Insights from Local Government's emerging leaders

 

A core component of the Emerging Leaders Program is the action-learning group project. Two groups of professionals each identified a key issue impacting the sector that they felt passionate about and sought to influence change. Below are the issues they challenged and the outcomes they sought.

The Role of Government – A Community Awareness Campaign

The role of Local Government is complex and often misunderstood by the communities it serves. This issue is compounded by the ambiguous definition and purpose of Local Government codified in the Local Government Act 2020.

As many councils have begun developing voting options for the allocation of financial resources during annual budget discussions based on community needs, the issue is all the more pertinent. In order for the community to vote on their preferred project(s), they must first understand of the role of Local Government. Specifically, they must understand what their local government can and cannot deliver.

This project thus aims to build capacity within local communities through an information campaign; it seeks to enhance community understanding of what Local Government does so that they can proactively and confidently participate in decision making on matters impacting them. The campaign produced is ‘un-badged’ and can be tailored to suit the service delivery specifics of any council and the needs of each community. A communications plan has been developed, along with a short video which can be amended to suit more specific circumstances particular to each council and local government area.

Resources:
Community Awareness Framework and Role of Local Government
Community Awareness Campaign

Community Awareness Project Group Presentation


Community Awareness Video

Agile Recruitment

Councils face challenges in attracting suitable staff for the roles they are offering. Rather than a universal workforce issue, it may come down to recruitment processes.

This project investigated the benefits of agile recruitment practices across local governments to remedy the issue. Specifically, it explored how a flexible approach to recruiting can strengthen organisations, creating more diverse workforces that represent the council's community and ultimately achieve better outcomes for them. Through their project's deliverables, the team hope to help the sector attract a more diverse pool of applicants while creating better hiring outcomes and more inclusive workplace cultures.

Resources:

Agile Recruitment briefing report
Agile Recruitment presentation

Agile Recruitment Project Group Presentation