Benefits, Conditions and Policies

Training and development opportunities, aimed at increasing skills, knowledge and expertise, include:

• In house or external training courses
• Attendance at conferences/seminars/workshops
• Job rotations, secondments, lateral transfers and opportunities to act in higher grade positions, where applicable
• Opportunity to gain nationally recognised qualifications

With a significant population growth rate and broad scale scope of work within the Shire, there are a wide range of development opportunities. The breadth of work that you may be exposed to and have the opportunity to participate in is broad.

There are free off street and on street parking options available to staff members. Undercover parking is also available for a small fee at the Murwillumbah Civic Centre office.

Council’s main office in Murwillumbah is only 20 minutes to Coolangatta Airport, 20 minutes from the Gold Coast, 45 minutes from Surfer’s Paradise and a little over one hour to Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland. Tweed residents therefore enjoy an enviable lifestyle, with access to the best that the country, coast, beaches and city has to offer, all within easy reach. Residents can choose the lifestyle and accommodation that best meets their personality and family needs.

Natural coastlines, wetlands and estuarine forests, lush pastoral and farm land, the entire basin of the Tweed River, and mountainous regions containing three world heritage listed national parks are just some of the attractions the Tweed Shire has to offer. It is a relaxed, family friendly environment that allows for a healthy lifestyle change.

Working with your local Council can give you a sense of satisfaction that may not be found in the private sector. The work that you do has a direct effect on your local community and environment.

In addition, Council offers base conditions of employment that are competitive and aim to facilitate work/life balance.

The standard working week is 35 hours for office based staff, and 38 hours for field based staff. Working hours are from 8:00am until 4:30pm 9 days a fortnight and 8:00am until 4:45pm on the 9th day in the fortnight for office based staff. For field based staff, working hours are from 7:00am until 4:00pm 8 days a fortnight and 7:00am until 3:30pm on the 9th day in the fortnight, unless otherwise arranged. Variations to these hours can be arranged where operationally feasible under Council’s Flexible Work Hours Protocol.

The majority of Council's full time employees work 9 days in the fortnight and have the 10th day as a Rostered Day Off.

Permanent full-time employees are entitled to 4 weeks of paid annual leave for each year of service. This entitlement accrues progressively during the year according to an employee's ordinary hours of work, and accumulates from year to year.

Upon commencement of permanent employment a credit of 3 weeks Sick Leave is granted. Thereafter a credit of 3 weeks Sick Leave accrues upon completion of each 12 months of employment.

Fixed term employees with contracts of less than 12 months duration will be granted 1 week sick leave on commencement, with a further 1 week sick leave being credited after each 4 months of continuous service.

Carer's Leave is also available and is drawn from accrued Sick Leave entitlements.

Sick leave (up to 13 weeks) is transferable from other NSW Counci's provided there is no greater than a 3 month break in service. Continuity of Service will also be maintained as long as the period between leaving one Council and joining the other does not exceed 3 months.

After 5 years continuous service, employees are entitled to 6.5 weeks Long Service Leave, with 10, 15 and 20 years service rewarded in increasing increments.

Staff also have the option of requesting periods of entitled Long Service Leave to be taken for half the duration at double the pay or double the duration at half pay. Options also exist to cash out, or salary sacrifice into Local Government Superannuation, 'excess Long Service Leave'.

Continuity of service in relation to long service leave shall be deemed not to have been broken when transferring employment between NSW Councils, where the break in service is no longer than 3 months, this period can be covered by existing leave accruals, and no work is performed during this period.

Employees who have completed 12 months of continuous service with Council can access up to 12 months Parental Leave at the time of the birth or placement of an adopted child (applies to both parents). A request to extend Parental Leave to 24 months can be submitted for management consideration. In addition eligible staff can access up to 18 weeks Parental Leave Make Up Pay which in conjunction with the Federal Paid Parental Leave Scheme provides 18 weeks Paid Parental Leave at full pay.

Supporting parents are entitled to 2 weeks paid leave (taken from sick leave accruals), and up to a further 6 weeks unpaid leave at the time their partner gives birth to a child or a child is placed with you for adoption. An entitlement may also exist for up to 2 weeks pay at the federal minimum wage under the Government Dad's and Partner's Pay Scheme.

Supporting parents are entitled to 2 weeks paid leave (taken from sick leave accruals), and a further 1 weeks unpaid leave at the time their partner gives birth to a child or a child is placed with you for adoption.

The Local Government Superannuation Scheme is Council’s preferred provider of Superannuation; however the choice of an alternate complying fund is available to you. Council offers 9.50% superannuation and members of this scheme can make additional personal contributions, including salary sacrifice.

All externally recruited employees are required to complete a 3 month probationary period. If performance is satisfactory, a permanent appointment will be confirmed. Probation can be extended by a maximum of 3 additional months.

Tweed Shire Council recognises the importance of balancing the demands of work with the demands of your personal life. Our Flexible Work Hours Protocol provides for one off, temporary or permanent adjustments to rostered hours, where operationally feasible, to allow for a healthy work life balance.

Council also offers working from home arrangements to any employee where it is deemed appropriate in the circumstances and is assessed on the basis of suitability.

