West Coast Council commits $179,600 to organisational renewal

The outlet also pointed to confidential information being published by mistake, and to the Australian Services Union raising concerns about workplace culture and staff turnover. The review was carried out by Barry Omundson, a former Central Coast Council general manager.

Per The Advocate, Omundson identified markers often linked with an organisation in decline, such as unstable leadership, churn in the workforce and limited capability. He said the review “does not conclude that the organisation is beyond recovery”.

The review also credited many staff with keeping services running even while the organisation was unsettled, short of people and struggling with communication and clunky internal systems, the outlet reported. Ratepayers at Queenstown and other West Coast areas will pay towards the review and reset, the outlet said.

The numbers

The Advocate reported that the agenda describes the $179,600 as an initial commitment. It breaks down as follows:

• Consultants: $100,000
• Staff and community surveys: over $40,000
• Coaching and leadership development: $25,000
• Travel and accommodation: $12,000

Councillors were told the program would need to be funded from savings found over the rest of the financial year, the outlet reported. The four lines above together account for roughly the whole $179,600 initial commitment.

What’s next

The Advocate reported that newly elected mayor Lindsay Newman was asked various questions, including whether he was comfortable with the $179,600 allocated so far, and said it was too early for him to comment in detail.

The Advocate also reported that the council’s draft annual report names the closure of the Bendigo Bank branch at Queenstown as one of its biggest challenges of 2025-26, leaving the whole West Coast without a bank branch.

For another Tasmanian council cutting costs, see our Launceston staff cuts story.