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Big green deal
The City of Sydney has unveiled the biggest standalone renewables deal for an Australian council. Read more >
Collective action on the drought
The Livestock Farming Drought Support Action Plan is government, drought agencies and charities, the local community and farmers sharing responsibility.
Lockyer Valley Regional Council, Queensland, hosted a drought support forum in late September, focusing on the plight of the region’s livestock farmers. Read more >
Cloud-based software generates savings for councils*
CouncilWise, a fully cloud-based total software solution for local government, is bringing significant cost savings and new administration efficiencies for councils across Australia and Fiji.
The software is generating strong interest following its promotion at the Victorian Local Government Vendors’ Forum and to the Local Government Association of Queensland.
CouncilWise is a local government management platform developed by local government expert staff in partnership with tech giant Microsoft comprising a complete range of features to make running a local government authority effortless and affordable.
CouncilWise chief executive, Ron Sanderson, said the risk associated with software capital purchase is now gone and the system removes the need for voluminous detail from councils’ current information technology tendering requirements.
Sanderson said CouncilWise was very aware of the pain involved with making software choices, implementing new systems, and keeping them well-run and supported.
“Not all solutions are equal, and nor is the support, so we decided to team up with Microsoft and a group of like-minded partners to develop a new way of doing things – from the ground up.
“Built on Microsoft Azure and tightly wrapped into Microsoft Office 365, we have been able to remove a substantial amount of the grunt work necessary for councils to employ software to assist in service delivery.
“Local government software does not need to break the bank, so CouncilWise is designed to dramatically reduce the financial burden on local government, by allowing councils to choose what features and how many users it requires.
“It is priced accordingly to save councils’ money. It’s suitable for all councils, large and small, and can even be upscaled or downscaled at any time.”
CouncilWise is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tasmania’s innovative Brighton Council, was the winner of a 2018 Tasmanian Local Government Association excellence award for partnerships and was a finalist in the prestigious Municipal Association Australian Technology Awards for Excellence.
Sanderson said many people had described CouncilWise as a digital transformation, but it was actually a business transformation.
“CouncilWise allows councils to focus on running operations while reducing technology overheads. Things simply work, and users know what they are paying for.
“At last, council teams have access to a platform that supports innovation and prepares it for the future because these capabilities are included.
“CouncilWise now provides the affordable, future-facing and user-friendly technology solution for local government.”
*Copy supplied by Bright
Long Live You champions aim to inspire
Long Live You champions are proving age is no barrier and inspiring others to be active and enjoy improved physical and mental health in their older years. Image courtesy of City of Albany.
Table tennis, weight classes, cycling, swimming, surfing and dragon boat racing are regular activities Great Southern over 60’s community champions from City of Albany, Western Australia, take on in a new campaign designed to inspire the inactive over 60’s to become more active. Read more >
Solid foundation for the future - Presidents comment
LGANT President, Damien Ryan, and WALGA President, Lynne Craigie sign an agreement to combine the purchasing power of councils in Western Australia and Northern Territory.
Disaster coordinator centre now open
Queensland Reconstruction Authority’s Luke Del Favero, Mayor Anne Baker and Anglo American representative Sandra Thompson open the disaster management coordination hub.
Isaac Regional Council has opened a coordination hub for disaster management personnel during times of severe weather events. Read more >
The City of Sydney has unveiled the biggest standalone renewables deal for an Australian council.
