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Singleton Council
ANNUAL REPORT 2013/14
We’re more than you think ...
SINGLETON COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORT 2013/14
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24,857 visitors
7,546 enquiries
1,700 stop-ins at Driver
Reviver
202 meeting room
bookings
48 accommodation
bookings
Kellie Jordan
Trip Advisor
Singleton Visitor Information &
Enterprise Centre
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welcome
Singleton Council proudly presents the 2013/14 Annual Report to our community. This document is an integral part of our
democratic governance process in which we are open and accountable to the community. It demonstrates the breadth of
Council’s operations, celebrates highlights and achievements and acknowledges the challenges and difficulties faced during
the year.
As you read through this report we hope you gain a clear picture of our performance against the strategic objectives that
this Council set in its 2013/14 Operational Plan and against our four-year Delivery Program.
why have an annual report
The Local Government Act 1993 requires all councils to present an Annual Report to the Minister for Local Government by
30 November each year. As well as meeting this statutory requirement, Council sees the Annual Report as a vital tool to
keep the community informed about its performance and direction.
You can obtain copies of the 2013/14 Annual Report from Council’s Customer Service Centre on Queen St, Singleton Library,
Council’s website singleton.nsw.gov.au or one can be requested by calling 02 6578 7290.
This Annual Report was produced and designed by Singleton Council.
cover images, from top left
Ian Vickers - Utilities Engineer
Kellie Jordan - Tourism Services Officer
Reina Stalker - Youth Worker
Fred Druce - Saleyards Manager
Larissa Bourke - Governance Coordinator
Gary Perrin - Senior Treatment Operator
Arne Redemski - Works Technician
Kim Keeley - Finance Office Coordinator
Hamid Arain - Accountant
Jessica Drayton - Parks Operator
Carol Hepworth - Child Care Worker
Dimity Maher - Finance Officer
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our vision
Singleton. A progressive community of excellence and sustainability.
our mission
To provide quality services to the community in an efficient and friendly manner encouraging responsible development.
our values and behaviours
1. Integrity: We act with commitment, trust and accountability.
We act honestly.
We take responsibility for our actions.
We are committed to serving our community in an open and transparent manner.
We commit to provide high quality professional customer service responsive to our customer’s needs.
2. Respect: We are open, honest, inclusive and supportive.
We encourage an environment where everyone feels they belong.
We value team work, we consult and support others in a co-operative manner.
We actively seek and value input from our community.
We communicate and act in an open, consistent and fair manner.
3. Excellence: We strive to achieve the highest standards.
We always put safety first.
We are committed to continuously improving ourselves, our work and the services we provide to our community.
We embrace change for the benefit and advancement of Council and our community.
We present, speak and relate to others in a professional manner at all times.
4. Innovation: We are creative, progressive and strategic.
We anticipate future challenges and are resourceful in our responses.
We serve our community to achieve a sustainable future.
We value good ideas and forward thinking.
5. Enjoyment: We promote a harmonious, productive and positive workplace.
We provide employees with opportunities to progress, learn and grow.
We celebrate achievement.
We provide opportunities for employees to have input into how their work is done.
We recognise the importance of work life balance.
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contents
from the mayor.............................................................. 6
delegations of external bodies...................................... 106
from the general manager............................................. 7
elected members & mayoral expenses......................... 107
our councillors................................................................ 10
fair & equal employment............................................... 108
our organisation............................................................. 11
financial assistance......................................................... 109
our service areas............................................................ 13
legal proceedings........................................................... 110
our people...................................................................... 17
national competition policy........................................... 111
snapshot of singleton.................................................... 23
overseas visits................................................................ 112
our performance
partnerships, trusts & joint ventures............................ 113
introduction.................................................................... 26
planning agreements..................................................... 114
our community............................................................... 28
private works.................................................................. 115
our places....................................................................... 52
public interest disclosures............................................. 115
our environment............................................................ 70
senior staff remuneration.............................................. 116
our leadership................................................................ 81
stormwater levies & charges......................................... 117
statutory reports
financial reports
access & equity............................................................... 96
our financial position...................................................... 121
access to information .................................................... 97
key financial indicators................................................... 122
companion animals ....................................................... 103
special rate variations.................................................... 125
contracts awarded over $150,000................................. 104
state of our infrastructure assets.................................. 128
controlling interest in companies.................................. 105
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from the mayor
As Mayor of Singleton, I am delighted
to present the 2013/14 Annual Report,
reviewing the past 12 months.
