April 2021 – A Message from the Chairman
The Hon. Jeff Kennett AC
We live in ever-changing times.
In many cases businesses have been going from strength to strength during COVID-19
Sadly around 20 to 25% have really struggled.
Many forced to close, mainly in the service industries associated with tourism, hospitality, the arts etc.
There remains a great challenge in attracting staff for many businesses particularly in rural and provincial communities.
What I am hearing clearly is that given the outpouring of cash by governments over the last 15 months, the same governments are now starting very quickly to tighten their belts and expenditures.
I suspect that will flow through to municipalities.
That makes the next budgets by Federal and State governments so intriguing.
I suspect and fear there will be no expressions of great generosity!
So, councils should be preparing for the worst and hoping for something better.
Over the last year, there has been an increasing turnover and movement of senior staff within the municipal sector, with many people leaving the industry altogether.
Tightening finances, rate controls and difficulty with attracting qualified staff members will be increasing challenges for leaders within Councils in the next few years.
Thus, to some extent, it is not going to get any easier as Councillors and administrators attempt to balance community expectations against revenues.
At CT Management we have a lot of historical information supplemented by programmes that assist Councils stay ahead of the curve when managing their assets and infrastructure needs.
Never be afraid to reach out for assistance when attempting to deliver professional services. It is always cheaper in the long term than failing to deliver.
Stay well and we await the decisions of those in other tiers of government in the next few weeks.
Jeff Kennett
Chairman
CT Management Group