Kicking off a new regular feature, Cr Mick Tucker – mayor of Break O’Day Council and president of the Local Government Association of Tasmania – offers six insights into public service.
What inspired you to pursue a career in public service?
A good friend of mine was on our local council, and he encouraged me to put my hand up at the next election.
He knew I was very motivated, as I was on a few committees and served as president of a couple of Tasmanian associations. He felt I could serve my community well because I have a strong belief that if you’re not happy with what’s being done, you need to put your hand up and try to make a difference. Criticising from the sidelines does not change anything. As the old saying goes, you can’t play in the sandpit if you don’t get in it.
How do you define effective leadership in public service?
Well, that’s a hard question as everyone has a different perspective. For me it’s simple: to be a good effective leader, you do not shy away from the hard decisions that need to be made. It’s about always listening to the whole argument before making a position.
Good leadership in public service will always be challenging because politics will always be behind the issues you are dealing with. Many people will have their own goals and agendas they want to achieve. As a leader, you must deal with the politics of a situation while ensuring you’re fighting for what’s right for your sector—not someone else’s promotion.
Follow the goals of the sector you lead, be prepared to tackle challenges head-on that confront you and your sector, and lead with openness and honesty.
What steps do you take to ensure your leadership decisions reflect the needs of the communities you serve?
Always remember that you were born with two ears and one mouth – use them in the appropriate proportions that you were given. Listen to your community and always strive to base the decisions that you make on the best interest of your community. However, take the time to listen to everyone as we all have different perspectives. By doing so, you sometimes gain a different perspective and knowledge about an issue that you were not aware of, which could reshape your own thinking.
What is the most pressing issue local government is addressing?
Local government faces many challenges, but the biggest issue is cost shifting by other tiers of government. This can take many forms from election pork barrelling where communities are given new services or programs, only for the funding to dry up two or three years later. The community then expects these services to continue but local government now carries the financial burden without additional grant support. There is a recurring pattern of responsibility being pushed onto local government that has always been state or federal governments issues.
Councils are now involved in services like doctors and clinics in areas where they are unavailable, as well as childcare, libraries, and even communications infrastructure. It is expected that local councils will invest significant amounts of ratepayer money to build or upgrade communication towers because the state or federal governments won’t.
Other departments in state government are also doing less – for example, Parks and Wildlife. Communities still need these services, and if councils don’t step in, they’re lost. It’s unfair that the state government won’t fund services in their own departments.
How do you stay motivated in challenging times?
That’s easy for me, I will always fight for what our communities deserve, regardless of who is in government. I hold governments to account and make sure the spin doctors do not take control and lead the narrative to make local government seem irrelevant.
We are the closest level of government to the people. In rural and regional Australia, councils are often the first place people turn to for help and also the place of last resort after they’ve been turned away by other departments.
Being part of the community and a leader in the sector means people have someone who they can talk to, trust and rely on for help.
During natural disasters, the local council will be hard at the coalface helping wherever they can, and a good leader will be there 24/7 looking after them.
Advice for someone aspiring to work in public service?
Be honest about what your motivations are. Do you want to make a difference? Do you want to be a person who will go in and bat for the battler? Will you fight for what you believe in and fight for your sector?
If the answer is yes, then work your way through the many levels of public service, never stop listening and continually try to be a better person.
Always, at the end of every meeting, do one thing that I believe is the best advice I can offer – reflect on what you said and did as well as what others said and did. Ask yourself, “Did I do ok? Could I have said or done something better or differently?”
If I have stuffed up, I own and learn from it and move on better equipped.
Local government is one of the most challenging places to be but the best place to be if you really want to make a difference.
I would not want to be anywhere else – it’s amazing.
Leave a Reply