This document includes a summary of
our financial statements, achievements
against the four pillars in the Singleton
Community Strategic Plan and our
statutory reports.
As this report will show, Singleton
Council is much more than just roads,
rubbish and rates. We are committed
to delivering quality services for our
whole community across a diverse
range of programs and facilities.
These include our library - this year
voted Favourite Library in NSW - and
our award-winning Singleton Visitor
Information and Enterprise Centre.
People are often surprised by the
diversity of what we do and it can be
challenging to cover everything in one
document such as the Annual Report.
That’s why in 2013/14 we expanded our
communications with the community,
launching a new website and joining
social media.
In addition, we undertook many
consultation activities as part of the
development of varied strategies,
designs and master plans. These
included the Singleton Town Centre
Master Plan and revitalisation project,
the Open Space and Recreation Needs
Study, the Lake St Clair Master Plan,
Youth Strategy, Alroy Oval Master
Plan and Singleton Environmental
Sustainability Strategy.
In January 2014, we consulted
extensively with our community
regarding our proposal for a
special rate variation to fund road
maintenance and sealing. We engaged
a consultant to conduct a random
phone survey of 500 households,
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in addition to running an online
survey and face-to-face community
sessions. In June, we were advised
that our application for a 5% special
rate variation was successful and this
became effective as at 1 July 2014.
The permanent variation will raise
an additional $700,000 in 2014/15
to be spent on road maintenance,
rehabilitation and sealing works.
The variation was necessary to help
us reduce our infrastructure backlog
and bring our roads up to the standard
our community expects. But we
were also very successful in 2013/14
in bringing in external funding to
upgrade our facilities with multimillion maintenance backlogs. This
included $9 million for the town centre
revitalisation, $2.9 million for the
upgrade of Ryan Avenue, $6 million for
the redevelopment of the Singleton
Regional Livestock Market and $5.7
million for the Singleton Gym & Swim
extension and upgrade.
These projects have taken time to
plan and design and we know the
community has been as eager as
Council to see these projects begin.
It is gives me great pleasure to know
that construction of many of these
projects will begin in 2014/15 and will
be finished well within this term of
Council.
Believe it or not, we are halfway
through our four-year term and the
relationship between the Council, the
executive and Council staff has been
outstanding. It puts Singleton in a good
position to tackle the challenges of the
coming 12 months.
The NSW Government has announced
wide-ranging reforms as part of the Fit
for the Future package. These reforms
will change the way many councils
operate and all councils must find new
efficiencies, new opportunities for
service and resource sharing and prove
they are financially sustainable and
fit for the future. We are fortunately
better positioned than most but there
is always room for improvement and
we will be exploring all options.
We have achieved many things in
2013/14 and made decisions which
we know will carry us into 2014/15
and beyond. Led by the Council, the
General Manager Lindy Hyam and the
directors together, we have had a very
positive and constructive year.
I thank my colleagues and the Council
staff.
John Martin OAM
Singleton M ayor
from the general manager
This year we have seen the service
efficiencies made over the past three
years start to take effect supporting
a four-pronged strategy to improve
Council’s financial sustainability.
The first of these was to get our house
in order by being more efficient and
focusing our efforts on where we can
gain the maximum value. The second
was to maximise external funding
to address our major infrastructure
backlog commitments. Thirdly, we
used our balance sheet to increase
our borrowing to spend on overdue
maintenance. And finally, we
introduced a special rate variation to
address our single most significant
asset base – roads.
Let’s first speak of the efficiencies
we have gained. Over the past year,
we have conducted business and
staff reviews and introduced key
performance indicators for every staff
member against the key business
activities of the organisation. We
have introduced significant innovative
practices, particularly in our use of
technology, and sharing resources
with neighbouring councils such
as development of a joint signage
strategy for the wine country area. We
have made improvements in the areas
of procurement, events and marketing,
water management, planning, signage,
leadership and development - down to
the supervisor and coordinator levels and in our use of online service delivery
such as the introduction of smart
forms and eplanning tools.
