An interview with Ian Lindsay, Works Manager, Jabiru Town Council, Northern Territory
Situated in the middle of Kakadu National Park and perched on the edge of Arnhem Land, Jabiru Town Council is blessed with plenty of water and good base infrastructure. Jabiru township has a population of around 1,100 people, with a further 400 people in the rest of Kakadu. The region also caters for a large fly in fly out workforce from the nearby Ranger Uranium Mine.
Council’s Works Manager, Ian Lindsay, said while adding to the local economy, the mining industry brings challenges as well. He said that the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia all face similar problems in retaining technical staff, as the big dollars in the mining industry often lure workers away.
“The key to retaining staff in any job is treating them respectfully and looking after them as best we can,” Ian Lindsay said. “In our Works Department, we offer a number of incentives, such as further education and training, as well as beginning the work day early in the morning and finishing early afternoon so workers are out of the sun at the hottest part of the day.
“When recruiting, it is also crucial to consider all people in the community. Jabiru’s population is approximately 20 per cent Indigenous, while the Kakadu population is about 50 per cent Indigenous. We aim to employ as many Indigenous people as possible to reflect this demographic.”
Recycling is a hot topic for all Councils and Jabiru has come up with a solution that will not only reduce Councils waste to landfill, but will also addresses the skills shortage.
“Waste management is a prominent issue across the country and this will only continue into the future as Councils aim to lower their greenhouse gas emissions,” Ian Lindsay said. “Councils need to be innovative in encouraging their residents to do their bit and increase local recycling rates.
“For Jabiru, the challenge is diverting as much waste from the heritage listed Kakadu National Park so that it is not buried. As a smaller, regional Council, Jabiru has not had the logistics to introduce a recycling system for residents. However, there are ways around adding a pick up service to your regular collection routes.
“We are currently looking at installing a number of recycling collection points at central locations across the town. Residents will be encouraged to sort their plastics, papers and so forth at home, and drop their recyclables into the appropriate bins at the collection station. Council will organise for the waste to be collected on a regular basis and transported to a recycling facility.”
Ian Lindsay said Council’s should aim to make it as easy as possible for residents to do their bit.
“If you make it too difficult or time consuming, people will not respond well,” he said.
Jabiru is working with the Federal Government’s Work for the Dole program on introducing this initiative.
“The collection and sorting process is a labour intensive job, and as there is not a lot of money in recycling,” Ian Lindsay said. “It will be a great benefit to Council to have the Government assist us involving dole recipients in the collection and sorting process. This is also a great example of how Councils can work with other spheres of government and the community to achieve results and benefit the local environment.”
Ian Lindsay said the effects of a transient workforce and community are further reaching than the skills shortage. He said that it also affects Council’s corporate knowledge.
“Jabiru experiences a high turnover of staff at all levels within the organisation, including management,” Ian Lindsay said. “In the past, this has meant that information, such as OHS and risk analysis guidelines, has been inconsistent as new managers train people in different ways.
“In Works Departments especially, it is important to have thorough documentation of these policies so that all staff are trained in the same way and working as safely as possible.
“Jabiru is currently addressing this issue, developing a series of guidelines across the organisation.”
