Addressing regional Environmental Health Officer shortages

Who this is for

Councils looking for strategies and resources to help them build and maintain a strong Environmental Health Officer workforce.

What's being delivered

• Model approach to workforce shortages that can be applied across local government.
• Strengthened collaboration between councils, universities, and professional bodies.
• Practical mechanisms to build environmental health capacity.

About the project

SA is experiencing a chronic, ongoing workforce shortage of Environmental Health Officers. Many councils need to rely on external consultants to do their regulatory environmental health work.

This project will investigate these issues, provide insights and put forward a recommended approach. It will lay the groundwork for long-term workforce development.

Project outcomes

This project introduced cadetships and resource‑sharing initiatives as practical strategies to strengthen local capacity. These strategies will make sure there's long‑term community resilience against public health risks.

Council executives and elected members responded positively to the approaches, recognising their potential to address recruitment barriers and improve service delivery.

An important finding was the clear need for ongoing, face‑to‑face engagement with councils. This will allow councils to raise awareness of environmental health functions, which are sometimes not well understood.

• Engagement: Presentations delivered to seven LGA regional meetings and one council briefing.
• Research: Surveys and interviews with 11 CEOs and mayors highlighted strong support for cadetships and collaboration.
• Resources: Developed information sheets clarifying council responsibilities under the Food Act 2001 (SA) and Public Health Act 2011 (SA).
• Momentum: Environmental Health Australia (SA Branch) is committed to establishing a Cadet Special Interest Group in 2026.

Partnerships

Flinders University led this project in partnership with SA Health and Environmental Health Australia.

Project funding

This project is funded through the Local Government Research and Development Scheme.

This scheme allocates funding to projects that support the development of SA local government. Successful applicants are decided through an annual grant round.

Find out more

If you have any questions about this project or the Research and Development Scheme, please contact:

Mathilde Thorsen
Senior Projects and Grants Coordinator
Email: mathilde.thorsen@lga.sa.gov.au