A WORD FROM THE CEO

Happy end of August!

This month has been an exciting one for
LG Professionals SA – we’ve held several Network
Meetings, supported the delivery of important state and
Australasian sector events and have been working closely with our partners, preparing the launch of all leadership
programs for the coming year – keep an eye on your inbox as all our leadership programs will be launching soon. One
program currently open for registrations is our Women's
Career Navigator Program. I commend this program to you if you are looking to develop a strong, authentic professional identity. Please read more below and reach out to my team if you have any questions at all.

A huge congratulations to our 2024 Strategic Management Program (SMP) cohort who recently graduated from the
program for the huge investment they have made in
themselves and their professional development. We wish them all the best on the continuation of their leadership journeys.

To those of you interested in broadening your leadership skillset through the SMP or any of our leadership programs, make sure you register for the Virtual Information Sessions – details will be released in the coming weeks. Often the fear of the unknown may hold us back from pursuing
opportunities - join us in these informal sessions and ask any
questions you may have. I’m also available to chat through the options for you on an individual level, so please don’t
hesitate to get in touch.

In 2024, for the first time, we were pleased to offer a
scholarship for an Emerging Leader Alumni to attend our New Zealand partner Taituarā’s Annual Conference. Thank you to all who applied, and congratulations to Jake Dean, Media Advisor, City of Onkaparinga who will be representing LG Professionals SA at the event in Auckland in September! We look forward to sharing Jake’s experience and learnings with you.  

If you have a passion for the sector and supporting the
development of local government people, I encourage you to consider submitting a nomination for the Board – information will be sent to all Members in September. However, if you’d like to discuss what’s involved in being a Board Member in the meantime please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Keep well and happy.

Best wishes
Rhiannon

August 2024
Edition 155

Please save the date for the following LG Professionals SA events for 2024/2025. If you are planning a local government event, we invite you to contact us to avoid date clashes. 

Friday 1 November 2024 - LG Professionals SA Women's Network Conference

Thursday 7 November 2024 - LG Professionals SA Annual General Meeting 

Friday 8 November 2024 - LG Professionals SA Economic Development Conference

Friday 21 March 2025 - LG Professionals SA Annual State Conference

Wednesday 9 April 2025 - LG Professionals SA Australasian Management Challenge (NOTE: Date change)

Friday 9 May 2025 - LG Professionals SA 24th Annual Leadership Excellence Awards Gala Dinner

WOMEN'S CAREER NAVIGATOR PROGRAM
Tuesday 10 September 2024 - Wednesday 16 October 2024

Do you want to unlock your potential and accelerate your career or is there someone within your team looking to build their professional presence and profile?

Don't miss this last opportunity for 2024 to participate in a transformative program specifically for women, designed to empower and help confidently navigate and achieve career goals.  

Designed to be highly interactive, with an emphasis on peer learning, the Women's Career Navigator Program will equip you with skills and tools to dial down your inner critic, build your career courage and take charge of your life and career.

WORKFORCE AND GENDER EQUALITY IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROJECT

Project Update

At this stage of the project, we have undertaken analysis of 2021 / 2022 workforce data.

Through this analysis it has been identified that the mix between men and women employees in South Australian local government is close to equal, with 49.8% women and 50.2% men. This is reasonably consistent with the make up of the general Australian workforce and similar to the South Australian population, which has slightly more women than men.

The balance of men and women employees wasn’t always this way in our sector, with data showing that in 2001 women in the sector comprised 36.08%.

*Note that the binary gender terms men and women are used because this is what the data has captured. It is important that data collection and representations of our sector include categories that are inclusive of all people.

This project has been supported by the Local Government Research and Development Scheme administered by the Local Government Association of SA.

Gender Equity Insights Report Launch

If you are interested in learning more about the gendered impacts of part-time work, you can register free for this report launch here. 

Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) will provide new data on part-time work including the motivations of men and women accessing part time work and the gendered impact on careers. It will also talk about the
potential for other flexible work arrangements that might supersede part time work.

Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence

The Local Government Association (LGA) is developing a sector-wide submission to the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence. Have your say and contribute ideas, insights and case studies to the LGA here.

Delivered in partnership with UniSA the Strategic Management Program supports participants to build high-level leadership and management skills within a local government context, and learn the technical skills required to manage business functions and enhance innovation, strategic thinking, business acumen and operational excellence. 

Congratulations to our 2024 Graduates! 🎉🎓

After winning the SA State Management Challenge, City of Tea Tree Gully’s ‘LeGully Blonde’ were crowned joint national champions at the Australasian Management Challenge Final earlier this month. 🎉🏆

Congratulations also to City of Moreton Bay (Queensland) who shared the joint winner title, and City of Canada Bay (New South Wales) for taking out third.

What a great few days of learning, networking, camaraderie, challenges and fun! Well done to all teams.

Thank you to Principal Challenge Partner JLT Australia for your support and passion for
developing local government people.

City of Tea Tree Gully’s LeGully Blonde team and their mentors.
Justin Robbins (Supporter), Adam May (Mentor) Rebecca Baines (Mentor), Olivia McNamara, Victoria Masterman, Jaimie Martin, Alexandra Pukallus, Joshua Fraser and Davinder Saini.

