Coast growth will build partnerships not jobs
THE Gold Coast will grow by the size of Gladstone in the next five years but the city council workforce is on course to shrink rather than expand.
The Bulletin yesterday revealed council CEO Dale Dickson had been given an extended three-year contract which will see him undertake possibly the city’s biggest shake-up of staffing and services, including depots.
Behind closed doors at the Evandale chamber on Tuesday night, councillors voted unanimously to extend the CEO’s tenure after he presented a “road map” for Australia’s second-biggest local authority for the next five years.
Mr Dickson in an earlier brief open session was cautious in his presentation, noting council was fighting with unions about an enterprise bargaining agreement but he conceded the administration would look to “outsourcing”.
The Coast in the next five years would grow by 69,000 people, the equivalent of a regional city like Gladstone where the council had about 600 permanent staffers, he said.
“We are not going to grow our organisation by 600 permanent staff. We won’t grow by 300 permanent staff,” Mr Dickson told councillors.
“I don’t think we will grow by 100 permanent staff. It won’t happen. It is more likely given what’s proposed that we will actually compress.”
As the Coast’s economy diversified there would be “opportunities to partnership with outside organisations to provide the services of tomorrow”.
Data produced in briefings show the council approved a permanent staff of 3486 employees when Allconnex was absorbed back into Gold Coast Water in July 2012.
But five years later, after the city’s population had increased from 525,000 to 567,000, the council workforce had been reduced by 72 employees.
Insiders believe that will continue for the next five years.