Empowering Councillors in the Digital Age

Workshops: technology for elected officials

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, understanding and effectively governing technology investments is crucial for local government success.

Our tailored workshops equip elected officials with the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions about technology that impacts their communities.

Topics we cover

The technology we use in local government

We'll explain all about CRMs, NARs, ERPs and all the other TLAs (three letter acronyms) that we use in local government.

Smart cities

We'll discuss what makes a city smart - how data collected from a sensing city can be used to drive better decision making.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning

We'll explore the latest trends in AI and the impacts this technology will have on Council operations and service delivery.

IT operations

We'll talk about the service and value that a Council IT team delivers, and share some of the challenges they face.

IT governance

We'll explore the governance mechanisms that oversee your IT portfolio, including the role of Councillors.

Privacy, cybersecurity and ethics

We'll highlight some of the work you do to keep citizen data safe, secure and private. We'll facilitate a discussion on data ethics and discuss some of the risks that Councils face.

Transformation programs

We'll provide insight into the different sizes, shapes and approaches Councils take in designing transformation programs.

Open forum

This is a safe space to ask questions, with no topic off the table.

Every Council is different.

That's why our program is highly tailored to suit your unique context.

Get in touch

Details

Workshop structure

We understand the demanding schedule of elected officials and Council officers.

We offer flexible options to suit your circumstances:

Online or in-person delivery options
Convenient after-hours sessions (eg. after a Council meeting)
Flexible single or multi-session formats

Tailored to suit your Council

Every council's technology journey is unique. We customise the program by:

Assessing and matching content to your councillors' experience levels
Incorporating your specific technology investments and strategies
Offering co-delivery options with your IT team

Audience

As a Councillor, your ability to provide effective oversight and strategic direction depends on understanding both the opportunities and risks that technology presents. This course bridges knowledge gaps for new and returning Councillors, enabling you to fulfill your governance responsibilities with confidence.

Outcomes

Develop a comprehensive understanding of council and customer-facing technology
Gain insights into effective IT service management and governance
Master the evaluation of technology investments, including costs, benefits, and risks
Learn from real-world successes and failures in government IT implementations

Length

We offer different length programs:

Short courses (2 hours) that provide an overview of the key topics
Half day workshops where we can explore some of the topics in more detail, with case studies and opportunities for discussion
Full day or full day equivalent workshops, where we can dive deeper into the unique IT situation at your Council
Ongoing mentoring and support

Please contact us to discuss other options.

Investment

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About the facilitators

Chris O'Connor

Prior to joining Hypereal, Chris spent 20 years in federal and local government. His work has been at the cutting edge of digital, smart city, data and innovation programs – bringing a customer centred mindset, new ways of working and contemporary technologies to build better services.

Since joining Hypereal, Chris has consulted to Councils and other government authorities on digital programs, IT governance, service design and IT strategy.

Outside work Chris is busy with 3 young kids and is a keen, if not entirely gifted, MAMIL.

Cath Thompson

Cath is a doctoral candidate at the University of Melbourne, where her field of research is trust and trustworthiness in the digital world, and also a co-founder at consultancy Hypereal.

Cath has a long career in operations, finance and technology, including as Chief Procurement Officer at ANZ Bank and as a foundational leader at the Digital Transformation Office, where she and her team designed and built the federal Digital Marketplace. She also designed and built buy.nsw, contributed direction and strategy and expertise to the federal e-census, ICT procurement and cyber resilience taskforces, and delivered Services Australia's post-robodebt data trust and ethics framework.

Outside work, Cath is one of a handful of women to have raced in a world championship motorcycle Grand Prix and has at various times been a yoga teacher, ski instructor and competing bodybuilder.