Other forms of family friendly leave include:

• Carers leave to provide care and support for family when they are ill or require care due to an unexpected emergency
• Bereavement leave
• Special leave without pay

Council’s Employee Assistance Program is a confidential, voluntary and free service provided by experienced and skilled practitioners, across a broad geographic area, offering a range of counselling services. It is there for you and immediate family members who reside with you, to use if you wish to receive help in dealing with issues that are affecting your work, home or life in general. Council will fund the cost of up to 5 consultations for you (or a member of your immediate family) in a 12 month period.

Council's Infection Control Standard Operating Procedure provides a range of vaccinations for staff who are at risk of exposure to disease in their position. This is reimbursed by Council where the position requires these vaccinations.

Paid Emergency Services Leave up to 5 days per calendar year may be granted to employees who engage in a voluntary emergency management activity. This leave is taken from accrued sick leave entitlements.

Council provides 2 days special paid leave for all 35 hour a week office based employees in recognition of unpaid additional time worked throughout the year. This leave is to be taken during the two week period from the commencement of the Christmas week to the end of the week of the New Year.

Employees who are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders shall be entitled to one day during NAIDOC week so that they can participate in National Aboriginal and Islander Day celebrations.

Council employees receive a 25% discount on a six or 12 month TRAC membership with our Tweed Heads South, Murwillumbah and Kingscliff pools.

Tweed Shire Council is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity, and will ensure that all employment practices are free from unlawful discrimination.

Council is committed to ensuring that employment related decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, appointment, promotion, salary progression, transfer, employee benefits and access to training are based on merit. This means assessing each person's qualifications, skills, abilities and personal and physical characteristics against the needs of the job, and disregarding personal characteristics which are irrelevant to the job.

In line with Equal Employment Opportunity guidelines, a person's:

• Age;
• Race;
• Sex;
• Sexual orientation;
• Marital status;
• Membership of an ethnic or migrant group;
• Physical impairment, intellectual or psychiatric disability;

should not reduce their chance of being considered on merit for employment, promotion or access to employment benefits.

Council is also committed to eliminating discriminatory behaviour, both direct and indirect, harassment and vilification in the workplace.

Tweed Shire Council’s position is that all injuries to our personnel are unacceptable. Our commitment is to the provision of a safe and healthy occupational environment for all our employees, volunteers, contractors and visitors.

Council aims to achieve this by:

• Promoting a culture where harm to our people through work is unacceptable;
• Developing and implementing health and safety standards that exceed the minimum legislative requirements;
• Investigate all accidents, incidents, and occurrences with control measures implemented and reviewed to ensure elimination of the initial breakdown;
• Communicate OHS requirements through instruction, training and supervision to improve understanding of workplace hazards, including safe work practices and emergency procedures;
• Consulting between management, employees, volunteers, visitors and contractors on OHS issues;
• Providing adequate systems and resources to effectively manage rehabilitation and return to work processes;
• Implementing, maintaining and reviewing the Occupational Health and Safety Management System.

All Council employees are expected to read, understand, and abide by the conditions of Council’s Code of Conduct Policy (0 Byte PDF).

All staff who engage in paid employment or business activities outside their employment with Council are required to declare this information to the General Manager for consideration to determine any conflict of interest. Please view our Secondary Employment Policy (0 Byte PDF).

Tweed Shire Council provide a work environment which aims to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all employees and members of the public who enter the workplace. The use of drugs and alcohol may impair an individual’s capacity to perform their job safely, efficiently and with respect for work colleagues and customers.

All employees must be free from the influence of drugs and/or alcohol when performing their duties. View Council’s Drug and Alcohol Protocol (0 Byte PDF).

The effects of drug and alcohol use in the workplace are covered by the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.

For certain positions Tweed Shire Council offers permanent full-time or part-time staff(working 3 days or more) the opportunity to participate in our Private Use Vehicle Scheme.

Tweed Shire Council will provide:-

• Servicing and maintenance to all such vehicles, including registration and insurance.
• Filling with fuel (including that used for private use) during the working week. Refuelling of vehicles is not permitted while employee is on Rostered Day Off, leave (annual, long service, sick, leave without pay, maternity/paternity) or on weekends.
• All Council vehicles with private use will be covered by comprehensive insurance and roadside assistance.

Employees with private use facilities are responsible for:-

• Washing and cleaning the car as required.
• Polishing the car when required, but at least annually.
• Overnight security, garaging the vehicle off the road and under cover where possible.
• Notifying the Workshop Foreman of all defects in the operation of the vehicle or damage to the vehicle, no matter how minor.
• Ensuring that normal running items such as petrol, oil, battery, radiator, tyre pressures, etc are checked at regular intervals and the vehicle receives scheduled servicing as determined by Council’s Fleet Management.

General Conditions of Use

• All cars owned by Council are available as pool cars even though private use rights are conferred. Council needs have first priority at all times.
• The vehicle is to be available for work use every day during employment, other than leave periods and RDO, and such vehicle is to be used for all normal duties.

A full copy of the Protocol is available at the time of job offer.