Local councils across Australia are under growing pressure to do more with less. Staff are expected to deliver faster services, manage compliance, and meet the rising expectations of local residents.
To respond, many councils are adopting Microsoft technologies such as Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Dynamics 365, Copilot, and Fabric.
These tools are helping teams simplify daily work, make better use of data, and provide more transparent and responsive services to their communities.
In this blog, we look at how councils are using Microsoft 365 and related tools to modernise operations, improve decision-making, and strengthen trust with the communities they serve.
Making Work Easier for Council Staff
Ballarat Council: Building Apps Without Developers
Ballarat Council in Victoria is a strong example of how staff can create their own digital solutions. Using Power Apps, council employees have built over 300 applications and nearly 600 automations to replace manual processes.
These apps cover everything from swimming pool rosters to school crossing inspections and even the registration of gifts to council workers.
A key benefit is accessibility. Staff do not need advanced technical skills to build apps. If they can use Excel or PowerPoint, they can contribute ideas. This empowers staff, reduces paperwork, and brings everyday council processes online.
Hepburn Shire: Balancing Innovation with Security
Hepburn Shire Council also uses the Power Platform, but with a strong focus on governance. They have introduced clear rules and testing environments to ensure new apps are safe and reliable.
For example, requests from councillors are now handled through a secure digital process that ensures accountability and timely responses. This approach shows that innovation and data protection can go hand in hand.
Using Data to Make Smarter Decisions
Cardinia Shire: Building Trust Through Open Data
Cardinia Shire Council uses Power BI to share information directly with residents. On its website, locals can see statistics such as population growth and service response times.
This transparency helps residents understand how their rates are used, while staff save days of reporting effort. Information is now available in real time, building trust between the council and its community.
Whittlesea: Real-Time Insights from Sensors
The City of Whittlesea has introduced sensors across the municipality that feed data into Power BI. These sensors monitor activity such as park usage or the status of rubbish bins.
This real-time information helps staff prioritise services and allocate resources efficiently. In the future, sensors could even detect potholes before complaints are made. This would create faster and more proactive service delivery.
Improving Community Services
Penrith City Council: Preparing for AI
Penrith City Council is exploring Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft’s new AI assistant. CEO Jane Howard notes the importance of ensuring new technology genuinely helps staff and customers.
The council already manages more than 80,000 service requests annually using Dynamics 365, particularly in waste collection. Copilot has the potential to reduce the burden of repetitive tasks while improving the speed and quality of responses to residents.
City of Vincent: Secure Collaboration in the Cloud
The City of Vincent in Western Australia wanted to improve staff collaboration using SharePoint and Microsoft Teams. To meet privacy and compliance requirements, the council implemented strong security controls.
This has enabled safe online collaboration while protecting sensitive council information. The outcome is a balance between accessibility and compliance.
Meeting Compliance and Governance Requirements
Victorian Councils: Modernising Records Management
Several Victorian councils worked together to improve records management. By moving from legacy systems to modern, cloud-based solutions, they streamlined compliance and reduced the administrative burden on staff.
This has made it easier to find and manage records, ensuring transparency while saving time for council employees.
Learning from the Australian Government Copilot Trial
The Australian Government recently trialled Microsoft 365 Copilot with more than 7,000 public servants. The results showed strong potential, particularly in reducing repetitive administrative work.
For local councils, this reinforces the opportunity to adopt AI while supporting staff with training and change management.
Fabric: The Next Step in Data Integration
Microsoft Fabric is an emerging solution that connects different types of data across council systems. Councils manage large volumes of information on rates, assets, and services. Fabric brings this together into one trusted environment.
With Fabric, councils can identify trends more quickly, plan more effectively, and improve decision-making. Councils already using Microsoft 365 and Power Platform are well positioned to adopt Fabric when the time is right.
Key Lessons for Councils
From these examples, several lessons stand out:
Prioritise Governance: Establish clear rules and testing environments to ensure solutions are secure (Hepburn Shire).
Empower Staff: Enable frontline employees to create apps and workflows that address daily challenges (Ballarat).
Be Transparent: Share data openly to build community trust and reduce reporting effort (Cardinia).
Support Change: Provide training and support so staff can adapt to new technologies such as AI (Australian Government trial).
Looking Ahead
Australian councils are showing how Microsoft 365 and related tools can drive real improvements in community outcomes.
From automating daily processes to sharing information openly and preparing for AI, these technologies are helping councils work smarter and deliver better services.
The opportunity now is for more councils to take the next step. By adopting solutions such as Copilot and Fabric, supported by strong governance and a focus on people, councils can continue to modernise and deliver measurable results.
