Sutherland Shire Council is reviewing its employment practices as somewhere between 500 – 600 of the 986 fulltime staff are expected to retire within the next five to ten years.
A detailed internal discussion paper reveals that an ageing workforce, strong competition for specialists and difficulty in attracting entry-level staff are problems that the council must overcome and solve if community service expectations are to be met.
Half of the council’s workforce is reported to be aged 45 or over with 20 percent 55 or older. It is believed that most of its senior management will more than likely retire in the next five to ten years.
Areas such as civil works may need up to 80 of its 129 staff replaced within five years as around 60 percent are aged 45 or more. Plant operators and technical support staff will also be of short supply as 60 percent are nearing retirement age, along with supervisory / management staff in parks operations, which have 90 percent or thereabouts over 45.
The council document said already significant labour and skills shortages were affecting the council’s ability to meet levels of service in areas such as environmental assessment and planning and to be able to deliver capital and ongoing projects on time.
While shortages of experience and qualified town planners and assessment staff has been an issue for some time the document did recommend solutions such as more part time work, mentoring for knowledge transfers, pay differentials based on output, short term employment contracts, smarter advertising, better internal face to face communications and using Australian workplace agreements to deliver greater employment flexibility.
Menai’s New look Fire Station
State Government funding of $286,000 has enabled a doubling in the size of the existing fire station and added a new recreation room, gymnasium, training facilities and locker rooms allowing the busy fire-fighters more room to work, rest and play.
According to Emergency Services Minister, Nathan Rees, the new look facility would help make the difficult job of firefighting a little easier and create a station the staff can be proud of.
SES gets much needed injection
Sutherland State Emergency Service Unit received funding of $34,000 towards a new emergency responses vehicle and navigation equipment.
The funding has been described as an investment into the safety of Sutherland Shire Residents and the safety of the SES volunteers. Of the $34,000, $30,000 will go towards the costs of purchasing a new dual- cab light truck which will greatly improve the Sutherland Unit’s ability to respond efficiently and safely to calls for help from the public in an emergency.
The balance of the funding, $4,000 will be for the purchase of eight GPS satellite navigation units, of which one will go into the new truck. The navigation units will provide volunteers with a more accurate navigation capability, helping guide them quickly and directly to where people need assistance said Emergency Services Minister Nathan Rees.
The Sutherland SES is said to have a proud history in providing assistance and playing an invaluable role in protecting the local community during floods, storms and other natural disasters. They have also assisted elsewhere in the state including the Central Coast and the Hunter this year, the 1990 Sydney hailstorm, the Newcastle earthquake and the Thredbo landslide.
With 74 active and 19 probationary volunteers, the Sutherland SES is a large unit and the people of this area know the volunteers are always ready to help when they are needed.
The Sutherland Rural Fire Service is located in the same complex as the SES unit and with both organisations working closely together in responding to various emergencies, the RFS received some gifts in acknowledgment of their fine work and valuable services also. | 
