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Recognising LG's high achievers

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 of our high achievers for 2006.

Individual Achiever: Mal Jonas, Director Corporate and City Development, City of Port Adelaide Enfield, South Australia

The City of Port Adelaide Enfield is rich in history, culture and opportunity. Established in 1996, the City is one of the largest metropolitan Councils in South Australia. Extending from the River Torrens to Outer Harbour, Port Adelaide Enfield covers approximately 97 square kilometres. The City has some of South Australia's finest historical buildings and landmarks, along with a wealth of parks, and excellent cultural and recreational facilities. With a solid industrial and residential base, Port Adelaide Enfield provides facilities and services to a growing population of 102,700 residents and some 7,000 businesses.

As Council's Director Corporate and City Development, Mal Jonas is responsible for internal service functions, financial systems, property services and economic development. His position involves overseeing regional strategy and urban development, requiring extensive community and agency consultation across all sectors.

Councillor Anne Marie Hubycz nominated Mal to appear in FOCUS for his honest reporting to Councillors, along with his strong leadership and excellent networking skills.

"Mal is a model director," she said. "If there is anyone you can rely on, it is Mal Jonas to get the job done. "He is an excellent role model for the Port Adelaide Enfield Council."

Mal Jonas began his Local Government career in 1980 as deputy of a small urban country Council. He began working at Enfield Council in 1987 until it amalgamated with Port Adelaide in 1996. Mal then worked in various administration and community service roles at the new Port Adelaide Enfield Council, before being appointed director in 2000.

From a corporate point of view, Mal Jonas said that the strategic and corporate policy area is a major challenge.

"South Australia's recent review of financial sustainability in Local Government has meant Councils have taken on an increased level of accountability and governance," he said. "In response, we have implemented long term initiatives into our Corporate Strategic and Development Plans to address this."

Mal Jonas said that a positive challenge has been the work Council is undertaking on the development of an urban port.

"As one of the last ports in Australia to be redeveloped, the Newport Quays development, is sited on the most protected natural inner harbour in Australia," he said. "The $1.5 billion project will create 2,000 new dwellings and attract approximately 4,000 new residents to the area. The project is the biggest of its kind in Australia and will see a complete transformation of the once working port into a world class, mixed use waterfront precinct for people to live, work and play. While it has proved challenging to coordinate, this development has been a very exciting task to oversee."

Mal Jonas said that key to the success of this project has been good communication with both internal and external customers and a highly collaborative approach. He said that while he enjoys all aspects of his position, he most enjoys the sense of achievement.

"Port Adelaide Enfield has a vibrant community with increasing expectations for Local Government," he said. "Council is getting closer to meeting a large number of these expectations and achieves a great deal for the community. It's a really good feeling to know you have been a part of this success."

Team winner:
Team Achievers: Human Resources Team, Melton Shire Council, Victoria

The Shire of Melton is a rapidly expanding municipality, providing an urban/rural lifestyle to more than 82,000 residents in the west of Melbourne. Over the past two years, the Shire's HR Services Team has evolved from providing transactional services to a more strategic partnership model of service.

Melton's General Manager Corporate Services, Kel Tori, nominated the team to appear in FOCUS. "The HR team has led the development of an Organisational Framework to complement our Council Plan," he said. "The framework aims to improve overall efficiencies in the way Council provides customer service through building teams, developing leadership, and constantly reviewing systems and structures.

"Through this framework, the team is doing excellent work to bring about cultural change across the organisation."

The team's Cultural Enhancement Program aims to improve overall efficiencies at Melton. Manager HR Services, Peter O'Brien, said the program is based on four key stages.

"The first stage was to rebuild the foundations of the organisation," he said. "It was essential to develop HR standards relating to remuneration, conditions of employment and a wide range of policies and procedures to ensure consistent standards were implemented throughout Council.

"The second stage focused on implementing programs to assist with team building. This has assisted individuals, management teams, and functional groups to increase awareness of their own operating methods and behaviours.

"Staff have also been able to examine existing cultures and practices, make improvements and implement change."

Peter O'Brien said the third stage concentrated on leadership.

A leadership program provided managers, coordinators and supervisors with a chance to advance their leadership skills.

The program is based on Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Four Disciplines of Execution and Four Roles of Leadership.

The fourth stage aligns Council's systems and structures, which is an ongoing process. The development and implementation of a 2005-2008 Human Resource Management Strategic Plan has also enabled the team to buy into key organisational directions.

Peter O'Brien said the plan is based on partnerships with staff.

"This outcome has been achieved by fostering a culture of leadership in everyone, alignment of systems and structures, empowerment through performance agreements, communication that builds understanding, and learning that brings continuous improvement," he said.

Learning and Development Coordinator, Andrew Mifsud, said that the team's diversity and ability to work together has led to the successful implementation of these programs and visions.

"We are all specialists in our respective areas, and yet work collaboratively as a team to deliver superior outcomes," he said. "Fortnightly operational meetings and quarterly planning reviews assist us to progress by providing an opportunity to assess our goals and establish where we are at in achieving them.

"We all have equal input into discussions and the direction of the unit, so all team members feel valued and confident in expressing their views."

In the future, the team will continue to add value to the organisation by delivering high quality HR Strategic Services, with an emphasis on benchmarking and measurement standards. "The team is currently developing a 2007-2010 strategic plan to reflect this commitment," Peter O'Brien said.

The following articles are also included in this edition or go BACK to the main page: