Rewiring Public Services ‘The Better Way’

1. Rewiring Public Services ‘The Better Way’

2. Now, LG is at the crossroads The perfect storm or the perfect opportunity? • LG has always been, and is, the ‘poor relation’ of the public sector. Almost an afterthought. • Many Councils have real issues re financial sustainability: struggling to deliver, skills loss • 2 speed LG economy (rich and poor) • Councils are still doing things ‘their own way’ = duplication and waste • turbulent change as we rush towards the Digital Society and Digital Government with an ageing population • the public sector pursues reform: do more with less • more change in the next 5-10 years than in the last 30 years

3. LG current • Communities/citizens expectations are rising rapidly (24x7 and NOW and co-design) - but disengaged communities • Most Councils can’t fund their infrastructure backlog • Most Councils struggling to deliver services • Councils continue to do things 560/79 times: duplication • State Govt will not connect • Commonwealth funding for LG is reducing • Most Councils can’t scale the ‘Digital Divide’ • Individual Councils don’t have the resources to leverage the benefits of technology • Councils are rapidly losing skills and knowledge • Councils continue to expand the scope of their services

4. The internet of everything • 1990s-2000: ‘the internet will change everything’ • As if! • Well, it has and we ain’t seen nothin’ yet! • Almost every organisation is re-thinking their business model and transforming service delivery strategies (which cloud?) • World is transforming into a networked, collaborative society • Next 5-10 years: the Internet of Everything • Network of networks (everything connected) • Linking people, processes, data and things • Gov 2.0: putting government in the hands of citizens with infrastructure platforms, open data • Will redefine government: community-based leadership emerging • Does LG have a game plan? Is it in any plan? Is this a threat or an opportunity?

5. The Future of public services • Existing public services and funding are fragmented: do not address local needs

7. The Future of public services • Existing public services are fragmented: do not address local needs • 19th century Government/Council silos will be replaced by collaborative, joined-up government in the cloud: better connecting people and services • We are experiencing a sea-change in the way people expect to interact with service providers • Commonwealth and State Govts are planning for Digital Government but LG needs to be includedin ‘whole of government’ planning • What about LG? • We need a game plan: we need to be at the table • They should be saying: ‘we can’t do it without LG’ • What are they saying? ‘We’re planning our system: we’ll may give you a pipe’= opportunity for LG to lead (or be the dinosaur facing?)

8. Transforming into • Society • Citizens • Government • Local Govt. • Networks of networks Now • Networks Now Local • Move from silos to citizen-centric ‘joined up’ government (seamless) • Facilitates/brokers local outcomes • Source of most public sector info’ • Leader or lagger? • Councils of the Future ‘plan the plan’ • Major change management challenge

9. Current example: roads • Australia has 810,000 kms of roads (& an ageing population) • 81% managed by LG • Some rural Councils spend more than half their total annual turnover on roads • There is no national road data framework • Councils classify roads in various ways • Some freight routes stop at Council boundaries • Some road managers cannot afford to maintain their roads • Separate planning for State and Council roads • Funding for roads is by formula, not need (metro ‘rich’ vs rural ‘poor’)

10. Roads: the future • Roads will be planned and managed on a regional network basis (State and local) • Maintenance is being increasingly outsourced • Road funding will be allocated according to projected need: close the gaps (required level of service vs actual condition): PC Inquiry • Starting point: road data from all road managers can be aggregated by using a common road data model • Question: Position of LG?

11. Public Sector: Principles for the future • The public sector (FSL) exists to meet citizen and community needs • The public sector needs to become • more productive (remove duplication and waste) • more responsive • more innovative and increase the transparency and quality of engagement with citizens

12. Principles for the future • Digital Government is coming • The 3 levels of government need to work more collaboratively so citizens have a seamless experience: • integrated systems (one record per citizen) • integrated planning (eg. road network) • one answer regardless of who supplies it • tell your story once • Open Government: citizens can access public information and can have input and influence to improve quality of decision-making (co-design)

13. Principles for the future • Citizens can easily find, understand and act on G information and services • Assume many citizens will prefer online services • There is a need for consistent data models to feed into: • One library system • One regional road network: $ go to close gaps • Health system: one network: tell your story once • etc • Focus on the digitally disadvantaged

14. The Better Way: LG leading • Community driven • Untied Funding • Each local community identifies and documents its own priorities on a regular basis (used to inform Council plans) • existing Commonwealth/State funding arrangements for local government are not addressing areas of real need: to be reviewed, with the aims of: -reducing the 2 speed LG syndrome (sharing the burden more equitably) -providing more pooled funding with more local discretion to be applied to identified local community priorities (place-based treasury, untied funding). Refer UK trends Local Government to propose new model for consideration

15. The Better Way: LG leading • Scope of LG activities • Is there a better way? • 3. Develop LG Digital Business Strategy • Local Councils meet in their regional groups and identify what are core and non-core LG activities • Local Councils meet in their regional groups and identify what is best managed at the State/regional/local level • MAV and Councils identify new business model/plan

16. The Better Way: LG leading • Regional ‘one stop shops’ • Information Management • Local Councils and State departments (regional managers) meet in their regional groups and identify the best regional structure to manage regional service activities: one stop shops (regional and local) to provide a seamless experience for citizens. Develop collaborative service strategies • Each Council commits to plan for ‘single point of truth’ outcomes (eg. one name & address file) • map information flows between State and local governments

17. The Better Way: LG leading • Regional collaboration: ‘low hanging fruit’ • Local Councils meet in their regional groups and identify low hanging fruit for collaboration • Identify cross-government pilots