“Following a strategic review of the delivery of business services, AGL has launched a two-week consultation period with employees in the Moruya Call Centre. During consultation we will seek feedback from employees regarding a proposal to consolidate the Moruya Call Centre to one regional location in Bendigo" an AGL spokesperson has told The Beagle. "We will work with impacted employees to understand their views and are committed to supporting them through this process. There are no further changes being proposed for the Moruya office, which will remain open and continue to operate as normal following this process.” AGL advise that they have found it increasingly difficult to attract and retain employees in the Moruya Call Centre. The team number of impacted employees is approximately 23-25 of an office that employs 70 to 75. AGL have advised the target date for the proposed consolidation of 30th June, 2023. In October 2019 Southern Phone, the second-largest home phone provider in regional Australia, was sold to one of the countries largest energy providers, AGL. The $27.5 million sale delivered $785,714 to each of its shareholders, including the Eurobodalla Shire Council. Jude Manahan, Moruya Business Chamber secretary, said in a November 2019 media release: "An important part of Eurobodalla’s business history way back in 2002 when Southern Phone was created by some locals from Moruya, who had a vision for a not for profit telco that would support councils around NSW. "These locals, along with $4.77 million funding from the Australian Government, set up a business model which proved to be a success, so successful that their customer base expanded beyond NSW to councils from Cape York to Zeehan and from Bega to Broome.
"The idea of a not for profit telco centre in Moruya was based on one objective, to create ‘jobs in Moruya and the shire’. Southern Phone became one of the big employers in Moruya, currently employing 115 part time permanent employees from the shire."
The sale agreement for Southern Phone stated that for the next three years it will be ‘business as usual’, a statement that is welcomed by Moruya Business Chamber. The Moruya Business Chamber secretary said at the time "Moruya is a low cost, high quality option for high quality Australian-based call centre services and the best outcome for Southern Phone and the shire is for AGL to grow the Moruya site, be committed to NSW South Coast regional jobs and in return receive support from business and residents of Eurobodalla Shire."
"Over the last 18 years Southern Phone has been a success story for Moruya and the shire, now with AGL diverging into the telco business through the purchase of Southern Phone, Moruya Business Chamber and shire businesses are counting on AGL to become part of the Eurobodalla business environment for the long term."
In November 2019 the then CEO of Southern Phone addressed the Council and said in part:
Being February 2023 that three year commitment has now passed. At the time of purchase (December 19th, 2019) AGL said in a media release: “The finalisation of this deal today really is a testament to the councils and 150 workers at Southern Phone who have grown the business into what it is today. Our goal is to further build on their success.” Given the high youth unemployment of the region and the fact that Southern Phone has been a community leader in giving local youth employment, training and the skills to transition from what is, in many cases, a first real job, the decision of AGL to now close the centre has come as a shock to the team that now face hard decisions.
