Successes and Challenges

CHALLENGE: ENSURING FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

Council has not been immune to the economic impacts and challenges of recent times, with 60 per cent of Queensland local governments ranked by the Queensland Auditors Offices as ‘not financially sustainable’. Additionally, Council has experienced a budget deficit for four of the past five years. This year, Council has increased its focus on delivering the best we can with what we have, with financial sustainability, reducing waste and improving efficiencies being a priority. Looking forward, one of the ways Council is proactively responding to this challenge is by identifying the Enabling Future Financial Sustainability initiative within our 2022/23 Operational Plan. This initiative aims to identify opportunities for cost efficiencies across Council, with the objective to deliver a surplus budget for the 2023/24 year. We remain committed to the long-term future financial sustainability of our Council, to ensure that we can deliver and provide the services our community need.

CHALLENGE: COVID-19 and economic environment impacts our business

Council has experienced impacts to team and resource availability, similarly to which has been felt by businesses globally over the past financial year. The continuing COVID-19 pandemic led to staff availability fluctuating as team members took COVID leave when isolation was required. Higher than anticipated turnover and vacancy rates which have been seen industry-wide have put additional strain on the progress of initiatives across the organisation. While it is important to us that we deliver what we promise, when we’ve promised it, we will continue to strive for the best value outcomes for our community and be transparent in our journey getting there. We are proud of our successful completion of 10 of the 14 initiatives which will each enable Council to move forward to deliver more for our community. We will continue to put focus on training our people to deliver in a safe, efficient and sustainable way for our community.

CHALLENGE: Proposed beach carpark development faced appeal

In December 2020, Council approved a development application for material change of use to be able to use Council’s land at 5 Agnes Street, Agnes Water for a public carpark to provide increased parking, improved beach access and to improve safety and environmental outcomes for the site. The approved concept design proposed 73 permanent parking spaces, in an area which had for some time been used by the community for parking and incorporated environmental and stormwater management processes including buffers. Following the development approval, two submitters (one of whom later withdrew) lodged an appeal in the Planning and Environmental Court seeking the approval be set aside and the Court refuse the development application. On 31 March 2022, a few days before the scheduled court hearing, Council and the Appellant reached a settlement and on 4 April 2022 obtained consent judgement from the Court to allow the development permit for material change of use without any changes to the proposed carpark footprint. The consent judgement conditions brought forward conditions which would normally be included in the operational works permit and added further clauses around ecology and engineering to provide certainty to the community. Council remains committed to working with the community to ensure that future infrastructure provides benefits for residents and visitors to the region.

SUCCESS: Improving cyber security and remote connectivity

A key focus for our Strategic Information Communication and Technology (ICT) team has been improving system and information security by implementing controls around network monitoring and design. While the effects of COVID-19 continues to impact staffing levels, we’ve increased our remote working capacity along with improved connectivity between offices to make collaboration easier. An education and awareness program was introduced to boost staff knowledge so they can better identify and avoid potential cyber risks. A cyber improvement plan has been put in place to ensure that Council’s processes continue to align with industry best practises. In collaboration with Queensland Police Service, Council’s CCTV systems have been consolidated and upgraded to ensure assets protection and appropriate access to CCTV footage when needed.

SUCCESS: Free events shatter attendance records

The past year saw Council’s established events continue to grow and become major drawcards to the region for residents and visitors alike. The lights of Luminous shattered expectations by attracting 29,000 people over three nights while the B2G Village gave 8000 attendees plenty of ways to celebrate Easter in Gladstone. A combined 14,000 people capped off 2021 with food, fireworks and fun at the annual Christmas Street Party and New Years Eve Party. Our specialised events proved to have something for everyone with Ecofest and Gladstone PopCon attracting more than 6000 attendees each. Delivering these major events for our region is a way for Council to engage our communities to build connections, promote happiness and wellbeing and support the region as a place to work, live, play and stay.

2021/22 Major Event Attendance

Luminous – 29,000 Easter in Gladstone – B2G Village – 8000 Christmas Street Party – 7000 New Years Eve Party – 7000 Gladstone PopCon – 6000 Ecofest – 6500

SUCCESS: 25th Anniversary of Sister City relationship

The Gladstone Region and Japan’s Saiki City celebrated the 25th anniversary of the signing of the declaration of friendship which reaffirmed the longstanding relationship between the sister cities. The occasion was marked with the unveiling of the Saiki Shorebirds artwork which was installed at the Gladstone Regional Council Civic Centre at 101 Goondoon Street, Gladstone. Created by artists, Margaret Worthington and Clive Rouse, the piece depicts three local shorebird species – a bar-tailed godwit, far eastern curlew and grey-tailed tattler – as they set of on their annual 11,000km migration flight. The Saiki Shorebirds artwork symbolised our connection with Japan, through nature, and highlights a direct link which will continue to tie the sister cities together for years to come.

SUCCESS: Community precinct opens to much praise

The Philip Street Communities and Families Precinct saw its highly anticipated opening to the public in August 2021. After construction was completed in July 2021, organisations such as Council’s Engagement and Partnerships, Gladstone Neighbourhood Centre (funded by the Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy), The Salvation Army and GAPDL Communities for Children began moving into the $17.5M purpose-built community facility. The Precinct also offers meeting spaces and office space which are available to local community organisations to deliver their services to the community while benefiting from opportunities to collaborate. The facility itself quickly garnered praise for its innovative design, receiving both the Community Facility of the Year Award from Parks and Leisure Australia and the Regional Achievement Award at the AILA Landscape Architecture Awards. Events such as the Community Fun Day in October 2021 filled the facility and gave the community one of their first opportunities to explore the public spaces and learn more about the services it would deliver. The Philip Street Communities and Families Precinct has been designed to strengthen Gladstone’s community and social service system by the clustering of community facilities to improve and enhance service delivery and community outcomes.

SUCCESS: Preserving Indigenous heritage at Lions Park

In November 2021, Council completed a delicate operation to relocate two scar trees to a new, permanent home. With assistance from Port Curtis Coral Coast Trust’s Cultural Heritage Officer, these important artefacts were moved from Benaraby to Lions Park, Gladstone. Scarred trees resulted from First Nations people removing bark for various purposes, such as building tools, canoes or temporary shelter. Due to the perishable nature of this material, very few of these artefacts remain today which only emphasises these tree’s importance as a link between Traditional Owners and their country. Council is committed to preserving and showcasing the cultural heritage of our region and Lions Park will provide an idyllic space for visitors to appreciate and learn about our shared culture.

SUCCESS: Council can boast being a good host

This year, Council was proud to host several large business events at the Gladstone Entertainment Convention Centre (GECC). Events such as the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia, Queensland (IPWEAQ), CQ Branch Conference included GRC Officers as invited speakers while the Parks Leisure Australia Queensland Regional Conference led to awards celebrating Council facilities (see page 43). Not only do these events help us to play a part in our region’s success by linking to our Corporate Plan Goal 3 – Resilient Economy but it also provides opportunities to showcase the GECC’s facilities and talented event and technical staff. Our ability to attract these premier events and exceed expectations on their delivery is highlighted by the array of conferences already scheduled for the years ahead. A focus on exceptional customer experience and service delivery, coupled with a focus on operational excellence, has positioned GECC as a popular choice for conventions and concerts which in turn provides arts and culture experiences for our community and tourism and economic benefits for the region.