Singleton Council has put significant
effort into securing external funding,
that otherwise would simply be too
difficult to raise in the local community,
to address priority community facilities,
such as the upgrade of the Singleton
Gym and Swim through the Hunter
Infrastructure Investment Fund. We
were also successful in gaining external
funding to upgrade the Singleton
Regional Livestock Market, important
for local economic diversification,
the town centre revitalisation and
the upgrade of Ryan Avenue under
Resources for Regions. Additionally,
we have partnered with Muswellbrook
Shire Council and the NSW Rural Fire
Service to construct the Hunter Valley
Rural Fire Service Control Centre at
Bulga.
These projects have had
continuous development in the
pre-implementation phases, from
master planning, to geotechnical
investigations, design, tendering
and consultation. All of our projects
are subject to a proper project
management framework with a
cross-organisational project control
group meeting weekly or fortnightly
to monitor all aspects of the project
with regular reporting to Council’s
Executive Leadership Team.
Several projects have involved
consultation with external agencies
such as the Roads and Maritime
Service, Rural Fire Service and
Environmental Protection Authority.
Using Council’s internal expertise, we
have undertaken considerable works in
the waste area and commenced catch
up required in sewer maintenance and
major pipe relining.
While we have a $17 million backlog,
we have secured funding for a good
portion of that which will be built
into our updated 10-year Long Term
Financial Plan.
Over the past 2 years, Council has
made two successful applications
to the Local Infrastructure Renewal
Scheme (LIRS) to access lower cost
borrowing and has subsequently been
able to address long-standing road
and bridge maintenance issues which
have been central to some community
concerns.
It is our understanding from the Fit
for the Future local government
reforms that councils will continue
to have access to lower interest rate
finance to address infrastructure
issues into the future. Our LIRS
work is now supported by the
introduction of a special rate variation
which will produce approximately
$700,000 in additional funds available
for increasing our roads asset
maintenance activity which, while not
getting us completely where we need
to be, is an important step in the right
direction.
These four strategies have been
led and managed on a whole of
organisational basis and I pay tribute
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from the general manager
to the tremendous contribution of
many staff across all areas of Council
to realise such significant project
opportunities.
While focusing on our financial
sustainability, we have also
ensured a very active connection
to the community through existing
service delivery such as community
development activities and initiatives
such as village profiling work. We
have moved from a pilot to a full place
making program and developed a Place
Making Strategy and in 2014/15, we
will progress development of village
master plans for Broke, Bulga and
Jerrys Plains.
This community connectivity is
reflected and acknowledged in the
high level of events and activities in
our library, recognised earlier this year
by being voted Favourite Library in
NSW, the re-accreditation of Colleen
Gale Children’s Services and the finalist
placing of one of our child care staff
in the NSW Early Educator of the
Year awards. The Singleton Visitor
Information and Enterprise Centre won
gold for the third time at the Hunter
Central Coast Tourism Awards and
was inducted into the Hunter Central
Coast Tourism Hall of Fame. Our Big
Draw event was a finalist in the Local
Government Arts and Culture Awards.
We recognise the importance of
local engagement of families and
introduced a new format for Australia
Day, a new calendar of “in the park”
events such as the outdoor cinema,
as well as participating and hosting
national celebrations such as Harmony
Day, Seniors Week, Youth Week and
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NAIDOC Week. We also entered a
team of athletes and swimmers into
the International Children’s Games
to be held in December 2014 at Lake
Macquarie. I acknowledge many
staff contributed time out of hours,
including teams from events, parks,
works and youth, who are committed
to providing a quality lifestyle for
Singleton families.
In 2014/15, we will have a strong
emphasis on the implementation of
major projects and a continuation
of asset replacement and renewal,
particularly in water, sewerage and
waste, and a focus on ensuring we
meet state government’s expectations
in ensuring our fitness for the future as
a sustainable Council within the Hunter
region.
Nevertheless, we will be exploring
with other Hunter councils where
there are real opportunities for sharing
resources and implementation of
community-based service delivery and
asset renewal.
I thank the many community
organisations and businesses that we
have worked closely with and look
forward to progressing our economic
diversification strategy currently under
development.
Lindy Hyam
Singleton Council
General Manager
22 ordinary Council
meetings
2 extraordinary Council
meetings
14 Councillor briefings/
workshops
Anthony Egan
Director Corporate Services
Singleton Council
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our councillors
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Cr John Martin OAM
Cr Godfrey Adamthwaite
M: 0407 041 621
E: jmartin@singleton.nsw.gov.au
Cr Martin has been a Singleton
Councillor since 1965.