City of Victor Harbor won the 2024
Excellence in Infrastructure Delivery Award for the Victor Harbor Mainstreet Precinct Revitalisation Project. We spoke with Jodi Roberts, Director Environment and Infrastructure, City of Victor Harbor to find out more.

Congratulations! You and your team
won the Excellence in Infrastructure
Delivery Award at the 
LG Professionals SA 23^rd Annual Leadership Excellence Awards. Can you tell us about your project?

The City of Victor Harbor collaborated with its community in 2014 to set a vision for its Mainstreet Precinct, developing a master plan to guide future revitalisation projects. Eight years on, Council delivered the most significant stage of this plan in terms of size, impact and complexity.

Stage 4 of the Victor Harbor Mainstreet
Precinct revitalisation project was more than a streetscape upgrade. It provided for the much-needed replacement of ageing underground services, accessibility improvements that have been widely praised, and a direct impact on the long-term sustainability of around 60 retail and tourism businesses.

The $8.8 million project delivered a vibrant community space for the biggest
congregation of outdoor dining in the Southern Fleurieu region. The result is a lively mainstreet precinct, attracting social and cultural opportunities, and ultimately positioning Victor Harbor as a place of choice to invest. The project focused on
improving pedestrian usability, street greening, introduction of public art, and enhancing the overall appearance of the area to show the Mainstreet Precinct’s importance to locals and visitors.

A multi-faceted engagement approach
supported the successful delivery of civil
construction works within a busy town
centre, resulting in completion ahead of
schedule and within the endorsed budget.

What does winning this award mean to you, your council, and your community?

It was an honour to accept this award on behalf of the multi-disciplinary team across all departments of Council. We’re extremely proud of the upgrade and what has been achieved for our community.

Stage 4 of the Mainstreet Precinct Upgrade was a result of more than 10 years of
planning to deliver a staged approach for the revitalisation of the main street precinct in the heart of Victor Harbor.  

The project delivered an area that both council and the community are proud of.

What advice would you give someone considering nominating for an award in the future?

Be brave and nominate! I would encourage all councils to get involved and nominate their projects. One councils ordinary, may be another’s extraordinary! These awards give councils the opportunity to share knowledge with others. I thoroughly enjoy reading through all nominated projects and learning from them. 

Additionally, its a wonderful opportunity to recognise the hard work of many people over many years.

Jodi Roberts
Director Environment and Infrastructure
City of Victor Harbor

Are you interested in nominating for an Award? Nominations for the 24th Annual Leadership Excellence Awards will open in October 2024. 

City of Victor Harbor - Victor Harbor Mainstreet Precinct Revitalisation Project
Karen Rokicinski, Graham Pathuis and Kellie Knight-Stacey

The Norman Waterhouse Lawyers Local Government Conference has been South
Australia's leading law conference for local government since 1989.

Take your learning to the next level as their experts delve into the unique challenges facing local government today with sessions curated with up-to-date and relevant content specific to your area of work, including:

• Planning, Development & Environment
• Property & Major Projects
• Employment, Governance & Regulatory Services

Norman Waterhouse look forward to welcoming you to what will be an invaluable day for local government.

Date: Friday 11 October 2024
Location: National Wine Centre

YOUR NEEDS, YOUR MEMBERSHIP

5. STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE

Respected and widely recognised within and outside of the sector, our Leadership Excellence Awards Program began in 2001 and celebrates outstanding achievements and innovation in local government. The awards showcase the level of expertise and excellence in our sector and is an opportunity exclusive to Members only.

Learn more about what LG Professionals SA Membership offers you. 

NEW MEMBERS

Welcome to our 73 new members! Click here to see the list.

We look forward to providing support and professional development and networking
opportunities through every stage of your local government career.

This month we spoke with Josh Fraser, Aquatic Services Team Leader, City of Tea Tree Gully, about his role, winning the
Australasian Management Challenge and what's next for him. 

How long have you been in local government and what is your role?

I have been in local government in the role of Aquatic Services Team Leader at
Waterworld Aquatic Centre for over two years, starting out with the City of Tea Tree Gully as a casual at Waterworld in 2017. As a part of my role, I am responsible
for overseeing 50+ Lifeguards and Duty Managers, while ensuring the operations, safety standards and cleanliness of our facility are up to standard. Read more...

Joshua Fraser
Aquatic Services Team Leader
City of Tea Tree Gully

We caught up with a couple of this year's Emerging Leaders Program participants, Carly Broadbent, Senior Development
Officer - Planning, City of Onkaparinga and Leon Nguyen, Finance Manager, Port
Augusta City Council to find out how they are enjoying the program so far.

You were part of the organising group for the recent Rural Perspective module. What did you want the cohort to get out of the module?

Our group's aim was to take the cohort on a journey from city to soil with a focus on Mount Barker, Murray Bridge and the Coorong. We were interested in understanding the difficulties that regional and rural councils face from a
sustainability perspective, with limited
resources, and often less staff and larger land areas than most metropolitan councils. Our main goal was to provide an engaging and interesting module, allowing opportunity to gain insight into governing from a rural perspective whilst listening to our very inspiring guest speakers with a picturesque backdrop.

