” he said. “Every day, people make decisions about risk without realising it, and getting people to recognise this is where you will make progress.”
Mark Pitt said that Lindsay Harwood’s role is vital in this aspect, as he is the interface with volunteers.
“We consequently engage with volunteers to reinforce and review standard operating procedures to ensure safety at all levels,” Mark Pitt said.
Northern Midlands Mayor, Councillor Kim Polley, nominated the Northern Midlands Council Governance Team to appear in FOCUS.
She said Council is working well under Mark Pitt’s leadership and is continually stepping up to meet Council’s many challenges.