M: 0407 042 571
E: gadamthwaite@singleton.nsw.gov.au
Cr Adamthwaite has been a
Singleton Councillor since 2008.
Cr Tessa Capsanis
Cr Hollee Diemar-Jenkins
M: 0409 979 608
E: tcapsanis@singleton.nsw.gov.au
Cr Capsanis has been a Singleton
M: 0418 595 484
E: hjenkins@singleton.nsw.gov.au
Cr Diemar-Jenkins has been a
Singleton Councillor since 2012.
Cr Bob Keown
Cr Tony McNamara
M: 0409 057 218
E: bkeown@singleton.nsw.gov.au
Cr Keown has been a Singleton
M: 0407 042 802
E: tmcnamara@singleton.nsw.gov.au
Cr McNamara has been a Singleton
Cr Sue Moore
Cr Ruth Rogers
M: 0407 029 341
E: smoore@singleton.nsw.gov.au
Cr Moore has been a Singleton
Councillor since 1999 and was the
previous Mayor.
M: 0407 041 542
E: rrogers@singleton.nsw.gov.au
Cr Rogers has been a Singleton
Cr Val Scott
Cr Danny Thompson
M: 0407 042 679
E: vscott@singleton.nsw.gov.au
Cr Scott has been a Singleton
M: 0400 249 374
E: dthompson@singleton.nsw.gov.au
Cr Thompson has been a Singleton
Councillor since September 2013.
our organisation
Council’s organisational structure is made up of the General Manager’s executive office and three groups - Community and
Infrastructure Services Group, Corporate Services Group and Planning and Sustainable Environment Group led by a Director
who reports directly to the General Manager.
The General Manager is directly accountable to the Mayor and Councillors, who are elected by Singleton residents.
General Manager - Lindy Hyam MBA, B.Ed, Dip Teach, FAICD
Lindy Hyam has been General Manager of Singleton Council since September 2011 after
being the General Manager of Newcastle Council.
Lindy has held CEO roles at international and national levels since the 90s, including the
National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, the international education companies
of IDP Education Australia and IELTS Australia for which she won the National Export
Award in 2004, CEO of organisations jointly owned by the Commonwealth, State and
Territory Governments and industry being the Horticultural Research and Development
Corporation and the biosecurity related Plant Health Australia. Prior to that, Lindy was
Director of Organisational Development at Warringah Council.
Lindy has been a non-executive director on many boards including the NZ Crown Research
Institute of Horticulture and Food, the Rural Industries Research and Development
Corporation, Kip McGrath Education Services, Campus Management Services CQU, the
Sugar Research and Development Corporation and currently Hunter Councils LTD and Chair of Hunter Legal Services.
Lindy’s qualifications are an MBA and Bachelor of Education. Her interests are in corporate strategy and ethical leadership.
Assistant General
Manager and Director of
Community & Infrastructure
Services Group Gary Thomson,
Director of Planning &
Sustainable Environment Group
Mark Ihlein, General Manager
Lindy Hyam and Director of
Corporate Services Group
Anthony Egan
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Risk Management
Parks & Facilities
Design & Contracts
Human Resources &
Work Health Safety
Information Services
Water & Waste
Finance
Governance & Legal
Library
Colleen Gale
Children & Youth Programs
Community Development
Land & Asset Management
Customer Service
Information Management
Information Technology
Property
Management
Director Corporate Services Group
Works
Community & Cultural
Services
Assistant General Manager and
Director Community & Infrastructure
Services Group
General Manager
Mayor / Council
Development &
Regulatory Services
Planning &
Environment
Integrated Planning
& Reporting
Director Planning & Sustainable
Environment Group
Coucillor & Executive Support
Economic Development & Tourism
Change Management & Organisation Development
Communication & Community Consultation
our service areas
Singleton Council is a major employer in Singleton comprising of service units that together provide more than 100 services
and programs to the community.
Services cover a broad range of areas including child care, youth, library, major events, parks and recreation, planning,
roads, governance, waste, water, companion animals, sports, stormwater, sewerage, food safety, leisure facilities, mapping,
cultural and community development and environmental management.
Children and Youth Programs
Council provides out of school hours care as well as operating the Singleton Youth Venue. This team provides children’s
support services, tutoring and early intervention programs as well as coordinating events and activities for young people.
