From Fragmented Systems to Connected Councils: Strengthening Financial Integrity and Community Trust

Councils and small public sector entities across Australia and New Zealand were operating in an increasingly challenging environment. Recent audit reports had highlighted deteriorating control environments, unresolved system weaknesses, and growing asset and infrastructure sustainability risks. Many councils were managing rising operating costs and constrained budgets, while also facing workforce shortages in specialist areas including ICT, finance, asset management and data.

At the same time, whole-of-government digital programs (such as Smart Service Queensland, NSW’s State of Legacy initiative and New Zealand’s ongoing local government reform) were lifting expectations for secure, consistent and citizen-centred digital services. Yet a significant proportion of local government ICT spend remained tied up in maintaining ageing, fragmented systems that limited data visibility, slowed decision-making, increased cyber exposure and made it difficult to meet audit and compliance requirements.

For leaders responsible for finance, customer experience, digital systems, information management and asset operations, the need to modernise was directly linked to organisational resilience, public trust and workforce sustainability. This session provided practical, council-focused guidance on navigating these pressures and outlined how to establish secure, connected platforms to support future automation and AI.

Key discussion points

• Responding to audit findings with stronger systems and controls
  How modern platforms addressed recurring issues identified by audit offices, including fragmented data, manual processes, weak internal controls and limited asset visibility.
• Improving financial sustainability through connected workflows
  How integrated finance, procurement and asset processes reduced duplication, error rates and rework, enabling clearer planning and more reliable reporting.
• Enhancing customer and community experience
  How joined-up service channels and digital workflows supported faster responses, more consistent interactions and better visibility of community needs.
• Building data foundations that enable transparency and informed decision-making
  How modern data models, shared records and real-time insights strengthened governance, reporting, risk management and long-term investment decisions.
• Preparing for automation and AI within a secure, governed environment
  What councils and agencies needed in place to adopt emerging capabilities safely and responsibly.

Dale Shuttleworth

Engagement Director, Government and Enterprise, HSO, ANZ

Jourdan Templeton

Service Line Director, Customer Advisory, HSO, ANZ

Wesley Nelson

GTM and Service Line Director, Business Application, HSO, ANZ