Capability

The diverse nature of the work that NLC performs requires an equally diverse and dynamic workforce, providing capability across multiple industries and disciplines including:

• Administration / Corporate Services
• Anthropology
• Community Planning and Development
• Land Conversation and Management
• Legal
• Management
• Minerals and Energy

As at 30 June 2019, NLC employs 196 full-time and 58 part-time employees (total 253) and also maintains a large pool of casual employees and Aboriginal consultants. Casual employees predominantly perform work during the dry season when activities such as controlled fire burning and on-country meetings are at a peak.

We understand the importance of building and retaining a suitably skilled workforce that is representative of the communities we operate in and the clients we service. 25.5% of the Northern Territory population identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

Additionally, the NLC has a Council Body of 78 Traditional Owners from across the NLC’s region who represent about 30,000 constituents. Indigenous employment, training and development initiatives are, therefore, integral to our ability to successfully deliver our functions as a land council and ensure a high standard of culturally appropriate customer service.

NLC has adopted a philosophy of continuous improvement in the Human Resource Unit as we move to modernise systems and practices and increase legislative compliance. This is being achieved through the implementation of a contemporary HR information system (ichris) to manage payroll, recruitment, performance and WHS.

HR teams increased engagement with the following organisations:

• APSC - Workplace Relations Team
• APSC - Indigenous Capability Team
• Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI)
• Chamber of Commerce NT

The HR Team are members of AHRI and the HR Manager holds a seat on the AHRI State Council 2018.

Workforce Composition

The employee demographics reflect the composition of the NLC workforce as at 30 June 2019.

Recruitment

The NLC’s profile as an employer of choice in the NT is consistently improving; position application numbers have increased and the use of recruitment agencies decreased during the 2018/19 year.

In line with the implementation of the ichris, recruitment practices were reviewed. A panel of ATSI Employment Providers has been established, and they will be advised of all vacancies (these include local VTEC providers Real Futures and Karen Sheldon Training).

Turnover and Retention

A diverse workforce by nature attracts higher levels of turnover. Resignation related turnover sat just above average national turnover rate at 16.9%.

NLC’s prevailing Enterprise Agreement provides for employment contracts from AS01 to AS06 and three-year contracts for higher classifications. NLC sees strong value in retaining experienced long-term staff, as well as introducing new talent and expertise to the organisation.

On this basis, we are pleased to report that 20% of employees have been within NLC for more than 10 years, and some up to 35 years.

We expect an increase in short-term contracts from 2018 to 2020 as project staff are engaged to deliver major reforms, including the permit system reform and ICT improvements.

Workforce Diversity and Inclusion

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment

The NLC is a strong advocate for the APSC Commonwealth ATSI Employment Strategy and is a major employer of Indigenous people across the Top End. The strategy had a goal of 3% Indigenous representation by 2018. The NLC consistently maintains Indigenous employee representation of 50-55%, and more than 90% engagement within our casual employee pool.

37% of the NLC leadership team is Aboriginal however, a concerning lag exists in professional and middle management positions. In 2018/2019, initiatives are being introduced to increase Indigenous representation in professional and middle management positions.

37% of the NLC leadership team is Aboriginal. However, a concerning lag exists in professional and middle management positions. In 2018/2019, initiatives are being introduced to increase Indigenous representation in professional and middle management positions.

These include the proposal to enter into an MoU with the APSC Indigenous Capability Unit and increased training and development programs for officers at level AS06 and above.

Gender Equity & Diversity

The NLC has consistently maintained a good gender balance across most classification levels. Female representation at the middle management level is also increasing, providing for strong leadership succession possibilities beyond 2019.

There is an increased focus on identifying and nurturing female leadership opportunities, in particular for senior Indigenous employees.

The Caring for Country Branch’s Women Employment Strategy has also seen the number of female rangers increase in 2018/2019, with a target for 50% by 2020.

As the nature of Working on Country work has inherent cultural gender biases in some communities, the NLC sees this growth as a major achievement.

People with Disabilities

The NLC has two employees who identify as having a disability, but this figure is known to be higher. With the introduction of an online recruitment module in 2019, identifying employees who may have special needs or identify as having a disability will become part of the application process.

The WHS Advisor is a trained contact officer through the Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commission and is able to provide necessary support for employees as employment for people with disabilities increases.

Generational Diversity

The NLC has an even spread of employees across the working age spectrum (17 to 78 years), but more needs to be done to attract young people. The Caring for Country branch is developing programs to engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school students in regional communities and provide pathways for future employment in ranger programs.

Through increased engagement with VTEC providers in the NT, more entry level job applicants will be attracted and engagement levels for 18 to 20 years old employees will improve.

Workplace Relations

The NLC observes the relevant provisions of the following legislative instruments in relation to sound workplace relations and industrial compliance:

• NLC Enterprise Agreement 2018
• Fair Work Act 2009
• National Employment Standards
• APSC Workplace Relations Bargaining Policy 2018
• Australian Public Service Commissioner’s Directions 2016
• Long Service Leave (Commonwealth Employees) Act 1976
• Maternity Leave (Commonwealth Employees) Act 1973
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011

Management of workplace relations, including the management of performance, attendance or conduct concerns, is based on cultural consideration, fair process and legislative compliance. There has been a deliberate shift from using disciplinary measures to remedy minor conduct issues to working with frontline managers to “start a conversation” and work with employees to seek amicable solutions before workplace issues escalate. This approach has served the NLC well, with no unfair dismissal claims in 2018/2019.