Colleen Gale Children’s Services
This not-for-profit centre provides long day care and mobile preschool programs for children aged six weeks to five years,
Monday to Friday, 50 weeks of the year.
Communication and Community Consultation
The communication and community engagement team is responsible for media relations, website management and the
production of marketing and communications material such as the quarterly Council newsletter.
Community Development
Our community development team provides advice and support for long-term community strategic planning and works
closely with community organisations and state agencies to make Singleton a welcoming, safe and accessible-by-all
environment.
Councillor and Executive Support
This team collates the business papers for each Council meeting, records minutes, supports our Mayor, General Manager
and Executive Leadership Team and liaises with Councillors on behalf of other staff.
Customer Service
Our friendly Customer Service team is the first point of contact for most people visiting Council’s Customer Service Centre in
Queen St and assists in responding to all types of enquiries as well as operating Council’s call centre.
Development and Regulatory Services
This team manages health and building regulation and compliance, animal control, processing development applications
and provides a range of building-related services.
Economic Development and Tourism
This team supports and assists our business community; partners to assist community groups and other organisations to
obtain grants; is responsible for major events and festivals; and manages and operates the Singleton Visitor Information and
Enterprise Centre.
Finance
Finance is responsible for the management of Council’s finances and ensuring compliance with statutory financial and
reporting obligations; and preparation of the annual budget and long-term financial plan. This area is also responsible for
accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll and treasury functions .
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our service areas
Food safety and compliance
This team ensures food businesses comply with their legislative responsibilities to produce safe food by conducting regular
inspections. They provide education to assist businesses with compliance through newsletters, calendars and annual
training.
Governance and Legal
This team oversees and contributes to the establishment, implementation and review of good governance structures
and processes. In addition, they provide information and specialist advice to the organisation on legal matters, contracts,
contract compliance and oversees the tendering process.
Human Resources and WHS
Our HR/WHS team is responsible for all employment-related issues, including recruitment, and provides strategic and
operational advice and support on all employee relations issues including inductions, training, professional development
and performance management.
Information Management
Information management is responsible for maintaining Council’s record-keeping systems and ensuring we meet all our
record-keeping obligations.
Information Technology
Our IT team maintains our information and communication technology and looks for ways to continuously improve
Council’s IT systems.
Integrated Planning and Reporting
This team is responsible for meeting the legislative requirements of the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework - a
suite of documents that work to achieve the Singleton community’s strategic vision. It is the basis of all the activities and
programs undertaken by Council.
Land and Asset Management Systems
This team coordinates asset management functions and manages the electronic systems and software which hold the
information about Council’s assets, land and properties. These systems allow Council to manage the maintenance,
replacement and repairs of its assets.
Parks and Facilities
Parks and facilities manage Council’s maintenance and improvement programs with particular regard for Council’s open
space, sports grounds, parks, gardens and public amenities.
Planning and Environment
Planning and environment lead the development of strategic land use plans such as the Singleton Local Environmental Plan
and coordinate community environmental education and projects.
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our service areas
Rangers
Our rangers are responsible for enforcing companion animal laws and other regulations and educating the community
about responsible pet ownership.
Risk Management
This team manages Council’s insurance portfolio, manages day-to-day claims and provides advice and training to staff in
relation to risk management.
Singleton Library
The library team hosts a dynamic range of programs for all ages at the library and outreach and hosts regular exhibitions,
workshops, talks and social groups. It offers free internet access, games and has meeting and training rooms available for
hire.
Water, Waste and Sewer
This team is responsible for the supply and management of water and sewer services to the Singleton area (excluding
Branxton). They manage Council’s waste services which include the Singleton Waste Depot, and kerbside collection for
general waste and recycling.
Works
Our Works team is responsible for the safety, construction and maintenance of local and regional roads, footpaths, bridges,
culverts, bus stops and stormwater assets.
Our sewer pipe
relining program is
extending the life of
our pipes without
disrupting services
to residents
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232 employees
177 full-time staff
24 part-time staff
31 casuals
52% female/48% male
62% of employees live
within LGA
Deanne Metcher
People Placer - Human
Resources
Singleton Council
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our people
Singleton Council employed 232 people as at 30 June in a range of positions including design and contract management,
customer service, engineering, community services, library, administration, human resources, finance, information
technology, saleyards, communications, information management, parks and facilities, land and asset information, youth
and children services, environment, planning, development and regulatory services, works, economic development and
tourism, and water and waste.
