Shoalhaven City Council’s Mayor Patricia White welcomed Andrew Constance to the position of council’s CEO just weeks ago. Now he is leading a round of cuts. Photo: Shoalhaven City Council.
More than 50 jobs will go at the financially troubled Shoalhaven City Council, with newly incumbent CEO Andrew Constance confirming “the tough but necessary decision” to push ahead with a workplace restructure from Monday (27 October).
This decision builds on the changes introduced in December 2024, which reduced the number of directorates from six to four, cut two executive roles, and realigned several departments.
It will see 52 positions “disestablished” – most of which are vacant – and create new roles aligned with operational needs and regulatory requirements.
Mr Constance praised staff for their commitment to the work during this time of uncertainty and said he was focussed on providing a clear direction for the future.
“I take the welfare of our staff very seriously and I know that job losses will have a deep personal impact on our people,” Mr Constance said.
“It is a difficult but necessary step to ensure the long-term stability of our organisation and our ability to continue serving our community.
“The disestablishment of roles is not a reflection of anyone’s performance, but the result of the financial position we find ourselves in and now must manage responsibly. My priority is to ensure that the process is handled with the utmost care and respect.
“I want this to be a reset for the organisation and I’m committed to working closely with our leadership team to ensure our workplace is one where people feel valued, supported, and empowered.
“While change is difficult, today marks a turning point so that we can all focus on delivering the projects and services that the community want and need.”
Mayor Patricia White said she’d been elected on a platform to get council’s finances back in the black and despite staff’s staunch efforts to reduce costs and raise revenue where possible, unfortunately more action was needed.
“I’ve met so many professional and dedicated people at council over my 13 years so I recognise this was a very difficult decision, but one made only after exploring possible alternatives,” Cr White said.
“We now have the opportunity to focus on what matters most to our residents and businesses and move forward with clarity – committed to growth, financial sustainability and building trust in the community.
“I’d like to thank all the staff who gave their time to provide feedback and tell us their thoughts when this change was proposed back in September.”
She said time was taken to engage with staff across all levels of the organisation to ensure their feedback was heard and taken on board. Staff input had been carefully considered and some adjustments made to the final structure.
As part of that feedback and with a focus on economic development, a full-time bookings officer role has been approved at the Ulladulla Function Centre. In addition, the Senior Economic Development Officer role and the Tourism Marketing Specialist role will both report into the CEO.
