01 July 2025

Smart councils turn to proven technology as budget pressures mount

Nothing ignites community backlash quite like a proposed council rate rise. North Sydney Council learned this in April, when its plan to increase rates by 87% made national headlines and was ultimately blocked by furious residents.

Community tolerance is even lower for councils that try to balance budgets by cutting services.

This puts councils on the horns of a dilemma, particularly in Victoria, where rate rises are capped at 3%.

Victorian councils must find smarter ways to reduce costs without compromising services.

Technology is at the core of the solution, but can also take councils from the frying pan into the fire.

Too often, councils that have been sold a technology dream by offshore software providers have encountered the same result: sky-high implementation costs, long delays, poor local support, and underwhelming outcomes.

In some cases, most famously Birmingham in the UK, implementation costs for technology bought on the promise of business efficiencies have blown out so dramatically that basic services delivered to the community have been cut.

The smarter approach? Partner with trusted local experts who understand the unique needs of councils and are invested in the success of Australian communities — not just in extracting value from them.

Wyndham City Council, one of Victoria’s fastest-growing regions, took this approach. Working with TechnologyOne, Wyndham completed a full system implementation on time and on budget. Within the first six weeks, the council automated nearly 12,000 service requests and generated more than 3,300 automatic work orders. Delivering faster, more efficient services to its residents.

In today’s economic climate, every dollar counts. Councils that avoid the hidden costs of offshore tech and invest in proven local solutions not only protect their budgets — they deliver better services for the communities they serve.