Local Government Focus Day Queensland

Settle in, grab a coffee, and meet a few friendly faces before we begin.

We’ll also run a couple of quick polls to see what everyone’s interested in and what people are working on right now.

A short welcome, plus a few quick tips to help you connect, share, and get real value from the day.

• AI as an economic lever: Anchoring AI investment in real business cases and whole-of-economy value creation.
• From strategy to execution: Building the governance and capability needed to move AI from ambition to real-world delivery.
• Structured focus: Why the value of AI has natural focal points and a short use-case in asset management.

Governments have become highly effective at measuring what they build, fund and deliver. The next challenge is understanding what happens because those investments exist. Did people visit? Did they stay longer? Did economic activity increase? Did communities become more connected, resilient or prosperous?

In this keynote, Kevin Harper explores how modern data can help government move beyond traditional performance metrics to understand the real-world impact of investment, policy and place. Drawing on examples from economic development, tourism, transport, precinct planning and public infrastructure, he demonstrates how the fusion of movement, visitation and economic signals can help agencies make more informed decisions and create measurable public value.

The session challenges leaders to think differently about evidence, shifting the focus from reporting on activity to understanding outcomes, and from static dashboards to living intelligence that supports better decisions.

• Building connected councils through shared platforms, integrated data and regional collaboration to improve service delivery and operational efficiency
• Turning AI, automation and data initiatives into practical outcomes across planning, customer experience, asset management and council operations
• Strengthening digital infrastructure, cyber resilience and data governance to support population growth, community expectations and Brisbane 2032 readiness

Grab lunch, have a wander, and chat with industry partners and peers about practical ideas you can take back to work. Arguably the most important part of the day!

Our interactive roundtables give you space to swap notes with peers. Hosted by industry leaders, they blend lived experience with practical insights. Bring your biggest challenges, wins, and lessons, and leave with ideas you can apply straight away.

Every system replacement, automation project and service redesign changes how work gets done. Under WA's WHS regulations, that change is a hazard in its own right, with a duty to manage it. It is not an HR matter, and a communications plan is not a control measure.

This session examines where the duty actually lands: with the people configuring the system, and above them with officers who cannot delegate it. It looks at what eighteen months of dual running does to role clarity and workload, why transformation programs are almost never recorded as a safety risk, and what can be done about it while a system is still being built rather than after go-live. 

Key Takeaways:

• Identifying the Hazard Inside a Systems Project
• How configuration, cutover and dual-running decisions generate role ambiguity, workload spikes and loss of control, and where those effects surface
• Controlling Psychosocial Risk at the Design Stage: Practical measures that reduce risk while the system is still being configured, rather than managing the consequences after implementation
• Meeting Officer Due Diligence Obligations: What a chief executive or director should be able to answer about a transformation program already underway, and what WA's regulations require of them  

• How councils can align infrastructure, precinct planning and investment to support population growth, improve liveability and create a lasting Brisbane 2032 legacy.
• Balancing today's service and infrastructure demands while planning for long-term economic growth, connected communities and future city outcomes.
• Lessons in collaboration across all levels of government to accelerate investment, deliver major projects and maximise the benefits of Brisbane 2032 for Queensland communities.

This session explores how emerging technologies, including sensor networks and data analytics, are transforming asset condition monitoring, planning, and operational management in local government. It will share practical insights from Redland City Council on how technology is being applied to improve asset performance, extend lifecycle value, and support more informed investment decisions.

• Leading councils through workforce shortages, funding pressure, and increasing community expectations
• Balancing innovation, operational delivery, governance, and long-term strategic planning
• Building resilient organisations that can adapt to growth, digital change, disaster readiness, and Brisbane 2032 opportunities

We’ll pull out a few highlights from the day, share what’s coming next, and point you to ways to stay connected.