Remuneration

The NLC remunerates management level staff under negotiated common law contracts and all other staff under the provisions of the NLC EA 2018. Management remuneration levels are set in consultation with the Remuneration Committee to ensure fairness and reasonable parity in relation to the enterprise agreement pay scale and management level (EL or SES equivalent).

Information about remuneration for key management personnel

Except for the CEO, whose remuneration is covered in the below noted information. The positions of the NLC Chairman and Executive Council Members are all remunerated in accordance with the Remuneration Tribunal – Full-Time Office Holder and Part Time Office Holders (determination)

• The Remuneration Tribunal – Full-Time Office Holder (determination) is applicable to the NLC Chairperson’s position.
• https://www.remtribunal.gov. au/offices/full-time-offices
• The Remuneration Tribunal – Part Time Office Holders (determination) is applicable to the NLC Executive Council positions and Council members – known as the elected arm of the NLC.
• https://www.remtribunal.gov. au/offices/part-time-offices

During the reporting period ended 30 June 2019, Northern Land Council had 14 executives who met the definition of key management personnel.

Their names and the length of term as KMP are summarised below:-

Information about remuneration for key management personnel

Footnotes:

1. Base Salary is total salary paid and includes AL paid plus AL movement

2. Other Benefits & Allowances includes MV Benefit & FBT Tax paid

3. Super is actual super paid

4. Any AL & LSL paid on Termination is not included as per PGPA Rule

5. The KMP’s reported above are for the NLC only and will not match the KMP in the Financials due to consolidation of the financial statements with the subsidiaries.

Information about remuneration for senior executives

The majority of the Northern Land Council (NLC) workforce is engaged under the NLC Enterprise Agreement 2018 with the remaining staff engaged under negotiated common law contracts.

Common law contracts are primarily used for NLC management positions or positions equivalent to APSC levels SES or EL; this includes the NLC CEO, Branch Managers and Unit Managers. Salary increases associated with such contracts are generally negotiated at contract commencement and applied thereafter in line with agreed individual contract terms such as annual increases in line with CPI or individual performance levels.

Appropriate remuneration relativities between employees and managers ensures fairness and supports productivity, retention and stable workplace relations. A thorough position based review of the remuneration packages attached to NLC management positions was completed in May 2018 in order to establish if Managers were being remunerated with appropriate relativity to their direct line staff covered under the Agreement and also compared with similar external agencies and organisations.

Information about remuneration for other highly paid staff

The Northern Land Council has no Other Highly Paid Staff to report in accordance with the Public Governance Performance and Accountability (PGPA) Rule.

Managing Attendance

Managing a dispersed and diverse workforce requires a contemporary and flexible workplace relations approach.

Access to services in regional and remote communities of the NT can impact on attendance and ultimately productivity and performance.

In line with the rollout of the online leave management system (HR21), front line managers and staff were educated on better use and scheduling of leave entitlements and this has had a positive effect on leave management.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Training options can be limited in availability and frequency in the NT. Management and APSC training in particular often requires travel to major cities. Sourcing local providers or bringing training providers to the NT to maximise value is always considered in the first instance. The NLC has training needs across three major areas:

• Compliance training, such as remote first aid, chainsaw and small engines, chemical handling and 4WD training. With more than 250 training activities in this area in 2018/2019, compliance-related training forms the bulk of the NLC training budget.
• Continuous improvement related training is training delivered to enhance employee performance in existing roles. This includes in-house training for new systems, industry or sector related training, seminars or conferences, APSC training and IT related training, such as training in the latest versions of Microsoft Office Excel or Word. The Employee Performance Review process is often the catalyst for identifying training of this nature.
• Succession training and development is offered to employees to support career progression and advancement to higher classifications. Training may include management training or professional coaching.

Work Health and Safety

New Initiatives

• The NLC now has a contact officer for equity and diversity issues.
• The NLC has introduced a domestic violence action plan.
• The NLC formed a partnership with the National Hearth Foundation to conduct a workplace wellness program.
• Wellness activities included yoga, meditation and workplace massage.
• Stress management awareness information presentations were held for workers and managers.
• Ten workers were trained in mediation skills.
• The NLC has introduced support programs for workers who wish to quit smoking.

WHS Activities

• The NLC WHS delegates continued to work on self-improvement.
• The WHS Committee continued to meet every three months.
• All NLC facilities were inspected during the year to monitor compliance with WHS requirements.
• Test and tag of all electrical appliances continued.
• Development, review and updating of WHS policies, procedures and work practices continued.
• WHS officers attended industry seminars, conferences and training programs.
• WHS officers maintained close links with regulators and other organisations to ensure best practice.

Outcomes

The NLC continued to experience low injury rates and minimal work days lost because of injuries. There were no notifiable incidents relating to injuries or near misses and no injuries requiring hospital admissions.

• Reported minor injuries that did not require time off work: three.
• Reported injuries resulting in lost work days: two.
• Total days lost due to injury: seven.

There were two new workers’ compensation applications during the year. Both were minor and were resolved quickly. One long-term case is being managed.

Worker Welfare

The NLC provides access to an employee assistance program for confidential counselling and mediation.

The number of workers seeking workplace ergonomic assistance has increased, as has the provision of ergonomic aids such as stand-up desks and ergonomic chairs.

The NLC continues to provide education sessions related to worker welfare and stress management.

Notifiable Incidents

There was one notifiable incident, which was the result of an asbestos scare in an NLC-rented facility.

The incident was reported to Comcare and NT Worksafe and the substance was ultimately determined not to be asbestos.