Sixty-two per cent of our employees live within the Singleton Local Government Area. As shown below, the total of 232
comprises of 177 full-time, 24 part-time and 31 casual employees.
As shown below, our people represent diverse age groups with 45 per cent of our employees aged over 45 years, 49 per
cent of our employees aged between 25 and 44 years, and 6 per cent under the age of 25 years. The average employee age
at Singleton Council is 43 years. The gender profile of our workforce is 52 per cent female and 48 per cent male.
The majority of our employees are positioned at the officer level (91 per cent) with 2 per cent of the total workforce
represented by senior management positions and 7 per cent represented by the Leadership Group, made up of managers
and executive staff.
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our people
Conditions of employment
The Industrial Relations Commission of NSW approved the Local Government (State) Award 2014 on 25 June 2014, which
took effect from 1 July 2014. Employees at Singleton Council are covered by this Award, which outlines the terms and
conditions of employment.
The new Award incorporates positive changes around flexibility and leave provisions, many of which Council already has
in place such as working from home arrangements, flexible working arrangements, health and wellbeing leave, adoption
leave, emergency services leave and improvements to bereavement, annual, long service and sick leave.
Council contributes the legislative 9.5 per cent of each employee’s salary to a complying superannuation fund of their
choice, which increased from 9.25 per cent as of 1 July 2014. Employees have the option to further salary-sacrifice
contributions to their chosen superannuation fund.
We also offer a range of benefits to employees including:
• Employee Assistance Program which includes career and financial advice
• A full suite of flexible working arrangements;
• Health monitoring including regular skin cancer checks, hearing checks, on-site work related vaccinations and annual
flu-shots for employees;
• Annual staff awards based on length of service and nominations in various categories;
• Annual skills review for progression through Council’s salary system; and
• Concessional leave of up to three days of paid leave over the Christmas shut-down period.
We recognise that flexible working arrangements benefit both employees and the organisation, in helping people balance
work responsibilities with family and lifestyle needs. The degree to which flexibility can be supported is relative to each
person and their role. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Flexible working arrangements available at Council include:
• Rostered Day Off Program including 14 working days per three week cycle or 19 working days per four week cycle;
• Part-time work;
• Purchase of additional annual leave;
• Transition to retirement;
• Working from home arrangements;
• Condensed working hours (working full time hours over 4 days);
• Job-sharing arrangements;
• Paid Defence Forces Reserves and emergency services leave;
• Reduced working hours for a fixed period of time (e.g. upon return from parental leave);
• Flexible working hours (e.g. changes to start and finish times);
• Paid parental and adoption leave;
• Staff Development subsidy (for educational purposes) which includes paid study leave; and
• Leave without pay.
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our people
Policy development
This year we focused on revising Council’s staff policies and procedures to ensure they were up to date with the new Award
provisions, and in line with best practice human resources initiatives.
During 2013/14, the following human resources policies and procedures were reviewed and updated:
• Defence Forces Reserves and Emergency Services Leave Procedure;
• Job Sharing Procedure;
• RDO Program Procedure;
• Staff Service Awards Procedure;
• Unplanned Absences From Work Procedure; and
• Probation Procedure.
During 2013/14, the following documents were created:
• Flexible Working Arrangements - Operational Policy;
• Working From Home Arrangements Procedure;
• Flexible Working Hours Procedure;
• Parental Leave Procedure;
• Grievances and Dispute Resolution Procedure;
• Long Service Leave Procedure;
• Annual Leave and Leave Without Pay Procedure; and
• Overtime Procedure.
All policies and procedures were implemented in consultation with the Staff Consultative Committee, Leadership Group,
Executive Leadership Team and were made available to all staff in draft format via Council’s Intranet and on noticeboards
for outdoor staff.
Annual performance review process
Singleton Council currently provides an annual review process for all employees’ with reviews held in July each year. For
eligible employees there is an ‘at risk’ bonus component of up to six per cent. The current performance evaluation system
has been custom and practice at Singleton Council for several years and is based upon the evaluation of the behavioural
expectations; performance outputs; and work health and safety, with a maximum bonus achievement in each area set at
two per cent.
