myRANDWICK app an Australian first

Randwick City Council in NSW is set to launch a unique smartphone app that will change the way residents and ratepayers interact with Council.

The free application ‘goes live’ in July 2012, and will be available from the Apple App Store as well as another mobile site, making it accessible for all types of smartphones.

Randwick Mayor Scott Nash said the difference between myRANDWICK and other council apps is in its unique customised approach that provides a user-centric experience.

“The way most of us receive, share and provide information has changed dramatically. At Randwick City Council we have listened, and we are committed to giving our residents options about how they receive information and how they interact with Council.

“We know that councils exist to provide services for our local residents. So we thought, why not develop an app that puts residents and ratepayers first, and provides local information about your property, your street and your suburb.”

Mayor Nash said that myRANDWICK would be another way residents can choose to interact with Council. “A lot of our residents are time-poor. They lead busy professional lives and have families. We want to make interacting with Council easy and available 24/7.

“We also know that more and more people are using smartphones. It’s startling to think that there are more mobile phones in Australia than there are people and, with the cost of smartphones coming down, their popularity will continue to rise.

“Council already receives in excess of 80,000 visits a year to our website from mobile devices. myRANDWICK means you can keep up-to-date with Council and other events, such as when your next free clean-up is, or check how your recycling rates are going, find a local fete or garage sale on Sunday, and find out about footpath and road upgrades in your street.

“The app will be fully integrated with Facebook and Twitter, which will give users the ability to share content, and also elect to receive notifications about important events or Development Applications (DAs). So you’ll never miss bin night again!”