How did you find organising the module with your group?

The rural perspective module was very challenging - as we were the first module group, we wanted to set the bar high, and we had a whole day to plan. Our group was very organised, passionate about the topic and we established early on what our
individual strengths were. We had regular weekly meetings and had a team’s chat which we all actively contributed towards. We had members of the group who were very creative and big picture thinkers and then other group members who would ground us and work out the finer details. I am very honoured that I got the opportunity to work with Craig, Tara, Victoria, Jamie, Lyndal and Lok and I am proud of the
module which we delivered.

What was your biggest takeaway from the module?

All our guest speakers were so passionate about their regions and roles, which I found to be very inspiring. I especially enjoyed their honesty in answering questions from the cohort. My biggest take away is that those who are in leadership positions have often worked for many different councils or in varied roles and disciplines across an
organisation, they have not been afraid to get out of their comfort zones, which in turn has contributed to their expanse of knowledge and ability to positively lead teams and organisations. From a rural perspective, collaboration across council and often an adjoining council is key in order to deliver for the community, which should always be our main focus as public servants.

Carly Broadbent
Senior Development Officer - Planning
City of Onkaparinga 

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

I signed up for the Emerging Leaders
Program to develop essential leadership skills like communication, problem solving and decision making. It’s a great opportunity to meet other emerging leaders from other councils.

The most recent module focused on ‘A Rural Perspective’ – what were some of your takeaways from this module?

This module challenged the traditional view of rural areas as agricultural or
underdeveloped. With the appropriate development plan, we can achieve sustainable outcomes.

I was inspired by the presentation from Chris Lawry and Shraddha Dhungel on Mount Barker District Council’s approach to creating green spaces through intelligent design. I was also very impressed with the presentation by Heather Barclay, CEO of the Rural City of Murray Bridge. Heather shared her experiences in a vast background of roles within various councils and recommended gaining diverse experience in roles and locations to accelerate your learning. 

What are you most looking forward to as the program progresses?

As the Emerging Leaders Program progresses, I am most looking forward to networking and relationship building with my peers. 

Leon Nguyen
Finance Manager
Port Augusta City Council 

ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Wednesday 6 November 2024

Expand your knowledge and skills further as you take a deeper dive into project management theory as well as operational and strategic elements of project management. 

POWERFUL BUSINESS WRITING
Friday 22 November 2024

Learn how to improve your writing skills to communicate clearly, efficiently and with impact using plain English principles.

This informative, practical online session will be hosted by Mark Puncher, CEO & Founder of Employer Branding Australia, and will give you the latest insights and tips on how to recruit, retain and empower people in your Council's context 

To attend this webinar, there is now no need to register your details. Simply follow the steps below:

1. Put an invitation in your calendar for 10:30-11:30am ACST on 
   Tuesday 3 September.   
2.  Add this link to the invitation and click at the time above to jump straight in.

Hope to see you online on Tuesday.

CEO NETWORK & GENERAL MANAGERS AND DIRECTORS NETWORK
FORUM: EFFECTIVENESS AT THE EXECUTIVE LEVEL
Thursday 5 September 2024

Gain insights from across industries and explore what makes executive teams and
relationships truly successful.

WOMEN'S NETWORK FORUM: MY CIRCLE
Wednesday 11 September 2024

Building on this year’s Network theme of ‘Belonging’, this forum will help you discover the importance of knowing and growing your ‘Circle’. 

PEOPLE AND CULTURE NETWORK FORUM: DRIVING CHANGE AND
CULTURE THROUGH COURAGE, RESILIENCE AND TRUST
Friday 20 September 2024

Hear from international keynote speaker, Jamie Getgood, who will share one of the world’s biggest transformational culture initiatives – the General Motors Holden Closure and
Transition Program.

LG PROFESSIONALS SA SPONSORSHIP AND CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP

Do you work for or know an organisation who would be interested in gaining exposure to local government professionals through sponsorship with LG Professionals SA? 

As a not-for-profit association, LG Professionals SA rely on the support of sponsors to be able to continue to deliver the range of high quality events and professional development programs that we are known for.

Partnering with sponsors also creates opportunities for our members to learn, build
relationships and receive best value.

ABOUT LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROFESSIONALS AUSTRALIA, SA

LG Professionals SA is a not-for-profit member based association representing professionals working in local government in South Australia. 

We have the ability to link and connect people from different councils who may not otherwise form relationships or share. 

Our high quality professional development programs and networking events are uniquely local government – reflective of the culture of the sector and sensitive to the needs of its
professionals. 

The content of our events and programs are informed by our members and people who
genuinely care about the sector. 

We provide a safe and supportive environment in which to grow and learn while creating
opportunities to make time away from the office to work on the business or on self. 

We award and acknowledge achievements of excellence.

LG Professionals SA | 148 Frome Street, Adelaide SA 5000 | Phone: 08 8224 2080
www.lgprofessionalssa.org.au

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