Secret amalgamation report to remain buried

A secret report used to justify the NSW government’s program of council amalgamations will remain under wraps.

11 September, 2019

Councils struggle on road to transformation

Lack of skills, leadership and resources are hampering council attempts to transform customer experience.

26 August, 2019

Information technology: the great enabler

Having the right IT can enable councils to be more community-focused and service-led.

8 April, 2019

New frameworks for governance in local government

Every organisation needs effective governance frameworks to thrive and survive.

3 March, 2019

Governments must collaborate on bioenergy: report

The Commonwealth could generate regional jobs and reduce waste by stimulating Australia’s bioenergy sector, a new analysis says. 

4 December, 2018

Don’t let the ‘tail wag the dog’ on driverless cars

With autonomous vehicles increasingly touted as a panacea for infrastructure and transport woes, an advisor says a focus on the potential impacts on people is needed.

23 August, 2018

Council grants shake-up for Sunshine State

Queensland is set to reform its process for allocating grants to councils with the State Government providing $4.5 million to tackle the long-running issue in its budget this week.

15 June, 2018

Cities globally ‘need to talk’ about their issues

Metropolitan Australia isn’t alone in facing challenges like population growth and climate change and could learn from other cities, an international expert tells Government News.

22 March, 2018

Experts flag lack of accountability in procurement contracts

Current contract arrangements often prevent consultants from being held accountable for the advice they give to government while ambiguous reporting makes it difficult to determine the value for money of outsourced work.

19 March, 2018

Australia in the slow lane on autonomous vehicles

Australia ranks only 14th (out of 20 countries rated) in its preparedness for autonomous vehicles, according to a new report. KPMG’s new global ‘Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index’ report rates four factors for autonomous vehicles (AVs) readiness. Australia scores reasonably well on AV-related policy and legislation, but after the demise of local vehicle manufacturing, rates very […]

18 January, 2018

Demountable classrooms here to stay in NSW

More than 10 percent of the classrooms in New South Wales public schools are demountables, built and maintained by the state’s growing prison population. Despite the Government saying they are a temporary fix, its own numbers show the numbers are rising and that there is no clear policy to replace them with permanent buildings. Indeed, […]

29 October, 2017

How KPMG sees the future of local government

How can local government continue to meet the needs of residents and provide excellence in services, and still stay on budget? Do services need to be point scored to be considered as core essentials? What are the best ways to drive efficiency? The pressures on local government to get key investment, resource allocation and delivery […]

12 October, 2017

Service NSW – Popular, but expensive

Service NSW, the NSW Government’s ‘one stop shop’ program, is proving popular with the public. But it has been expensive, and will take more than three years longer to recoup its investment than what the Government said. Both the NSW Opposition and Fairfax Media have obtained copies of an unreleased KPMG report into Service NSW’s costs. […]

7 October, 2017

Woollahra Council set for High Court showdown with Berejiklian over merger

Residents could take up the fight if council loses.

2 May, 2017