Senior Management Team

Jackie commenced as General Manager of Leeton Shire Council in August 2015. Jackie came to the Riverina from Tamworth where she held the position of Director Planning and Community Services.

Her formal qualifications are in natural resource management (BSc Forestry/Conservation) and a Masters in Environmental Education.

Prior to moving to Australia from NZ in 2012, Jackie was herself a councillor for 8 years with Invercargill City Council, including serving as Deputy Mayor in her final term. She considers this to have been an excellent opportunity to understand the important interface played by a GM between the elected Council and the administration staff.

Jackie is strongly focussed on results and making sure these are communicated openly both internally with staff/councillors and externally with Leeton Shire residents. She works very closely with Council's Communications, Corporate Planning and Economic Development staff.

Jackie and her husband, Graeme, love living in Leeton and are impressed by the area's agricultural prowess - from primary production through to value adding manufacturing industries. They have two adult children who visit from time to time.

The Director of Corporate and Community is responsible for the following functions:

Financial Services, Human Resources, Information Technology, Records, Customer Service/Administration, Community Development, Culture, Library, Economic Development, Governance, Purchasing, Property, WHS, Integrated Planning and Reporting. Craig is also responsible for ensuring compliance with the Office of Local Government requirements in respect of Financial Reports, Annual Reports, Development of Policies and Codes as well as functions under the Local Government Act 1993.

Craig has worked in both the private and public sectors and has over 20 years’ experience working in local government across a wide variety of roles within Corporate and Community divisions of Councils. He was the Manager of Finance at Griffith City Council early on in his career before moving on to a more senior role as Corporate Services Director for Cessnock Council. Craig was most recently the Manager of Governance and Council Support at Woollahra Municipal Council in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney.

Craig brings with him extensive experience in financial management, corporate planning, governance, business improvement, customer service, risk management and commercial operations.

He is a fully qualified Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) and also holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from the University of Tasmania.

Peter’s career started in the manufacturing sector where he honed his skills in service reviews, quality assurance and people management (including enterprise bargaining).  With a head for numbers and business performance he moved into consulting which included a three year stint with KPMG as Associate Director where he undertook services to the Energy and Natural Resource sector in the areas of operations, infrastructure asset management, supply chain and Lean Six Sigma. During this period Peter was introduced to local government where he worked with the CEO of the Port Hedland Council (WA) on a business review to identify areas for revenue and cost improvement. He continued servicing Port Hedland when he moved back out into the world of private consulting, including developing a business case for a waste to energy project and negotiating its set up which significantly extended the life of the local landfill. Other activities included a CBD business case and introducing an improved project governance framework for their major works programme. 

Peter then got into local government at Port Hedland boots and all, first taking on the role of Manager of Strategic Development and Commercial Contracts and then stepping up to act in the role of Director Infrastructure and Town Works. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, advising the CEO on strategic and operational matters, Peter was steeped in WA’s equivalent of IPR (Integrated Planning and Reporting) including gearing up the organisation to produce robust Asset Management Plans. He also spearheaded a zero based budgeting exercise in conjunction with his operations team. Some major capital projects Peter worked on while associated with Port Hedland included the airport, swimming pool, wastewater plant, recreation and landfill.  He also knows a lot about the risks of managing asbestos and tyre waste. 

Following a change in CEO at Port Hedland, Peter decided to take up a six month General Manager Operations contract with Sunraysia in Mildura while that company was being restructured. He is looking forward to getting back to local government and settling into Leeton. 

Council can be pleased to have secured the services of a well-rounded, results orientated professional engineer with Peter’s breadth of skill, experience and drive.  The Environment and Engineering Directorate will most certainly benefit from his leadership, as will the Senior Management team and Council in general. 

Peter’s formal qualifications are a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) from Swinburne University of Technology and an MBA from Deakin University.  He has also completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course.