ANNUAL REPORT 2013-2014 1 | P a g e TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 3 ABOUT SEROC 4 ORGANISATION AND STRUCTURE 4 STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK 9 GENERAL MANAGERS ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORT 11 MAJOR ACTIVITIES 2013/14 13 PROJECTS 13 SUBMISSIONS 14 REPRESENTATION, NETWORKS & ADVOCACY 15 SUPPORT LETTERS 16 WORKING GROUP REPORTS 17 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 17 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 18 INFRASTRUCTURE 19 ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 21 PROCUREMENT 21 RESOURCE RECOVERY 22 RISK MANAGEMENT 23 FINANCE REPORT 26 2 | P a g e ANNUAL REPORT 13th OCTOBER 2013 TO 31st OCTOBER 2014 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT It is with pleasure that I present the 4th Annual Report of the South East Regional Organisation of Councils (SEROC) for the period 13th October 2013 to 31st October 2014. The past year has seen SEROC continue to develop and gain wider recognition by the State Government. In particular, as a conduit for regional consultation on a range of matters including NSW Premier and Cabinet’s Regional Action Plan and the implementation of recommendations to emerge from the Independent Local Government Review Panel. With 17 ROCs representing approximately 145 Councils across NSW, government agencies are increasingly engaging with ROCs for regional consultation and participation on State working groups. It is important that we have collective regional input to ensure that theses reviews provide a positive outcome for our region and local government as a whole. SEROC’s outgoing Executive Officer, Don Cooper, retired at the end of 2013, and was replaced by Dr Helen Swan. Dr Swan has provided SEROC with a strong grounding in integrated regional strategic planning and governance. In 2013/2014 SEROC has not shied away from the real challenges facing SEROC and local government in general. The year has seen significant work undertaken to support the operations for members as well as to meet the introduction of the State Government’s local government reform agenda. In December 2013, SEROC launched the Capital Region Living Website. This portal provides a marketing resource for individual Councils and the NSW South East region as a whole. Early in 2014, SEROC embarked on the development of its first comprehensive Integrated Regional Strategic Plan (IRSP). This has involved careful planning and consultation with SEROC’s key stakeholders. The development of the IRSP sits within a broader context of the political and governance environments: SEROC is the youngest ROC in NSW and is still in its infancy of development, particularly with regard to having the ACT as part of its footprint. Changes in SEROC’s administration management have resulted in a revision of the way in which SEROC operates and where it is heading. Recommendations arising from the Independent Local Government Review provide SEROC with the capability to seize opportunities that present. SEROC has an addition to its family this year with Bega Valley Shire Council becoming a member. On behalf of SEROC, I would like to formally welcome Bega and we look forward to a having them part of the team. The format of SEROC Board Meetings has undergone review for greater efficiency and effectiveness. These are now structured to focus on the key strategic directions of the region. 3 | P a g e I would like to draw attention to the historic first meeting of the SEROC Board at Parliament House in Sydney, sponsored by Andrew Constance, the Federal Member for Bega. SEROC members also attended the National General Assembly and the Annual Conference of Local Government NSW. Members used the opportunity to advocate for our priorities. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members for their commitment to SEROC’s vision – a strong and cohesive region. We will continue to work with the NSW Government in meeting the Fit for the Future reforms. In particular, I would like to thank Clr Fergus Thomson from Eurobodalla Shire Council and a member of the SEROC Executive in his capacity as the immediate past SEROC Chair. Clr Thomson has resigned from the Executive due to other commitments and his contribution to SEROC over the past four years has been immeasurable. I would also like to acknowledge the assistance and cooperation of the Executive Officers, Don Cooper and Dr Helen Swan throughout the year. I am sure SEROC will continue to build on its achievements next year. I commend this Annual Report to you all. Cr John Shaw Chairman 4 | P a g e ABOUT SEROC ORGANISATION AND STRUCTURE SEROC comprises the ACT Government and the NSW Local Government Authorities of Bega Valley, Bombala, Boorowa, Cooma-Monaro, Eurobodalla, Goulburn-Mulwaree, Harden, Palerang, Queanbeyan, Snowy River, Upper Lachlan, Yass Valley and Young. A map of the region is presented