implementation of TechnologyOne , significant staff training was completed to broaden the awareness of performance planning and improve the accountability of reporting across the organisation based on a centralised approach .
An award-winning annual report
Communication delivered to our community needs to be timely and most importantly , appeal to a diverse population across multiple channels . The legislative nature of the Annual Report and increasing its palatability for public consumption was further enhanced this year to provide additional transparency and community-wide understanding . The annual report is used to highlight our achievements , challenges and performance in implementing the corporate plan and delivering the vision for the region . This legislative document was this year submitted for review and feedback at the Australasian Reporting Awards and the report was successful in receiving a silver award against the robust judging criteria .
A focus on workplace health and safety
Making sure our staff have a safe workplace has this year seen the championing of a strong Workplace Health and Safety ( WH & S ) culture . Our Workplace Health and Safety Representatives have been available throughout the 2015-16 financial year to identify opportunities for improvement in WH & S across the organisation . This is done with regular WH & S Committee meetings that promote a safety culture and the up-skilling of staff to raise awareness of safety and responsibilities . Online training for all staff is also available , with electrical safety , ergonomics , work station layout , incident reporting and investigation , compensation and rehabilitation , office safety and hazard management among the topics covered . Our outdoor team were also covered this year with toolbox talks reinforcing the importance of effective Workplace Health and Safety practices . The continued training of all staff across the organisation in the importance of safe work practices has resulted in the lowest Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate in over seven years . As an organisation , we are currently tracking below average for Lost Time Injury Duration Rates and second lowest for Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate for our grouping of Councils .
Monthly Action Plans ( MAPs ) and Rectification Action Plans ( RAPs ) continue to be completed by all branches within suitable timeframes , resulting in improved awareness of safety by our staff including our contractors . These MAPs and RAPs have ensured that Council can consistently provide a safe , secure working environment for all our staff , contractors and visitors .
Review of local laws and legislation
The development , implementation and adherence to local laws are important for the Toowoomba Region , especially with the significant growth of residents and attraction of visitors . This financial year , a review of Council ’ s local laws was conducted and amendments made to adhere to best practice and continuous improvement . As a result of the local law review , the following laws were amended – Subordinate Local Law 1.17 parking contrary to an indication on an official traffic sign regulating parking by time or payment of a fee , Local Law 2 animal management , Local Law 1.5 keeping of an animal , as well as Local Law and Subordinate Local Law 3 community and environmental management . These revisions will ensure the sound governance of our region and are in accordance with relevant legislation .
Risk Management
Council encourages the community to take a key part in safety and risk management and this year saw the community report over 1,000 requests for investigation of building and compliance safety processes across the region . Of over 4,800 investigations and compliance inspections undertaken , 969 Compliance Notices were issued .
Each year Council also investigates its own work processes and practices with the allocation of resources for the assessment of operational risk and audits . 12 investigations were completed this year in conjunction with an external auditing agency to evaluate Council ’ s controls and responsibility of compliance for Council staff . This year also saw Council look at fraud and corruption and the steps to minimise this risk . This was in the form of fact sheets and presentations to managers to be aware of the signs of fraud and corruption . It was identified that there is also an inadequate fraud and corruption detection program within Council and this saw the development of an easy-to-use Data Analysis Dashboard software application . This has given Council the tools to identify and correct errors , monitor compliance as well as control gaps , deficiencies and identify trends .
It is important that as a Council , we have the framework and strategies in place so our critical business functions continue to operate despite serious incidents and disasters . This year saw the completion of a Business Continuity Plan , a practical plan put in place to identify and prevent risks , prepare for uncontrollable risks and respond and recover from an incident or crisis . A schedule has also been put in place to test and update the plan regularly to account for changes to operations and to ensure all aspects of the region are covered .
At the forefront of technological advances
Efficient use of technology for Council services and facilities will free up resources and provide savings in labour and time across the organisation . This year Council looked for cost-saving technologies to move from paper-based processes to a progressive online format . These projects included :
• Upgrading of Council agenda software and minutes distribution software ( Diligent BoardBooks )
• Enhancing accounts payable integration with TechnologyOne
• Enhancing customer service knowledge base system
• Migration of the library management system ( Spydus ) to a cloud-based managed service
• Enabling of smart phone technologies ( Sniip )
• Updating the vaccination information system
124 CHAPTER 4 Our goals TOOWOOMBA REGIONAL COUNCIL Annual Report 2015 - 2016