Landmark internal realignment to create a more connected Council

Published on 24 February 2023

Mildura Rural City Council is about to embark on its biggest internal restructure in decades, guided by a stronger focus on providing a more customer-focused service to our community.

Chief Executive Officer Martin Hawson said the restructure will bring Council into line with the majority of similar-sized Councils in terms of its management structure.

“Ultimately, our role is to provide the best possible services and value for money to the more than 55,200 residents who call our region home, and our Organisational Sustainability Review (OSR) is aimed at doing exactly that,” Mr Hawson said.

“Our community have told us they want a more responsive, customer-focused Council, and it’s this feedback that has shaped what is one of the biggest shifts in decades in terms of how our organisation operates.”

Mr Hawson said one of the biggest changes was reducing the staff-to-manager ratio – or ‘flattening’ the structure of the organisation, with the introduction of a fourth department.

“Our benchmarking through the review process showed that we have one of the highest staff-to-manager ratios compared to similar-sized Councils,” he said.

“Out of 14 similar Councils we were compared against, we have less departments and a significantly higher staff-to-manager ratio than all but one Council.

“By introducing a fourth department and providing a generally leaner structure within each of those departments, it not only brings us into line with our counterparts, but more importantly, will lead to better and quicker services for our community.

“It means our managers will each have a more streamlined focus, giving them more ability to focus on the issues within their directorates. 

“Staff will have more access to their managers, ensuring not only better communication and decision-making within the organisation, but with our residents, businesses and other stakeholders, resulting in quicker turnaround times and savings in a whole host of areas.”

Mr Hawson said the new department, Strategy and Growth, will also serve a critical role in setting up both our organisation and our community for any challenges that lay ahead.

It will align functions such as arts, tourism, events, land use and major events, further supporting the work Mildura Regional Development does while ensuring we are providing the best support to local businesses to grow and develop.

Mildura Mayor Liam Wood said that while Councillors weren’t responsible for staffing decisions, he was supportive of the new structure.

“As Councillors, we’re out in the community and we hear what our community wants from Mildura Rural City Council as an organisation,” Cr Wood said.

“One of the clear messages is that our residents and businesses want us to be more accessible and more responsive to their needs.

“For me, this new structure promises to do this, and make our organisation more agile and more resilient, which will better equip it to support our community through future challenges.

“It will also allow the organisation to quickly adapt and potentially capitalise on any major shifts in the local government sector, which will be another benefit to our community.

“And operating as a forward-thinking organisation, with a dedicated department to focus on strategy and growth, it will help us attract more people and more investment to our region.”

Council is about to start a nation-wide competitive search for people to fill Council’s vital General Manager positions. The successful applicants will lead each of the four departments and support Council’s endeavours to improve all services.

ENDS