below. Map 1: The geographical area covered by SEROC Source: www.seroc.nsw.gov.au The region is a diverse geographic area which stretches from the south-western slopes, Alpine and Snowy Mountains to the vast wilderness of the far south coast including the Sapphire Coast. It is strategically located providing easy access to Sydney, Melbourne and the national 5 | P a g e capital of Canberra. It is diverse with a rich natural environment and high quality coastal, urban, city and rural lifestyles. The region produces and supports a wide range of primary industries to support food based production, high quality meats, fine wool, dairy, horticulture, fishing and forestry, cool climate wines and historic towns and villages (Department of Premier and Cabinet, 2012: 4; Corbell in Foreword, ACT Government Environment and Sustainable Directorate, 2012:1). Other attributes include a strong tourism industry, a major centre for the renewable energy sector and the Port of Eden providing significant import and export capacity (Department of Premier and Cabinet, 2012:4). Canberra is at the centre of the region and intrinsically connected to the South East Region of NSW through transport hubs, education institutions, tertiary health services, retailing, research and knowledge-based institutions (ACT Government Economic Development Directorate, 2012). Canberra’s role as the hub of the region and the future growth of its economy is inexorably linked to the development of many important issues, including the delivery of health and education services, transport, water and energy. It is crucial to view the region’s issues holistically, as the relevance of most extend across the border. To support this view, in 2011 the ACT and NSW Governments established a MoU on Regional Collaboration. This aims to strengthen collaboration between the two jurisdictions to optimise regional outcomes and service delivery to the people of the ACT and surrounding South East Region of NSW. Closer collaboration would allow for a regional approach in the areas of health, education, transport, emergency services, justice, tourism, planning and economic development (ACT and NSW Governments, 2011). The MoU is under review and due for completion by the end of 2014. The review is jointly undertaken by ACT Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate and NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet South East Region. The structure of SEROC is presented in the following figure. 6 | P a g e Figure 1: SEROC’s current structure comprises: The SEROC Board comprises all General Managers and Mayors of each council as well as the ACT Chief Minister and an appropriate Senior Executive within the ACT Public Service. The General Managers Advisory Committee comprises all General Managers of each local government authority and a senior officer within the ACT Government. The Executive and Chairs of the Board and GMAC are elected at the SEROC’s Annual General Meeting. The Executive comprises the elected representative and General Manager/Senior Executive of the Chair of SEROC/GMAC, three1 other members comprising elected representatives and their associated General Managers/Senior Executive and the immediate past Chair of SEROC (elected representative only). The following provides a list of the key office bearers of SEROC. 1 In May 2014, an additional member was appointed to the Executive changing the number from 2 to 3. 7 | P a g e SEROC Chairman GMAC Chair Cr John Shaw John Bell Mayor General Manager Upper Lachlan Shire Council Upper Lachlan Shire Council SEROC Executive Cr John Shaw Mayor, Upper Lachlan Shire Council John Bell General Manager, Upper Lachlan Shire Council Clr Wendy Tuckerman Mayor, Boorowa Council Anthony McMahon General Manager, Boorowa Council Clr Geoff Kettle Mayor, Goulburn-Mulwaree Council Warwick Bennett General Manager, Goulburn-Mulwaree Council Clr Fergus Thomson Immediate Past Chair, Eurobodalla Shire Council Ms Katy Gallagher ACT Chief Minister Sara Burns Senior Manager, ACT Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate Currently, SEROC comprises seven Working Groups (WGs): Economic Development Information Technology Infrastructure Organisational Development Procurement Resource Recovery Risk Management. 8 | P a g e SEROC, GMAC and WGs meet on a quarterly basis. The Executive meets on an as-needs basis, usually also at least four times during the year. However, there is regular communication via email and telephone between members of the Executive. The role of each WG is broadly to: support the strategic directions of SEROC develop and encouraging regional relationships and communications at the officer level identify and promote robust discussion on strategies relevant to the SEROC region, and share information on projects and operational issues including opportunities for resource and cost sharing. STRATEGIC
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