City of Greater Geelong CEO Ali Wastie to meet union officials to discuss job losses

The City of Greater Geelong’s new CEO says she is not deterred by a range of issues facing the council. Here’s what she plans to do.

The new City of Greater Geelong CEO, Ali Wastie, started work on Monday Picture: Mark Wilson

The City of Greater Geelong’s new chief executive will meet with union officials in the coming days to allay fears of further job cuts as City Hall grapples with how to rein in spending.

Ali Wastie officially commenced the role on Monday, taking over from acting chief Kaarina Phyland, who had been in the top job for 12 months following the resignation of Martin Cutter.

Ms Wastie, headhunted from Bass Coast Shire in Victoria’s southeast, said she wasn’t deterred by a range of issues continuing to plague Geelong council.

Most pressing is the need to cut spending by $7.1m and boost staff morale amid an internal restructure that has caused division, uncertainty and a spike in stress leave.

Ms Wastie, understood to be on an annual salary above $400,000, said a review of council service expenditure would be her “starting point”, rather than cutting more of the city’s approximately 2800 staff.

“With new technology coming along all the time, it’s where those efficiencies can be made,” she said.

“Are we getting the best deals with our power purchasing agreements? All of these things. Utility costs … we’re always looking to see where we can make savings.

“So looking across the business of those things that don’t impact employment outcomes for people is incredibly important.”

Ms Wastie said she would meet with union officials during her first fortnight to address concern over job cuts after 19 roles were made redundant earlier this year.

“I really respect the role union officials have and the role they play,” she said.

Tash Wark, deputy Victorian branch secretary for the Australian Services Union, said a further two roles had been made redundant in the city’s aquatics and leisure division.

“Beyond that, we haven’t heard anything further about job losses,” she said.

“Clearly, we’re trying to minimise or neutralise any job losses for ASU members.”

Cost blowouts and delays of council’s multimillion dollar “Digital Modernisation” project was another issue at the top of Ms Wastie’s list.

She said it was not unusual for large technology projects to present significant challenges, but her experience with similar rollouts would hold council in good stead.

“What I’ve heard is that there are aspects of the project that actually have delivered great benefits already, so it’s just understanding where those pain points are and working through them,” she said.

Ms Wastie also welcomed the ongoing oversight of council monitors Prue Digby and Peter Dorling.

Appointed in January to oversee the appointment of the chief executive role after the initial search was botched, the pair’s focus was now identifying areas where council governance could be improved.

“I’ll have regular meetings with the monitors to see how they’re going, and they can raise any issues with me, and vice-versa,” Ms Wastie said.

“We’re all here to ensure there’s good governance, it’s an incredibly important function of the chief executive and to support the councillors with that as well.”

Mayor Trent Sullivan said Geelong was one of many councils dealing with economic pressures and increased demands on infrastructure from population growth.

“Backed by broad experience across multiple industries and proven leadership skills, I am confident Ali will have a positive impact on the organisation and work hard to deliver the best outcomes for the community,” he said.

Originally published as City of Greater Geelong CEO Ali Wastie to meet union officials to discuss job losses