The path to modern local government doesn’t start with a massive overhaul. It starts with one smart step. Councils in Manjimup, Halls Creek and Wattle Range are proving how targeted digital solutions can ease workloads, strengthen community engagement and redefine what’s possible in local service delivery.
Across Australia, local governments are facing the perfect storm of rising expectations, shrinking workforces and ageing infrastructure. Councils are being asked to deliver more services to increasingly diverse communities while balancing compliance, sustainability and transparency – all without the matching resources.
For many, the phrase ‘doing more with less’ has become an unwelcome reality. In Western Australia, every single council surveyed in Local Government Professionals Australia WA’s 2023 workplace research reported skilled-staff shortages. At the national level, the infrastructure maintenance backlog sits between $12 billion and $15 billion. Meanwhile, communities expect faster service, digital access and greater accountability from their councils.
If the sector keeps moving at the same pace with the same tools, something has to give. But forward-thinking councils are proving there’s another way where smart, fit-for-purpose technologies act as a multiplier for staff capacity, community engagement and decision‑making.
Technology as a force multiplier
Digital tools designed specifically for local government are no longer a luxury, they are essential infrastructure. Councils that invest in smarter systems are finding ways to reclaim time, reduce burnout and build stronger relationships with their communities.
Here are a few recent examples:
Shire of Manjimup: Strengthening connection
Shire of Manjimup, in Western Australia, manages a region spanning over 7000 square kilometres, with a team of only 124 staff serving around 10,000 residents. Staying connected with the community across such a large and diverse area was a constant challenge.
To address this, Shire of Manjimup turned to Antenno – part of Datacom’s Datascape platform – which is a simple but powerful two-way communication app that allows residents to report issues, receive updates and stay informed about council services.
Since implementing the app, 58 per cent of all community-reported issues now come through Antenno. Residents can easily flag local concerns such as road maintenance or waste collection, and they receive direct feedback once the issue has been resolved.
The shift has transformed how Council interacts with its residents. People feel more informed and more connected to local decision-making, while Council staff are saving time by managing communication through a single streamlined system. The technology hasn’t just improved efficiency, it has helped strengthen trust and transparency between Council and its community.
Shire of Halls Creek: Reflecting culture and improving access
At the opposite end of the state, Shire of Halls Creek faced a different challenge.
Spanning more than 143,000 square kilometres of remote Kimberley country, Halls Creek is one of Australia’s largest, predominantly Indigenous communities. Its existing websites were outdated, difficult to maintain and unable to properly reflect Shire of Halls Creek’s cultural diversity or deliver key services online.
Working with Datacom, it developed new corporate and visitor centre websites through the Datascape Websites solution. The refreshed digital platforms were designed specifically for local government, offering an intuitive content management system that staff could update without external technical assistance. Importantly, the sites featured locally produced Indigenous artwork and imagery, celebrating the community’s culture and heritage.
Beyond aesthetics, the functionality was equally transformative. The new websites enabled online booking and payment for accommodation, along with integration to digital signage that displayed live road reports, employment opportunities and event information. For residents and visitors alike, the experience is now simpler, faster and more engaging. For staff, it means fewer bottlenecks and less time spent on manual updates.
Through this transformation, Shire of Halls Creek has built digital spaces that reflect its identity, enhance accessibility and bring essential services within reach for even its most remote residents.
Wattle Range Council: Turning data into action
In South Australia, Wattle Range Council took on a challenge familiar to many local governments: managing legacy financial systems that were slow, fragmented and lacking visibility. These outdated systems not only affected internal efficiency but also made it harder to communicate financial outcomes to the community and maintain supplier relationships.
The Council implemented Datascape Financials, integrated with Power BI analytics, to gain real-time visibility across operations and improve its decision-making capabilities.
The difference was immediate. With clear, consolidated data, Wattle Range Council could identify patterns and trends that were previously hidden in spreadsheets. One key discovery was that approximately 20 per cent of its landmass, covered by plantation forests, had experienced a 145 per cent increase in value. Using this insight, Council successfully advocated for legislative change with the Valuer-General to ensure fairer treatment of forestry land.
For Wattle Range Council, the ability to access and analyse accurate information turned data into evidence, evidence into advocacy and advocacy into real-world outcomes. It’s a clear example of how the right technology can directly shape better policy and community results.
Redefining what’s possible
These three councils show what happens when local government moves beyond simply coping and starts innovating. Each began with a single, practical step, not an expensive overhaul, and focused on specific improvements that solved a pressing issue. From there, success created momentum.
The lesson is not that technology can replace people. Rather, it can remove unnecessary friction, simplify complex tasks and return valuable hours to staff who are already stretched thin. For councils like Shire of Manjimup, Shire of Halls Creek and Wattle Range Council, digital transformation is not about doing more work, it is about creating the space to do more meaningful work.
Across Western Australia’s 147 councils, and, indeed, across the country, the pressures are the same: tight budgets, workforce shortages and the constant push to modernise. The difference lies in how transformation is approached. When it starts small, proves value quickly and aligns with community goals, it builds confidence and capability rather than adding burden.
The future of local government will belong to councils that see technology not as an extra cost, but as an essential tool for resilience, connection and growth. The councils leading this shift are showing that smart solutions can help them redefine the everyday and build stronger, more sustainable communities.
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