By Eleanor Wilson
City of Casey reports have revealed the municipality recorded a massive staff shedding last year, turning over 43 per cent of its workforce.
The rate is more than double the turnover rate from the 2020-’21 year, and quadruple the rate of 10.07 per cent from 2019-’20.
In a statement, the City of Casey attributed the large staff renewal rate to the discontinuation of several council services, including its Family Day Care services and Aged and Disability services.
The figures, which were disclosed in the Casey City Council Performance Statement for the year ending June 2022, also predicted departures will continue into the 2022/23 year as the Aged and Disability service review finishes its transition to private providers.
The decision to discontinue the services came with a huge price tag for the City of Casey, which spent almost $8 million on initial redundancy and transition costs.
This includes redundancy payouts for 168 staff from the discontinuation of the Age and Disability services and 17 staff made redundant due to Family Day Care service closures.
Despite the high costs of redirecting the services, the council said the savings would offset the high costs within a three-year period.
“The City of Casey regularly reviews the services and programs we provide to ensure they meet our community’s needs and that we operate as an efficient and effective organisation that delivers best value for ratepayers and residents,” said City of Casey community life director Colette McMahon.
The council was reportedly spending $5 million per year to deliver the Aged and Disability services as of December 2021.
Ten-year forecasts found the costs were unsustainable, the council said.
The council also said the operating deficit of running its Family Day Care services would have continued to escalate with a decreasing number of families and educators using the service.
The decision to stop providing family day care came after a steady decline in the number of educators and families using the service, council said, as well as the existence of several other family day care providers operating in the municipality.
Meanwhile, the decision to transition out of Aged and Disability services was made in December 2021 in response to Commonwealth Aged and Disability reforms, which are expected to impact the funding and regulation of a number of City of Casey services.
The City of Casey has appointed MiCare, mecwacare and Uniting AgeWell to deliver home and community care to the City of Casey’s residents, but it will continue to provide meal deliveries, community transport and volunteer transport services for vulnerable community members.
Specific statistics show the council paid an extensive $5.3 million in redundancy costs for Aged and Disability service staff members.
