At the 2006 Local Government Managers Australia National Congress in Perth, FOCUS invited delegates to nominate individuals or teams from their Council who are improving their Council’s operations and meeting community needs. In this edition, we showcase two more of our high achievers for 2006.
Keith Parsons, Finance Manager, Pine Rivers Shire Council, Queensland
Popular for its natural environment, relaxed family lifestyle and proximity to Brisbane, Pine Rivers is thriving with more than 145,000 people now calling the Shire home. From a history rich in farming and timber, Pine Rivers has become one of the fastest growing urban areas in the country. Covering 771 square kilometres, the Shire is served by a growing road network and has easy access to the Bruce Highway, placing the Sunshine and Gold Coasts within easy reach, and the Brisbane CBD just a 40 minute drive away. The Shire attracts people from all walks of life, but the last ten years has seen a growing trend of young families moving to the area for its lifestyle and affordability.
Pine Rivers CEO, Ray Burton, nominated Council’s Finance Manager, Keith Parsons to appear in FOCUS.
“Reporting on Council’s finances has improved substantially under Keith’s management,” Ray Burton said. “Councillors in particular now have good knowledge of our budget and budget monitoring/performance. Council also has excellent appreciation of its financial position, due to the models Keith has developed.”
Keith has been employed at Pine Rivers Council for the last four years. Prior to this, he held a number of senior accounting roles for Queensland based energy retailer, Energex. His current role as Finance Manager at Pine Rivers Council involves providing support and advice to Council and management across the organisation on managing finances and ensuring decisions keep Council in a sustainable financial position. Keith said his other responsibilities include overseeing budget preparations, fulfilling statutory financial reporting obligations and managing the rating, payments and collections functions of Council.
“The ability to influence outcomes for the organisation is an enjoyable aspect of the job,” he said. “I get involved in issues organisation wide and I am also involved in forums with Directors and Councillors, where decisions are made for the organisation.”
Keith believes key personal traits required to be an effective Finance Manager are patience and good negotiation and influence skills.
“We all have an insatiable appetite to spend, but there is never enough money to go around,” he said. “In my role, I believe it is necessary to take a balanced view and look at all proposals equally.”
Keith Parsons said it is also important to ensure the complexities of finance speak are understood by your audience, especially the decision makers.
“It is not always good news that you need to deliver to a department or Council, so you need to find a clear way to communicate justifications to each,” he said. “Not everyone is an accountant, so we need to find a way to demystify the complexities of the finance world and put reasoning into simple language.”
Pine Rivers Shire is currently experiencing a growth rate of around three to four per cent per year. With the cost of wages and resources continually rising, Keith said it is an increasing challenge to get more value for each dollar.
“We are currently working on improving our financial models, to enable us to provide more detail in Council’s 15 year plan,” he said. “This will allow staff across the organisation to better understand the key drivers of our business. We will also be able to better manage our finances into the future and ensure our practices are sustainable.”
Workplace Relations Consultative Committee, Playford City Council, South Australia
The City of Playford is the most northern Local Government area of metropolitan Adelaide. With 350 staff members and 450 volunteers, Council serves a population of 75,000 people over an area of 346 square kilometres. Playford supports a myriad of land uses, including commercial, residential, horticultural, industrial, manufacturing and open space. It is also the base for production of Holden motor vehicles, host to the Bulldogs Central District Football Club and is a manufacturing and horticultural industry leader.
Council’s Workplace Relations Consultative Committee meets monthly, reaching decisions through a consensus, as well as making recommendations to Council. The committee comprises 11 members, including Playford CEO, Tim Jackson; six Council employees – three each from the Australian Services Union (ASU) and the Australian Workers Union (AWU); three Council managers; and former South Australian Industrial Relations Commissioner, Greg Stevens.
Greg Stevens currently chairs the committee. He said the group has a number of roles, which includes negotiating enterprise agreements every two to three years.
“We then review and monitor agreements across their lifetime and assist with resolution of concerns or disputes arising under these agreements,” Greg Stevens said. “We have other terms of reference, which include discussing and reviewing current human resources policies and formulating new policies where appropriate. We also deal with other employer related issues and work with employees to provide and produce a positive place to work.”
Tim Jackson said the City has seen much change over the past few years which would not have been possible without the assistance of the Workplace Relations Consultative Committee.
“The committee ensures Council is working towards the highest level of collaboration and a culture of inclusion,” he said.
Tim Jackson serves as independent member of the committee. He sits in and listens to debates, but lets others take the lead, allowing him to cast a fair vote when issues are bought to Council. He said that through the committee, Council has developed an organisational culture that puts trust in its workers.
“We have empowered staff to make decisions and are continually bringing about hands on change,” he said. “A key achievement has been the breaking down of barriers between management and non management, which is fairly rare in Local Government.”
The committee keeps a pulse on Council issues through staff surveys.
Greg Stevens said the committee provides input to Council decisions, such as the funding of programs and changes to programs, so it needs to have a good knowledge of all Council departments.
“We have also developed an organisational development focus which relates to the City of Playford as a whole,” he said.
In 2005, the committee received the South Australian Unions Award for the Best Example of Management Union Cooperation.
Greg Stevens said the committee is now reviewing its charter to improve and streamline its operations. As chair, he has recommended a number of changes, which the committee are currently considering.