At CG TECH, we partner with councils to plan, implement, and support Microsoft technologies in ways that deliver real outcomes.
Whether you want to modernise compliance, connect data across services, or prepare your organisation for AI, we can help you move forward with confidence.
Local councils across Australia are under growing pressure to do more with less. Staff are expected to deliver faster services, manage compliance, and meet the rising expectations of local residents.
To respond, many councils are adopting Microsoft technologies such as Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Dynamics 365, Copilot, and Fabric.
These tools are helping teams simplify daily work, make better use of data, and provide more transparent and responsive services to their communities.
In this blog, we look at how councils are using Microsoft 365 and related tools to modernise operations, improve decision-making, and strengthen trust with the communities they serve.
Making Work Easier for Council Staff
Ballarat Council: Building Apps Without Developers
Ballarat Council in Victoria is a strong example of how staff can create their own digital solutions. Using Power Apps, council employees have built over 300 applications and nearly 600 automations to replace manual processes.
These apps cover everything from swimming pool rosters to school crossing inspections and even the registration of gifts to council workers.
A key benefit is accessibility. Staff do not need advanced technical skills to build apps. If they can use Excel or PowerPoint, they can contribute ideas. This empowers staff, reduces paperwork, and brings everyday council processes online.
Hepburn Shire: Balancing Innovation with Security
Hepburn Shire Council also uses the Power Platform, but with a strong focus on governance. They have introduced clear rules and testing environments to ensure new apps are safe and reliable.
For example, requests from councillors are now handled through a secure digital process that ensures accountability and timely responses. This approach shows that innovation and data protection can go hand in hand.
Using Data to Make Smarter Decisions
Cardinia Shire: Building Trust Through Open Data
Cardinia Shire Council uses Power BI to share information directly with residents. On its website, locals can see statistics such as population growth and service response times.
This transparency helps residents understand how their rates are used, while staff save days of reporting effort. Information is now available in real time, building trust between the council and its community.
Whittlesea: Real-Time Insights from Sensors
The City of Whittlesea has introduced sensors across the municipality that feed data into Power BI. These sensors monitor activity such as park usage or the status of rubbish bins.
This real-time information helps staff prioritise services and allocate resources efficiently. In the future, sensors could even detect potholes before complaints are made. This would create faster and more proactive service delivery.
Improving Community Services
Penrith City Council: Preparing for AI
Penrith City Council is exploring Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft’s new AI assistant. CEO Jane Howard notes the importance of ensuring new technology genuinely helps staff and customers.
The council already manages more than 80,000 service requests annually using Dynamics 365, particularly in waste collection. Copilot has the potential to reduce the burden of repetitive tasks while improving the speed and quality of responses to residents.
City of Vincent: Secure Collaboration in the Cloud
The City of Vincent in Western Australia wanted to improve staff collaboration using SharePoint and Microsoft Teams. To meet privacy and compliance requirements, the council implemented strong security controls.
This has enabled safe online collaboration while protecting sensitive council information. The outcome is a balance between accessibility and compliance.
Meeting Compliance and Governance Requirements
Victorian Councils: Modernising Records Management
Several Victorian councils worked together to improve records management. By moving from legacy systems to modern, cloud-based solutions, they streamlined compliance and reduced the administrative burden on staff.
This has made it easier to find and manage records, ensuring transparency while saving time for council employees.
Learning from the Australian Government Copilot Trial
The Australian Government recently trialled Microsoft 365 Copilot with more than 7,000 public servants. The results showed strong potential, particularly in reducing repetitive administrative work.
For local councils, this reinforces the opportunity to adopt AI while supporting staff with training and change management.
Fabric: The Next Step in Data Integration
Microsoft Fabric is an emerging solution that connects different types of data across council systems. Councils manage large volumes of information on rates, assets, and services. Fabric brings this together into one trusted environment.
With Fabric, councils can identify trends more quickly, plan more effectively, and improve decision-making. Councils already using Microsoft 365 and Power Platform are well positioned to adopt Fabric when the time is right.
Key Lessons for Councils
From these examples, several lessons stand out:
Looking Ahead
Australian councils are showing how Microsoft 365 and related tools can drive real improvements in community outcomes.
From automating daily processes to sharing information openly and preparing for AI, these technologies are helping councils work smarter and deliver better services.
The opportunity now is for more councils to take the next step. By adopting solutions such as Copilot and Fabric, supported by strong governance and a focus on people, councils can continue to modernise and deliver measurable results.
At CG TECH, we partner with councils to plan, implement, and support Microsoft technologies in ways that deliver real outcomes.
Whether you want to modernise compliance, connect data across services, or prepare your organisation for AI, we can help you move forward with confidence.
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