In order to better align our employee performance with the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework, Singleton
Council will be moving away from the above performance review framework from 1 July 2014 and implement a new Key
Performance Indicator (KPI) framework for all staff. Managers and supervisors were provided with multiple support and
training sessions conducted by the Australian Institute of Management (AIM) over March and May 2014. KPIs have been
developed to link to Council’s Delivery Program and Operational Plan and are then tailored to specific roles. Each employee
has a set of five KPIs to focus on from 1 July 2014, with an ‘at risk’ bonus component of up to 6 per cent being awarded to
staff that meet and/or exceed expectations in 2014/15.
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our people
Learning and development
Providing access to ongoing learning and development opportunities to build the capacity of our employees is highly valued
at Singleton Council. These opportunities are offered via on-the-job internal and external workshops, conferences and
training programs.
A total of $473,545 was invested in providing training and development opportunities to employees during 2013/2014.
Some of the learning and development opportunities offered included:
• Online compliance training through Learning Seat;
• External compliance training and tickets for employees (eg. first aid and licences);
• Various conference and seminar attendance;
• Various in-house training opportunities conducted by external providers (eg. KPI development);
• 21 staff receiving further education assistance or traineeships;
• 38 employees attended Singleton Council’s corporate induction one-day program;
• Subsidies for employees to complete tertiary education relevant to their work areas; and
• Opportunities to be involved in external agency and organisation programs such as Max Potential and across council
professional groups such as libraries, planning and human resources.
Leadership development
Singleton Council is committed to providing leadership development opportunities to employees as it has done in previous
years. In 2012/2013, senior management and management level positions participated in the ‘High Performance Leadership
Program’ run by Griffith Consulting from Melbourne. In 2013/2014, the invitation was extended to the coordinator/team
leader/supervisor and senior employee groups.
The program runs for between three and five months and involves a number of one-day workshops, one-to-one coaching
sessions, and resilience training and wellbeing exercises for each individual.
Council is committed to extending the offer of this program to remaining staff over 2014/2015, with the next program for
the officer level due to commence in early 2015.
Engagement survey
During March/April 2014, Singleton Council conducted an Employee Engagement Survey with Sydney consulting firm Aon
Hewitt as part of their ‘Aon Hewitt Best Employers Survey’.
The engagement survey was open to all staff between 31 March and 16 April 2014 with all employees across the organisation
invited to tell us how they feel about working at Singleton Council, what they feel is going well and what could be done
better. The responses were collated by Aon Hewitt and an overview of the responses was provided to Council.
A final report was provided to managers and directors in order to develop an action plan deriving from the major points of
feedback in the survey. Workshops were conducted with each Group within Council to present the results and to identify
trends and receive further feedback on things we can do better.
The results indicated a significant increase upon the overall engagement score achieved when Council conducted the same
Aon Hewitt survey in 2011. Council is committed to improving upon this further.
20
our people
Workforce Plan
Our Workforce Plan 2013-2017 was recently reviewed and included evaluating staff levels, demographic and trend data, and
information obtained from exit survey feedback, recruitment activities and workers compensation premiums.
This four-year Workforce Plan is a key component of Council’s Resourcing Strategy and focuses on three priorities to
strengthen and support our workforce. It puts in place strategies to build an adaptable, values driven and accountable
workforce that will meet our objectives and deliver quality services to our community.
The Workforce Plan is an active document that will be reviewed and reported on regularly and adjusted accordingly to meet
the changing challenges ahead. We look forward to the successful implementation of this plan.
Celebrating staff achievements
It is important to celebrate the achievement of our employees. Singleton Council does this in a number of ways, including
monthly morning tea events hosted by the General Manager, our Weekly Wrap (internal newsletter), Council Chatter (bimonthly strategic newsletter) and in external media with staff awards recognised at the yearly Christmas function.
In 2013 / 2014, Council recognised the extended length of service provided by 20 employees. These were:
Michael Launders – 35 years; Michele Wilkes – 35 years; Herbert Sinclair – 30 years; David Gatt – 20 years; Judith Geddes – 20
years; Julianne Thompson – 15 years; Monique Sneddon – 15 years; Maree Taylor – 15 years; Wendy Wadsworth – 15 years;
Susan Wheelhouse – 15 years; Stephanie Fowler – 15 years; Cynthia Behringer – 15 years; Damian Morris – 10 years; Arne
Redemski – 10 years; John Godschalk – 10 years; Graham Sheppard – 10 years; Graham Avard – 10 years; Brian Vernon – 10
years; Garry Wade – 10 years and Nichelle Simpson – 10 years.
Council also recognised six employees and five teams in the 2013 Staff Achievement Awards. These were:
Community Support
Reina Bielsa-Stalker – Winner, Kristy Murphy - Runner Up
Singleton Mobile Pre-School Team - Winner
Innovation & Improvement
Alysia Norris – Winner, Elyse Turner – Highly Commended
New Website Development Team - Winner
Customer Service
Carissa Davy & Ricky Andrews – Joint Winners
Information Technology Team & Information Management Team – Joint Winners
Water & Sewer Team – Highly Commended
21
8.38km of roads
rehabitated
13.25km roads
resheeted
538m of footpath
constructed
Arne Redemski
Road Warrior - Works
Singleton Council
22
snapshot of singleton
The Singleton Local Government Area (LGA) covers 4,893km2 and is located 200km north-west of Sydney and 80km
inland from Newcastle. It includes the township of Singleton, as well as the villages of Branxton, Broke, Bulga,
Camberwell, Elderslie/Stanhope/Lambs Valley, Glendonbrook, Glennies Creek, Hermitage Road, Jerrys Plains, Kirkton/
Lower Belford, Mirannie, Mitchells Flat, Mount Olive, Putty, Warkworth, Wattle Ponds and Whittingham.
Singleton is located in the heart of the Hunter Valley on the junction of the New England and Golden highways at the
conclusion of the new Hunter Expressway and is surrounded by World Heritage National Parks – Wollemi and Yengo as well as Mt Royal National Park.
The Singleton community has access to eight public schools, two private schools, a TAFE NSW Campus, a community
college and is in proximity to the University of Newcastle. It also has generous sporting amenities, many shopping
options and modern public amenities.
Singleton’s regional gross product per capita is $235,107, whereas the state average is $68,872. (Source: Latest REMPLAN
data incorporating Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) June 2013 Gross State Product, 2009 / 2010 National Input Output Tables and
2011 Census Place of Work Employment Data.)
The area has experienced a prolonged period of steady population growth driven by business and industry resulting in
a predominantly young, employed labour force and an unemployment rate of less than two per cent.
Coal mining in the Singleton LGA contributes more than half a billion dollars in mining royalties each year, double the
amount of the second closest contributor, and is the major industry and employer.
In 2012/13, 90 million tonnes of raw coal was extracted in the Singleton-North West area. (Source: Singleton Council Mining
Directory 2014)
Singleton’s
regional gross
product per capita
is $235,107, whereas
the state average is
$68,872.
Employment by industry
Mining
24.61%
Manufacturing
6.94%
Retail
8.2%
Accommodation & food
6.67%
Construction
6.21%
Education & training
Agriculture, forestry & fishing
5%
3.78%
Source: REMPLAN incorporating
Australian Bureau of Statistics’ June 2013
Gross State Product, 2009/2010 National
Input Output Tables and 2011 Census
Place of Work Employment Data.
23
snapshot of singleton
The healthy economy of Singleton is supported by a
diverse range of other industries including viticulture,
education, engineering, fabrication, trades services,
tourism, hospitality, mining, power generation, defence,
agriculture and retail. The power stations located in and
adjoining the Singleton LGA supply up to 40 per cent of
the state’s power needs.
Singleton’s wine and tourism industry is part of Hunter
Valley Wine Country and is renowned throughout the
world.
Singleton is home to the Lone Pine Barracks and the
School of Infantry. The School of Infantry is responsible
for the arms training of all recruits into the Australian
Army. The base has approximately 500 permanent
employees and up to 2,000 recruits pass through the
school each year. The base houses the brand new
Australian Army Infantry Museum with artefacts and
collections dating from the 19th century through to
today.
Population
23,751
Projected population in 2021
27,200
Australian citizens
91.25%
Indigenous citizens
3.5%
Residents born in Australia
87%
Residents aged 0-19
30.08%
Residents aged 20-29
13.14%
13.3%
28%
Residents aged 60+
15.5%
Labour force
50.2%
Employed
47%
Unemployed
1.7%
13.17% of workers
earn over $2,000 pw
36% of workers earn
less than $599 pw
8.7% of workers earn
between $1,500 and
$1,999 pw*
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional
Population Growth, Cat. 3218.0 (2012-13 data was
released on 3 April 2014
* Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011
Census of Population and Housing
24

Introduction - ePlanning Home

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