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Executive Summary
Northern Beaches Council in Sydney is unlike many other local councils across NSW due to its size, level of digital innovation and ability to generate revenue. The council services close to 300,000 residents and 34,000 small businesses that generate a gross regional product of around $17 billion. It also has assets totalling around $6 billion, which makes it larger than the likes of Coca-Cola and Medibank in Australia.
The organisation was established in May 2016 as a result of a merger between Manly, Pittwater and Warringah councils.
Northern Beaches, like other local councils across Australia, has a challenge when it comes to digital transformation. The sheer breadth and diversity of services and operating structures means that a unified, resourced and funded “top-down” approach can be difficult to achieve.
However, most ratepayers now want access to integrated digital services, which means councils are under pressure to provide content to a new generation of digitally savvy consumers. They expect to pay rates, apply for permits, book rubbish collections and more online.
This case study will explore:
- How the council’s IT team, led by CIO Naren Gangavarapu, integrated and then modernised weak and siloed tech infrastructure inherited after the merger of three councils on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
- The creation of a circular economy where electronic waste is prevented from entering landfill and money earned from the trade of recyclable materials is redistributed across the community.
- How AI is helping lift the council’s cyber maturity, monitor the wellbeing of staff and assess coastal erosion in the local area, as well as improve coding practices.
To help guide this case study, ADAPT invited Northern Beaches Council to complete a short version of our Exponential Value Roadmap (EVR) survey. This framework helps organisations progress their modernisation journey. It does this by assessing their current business maturity and how well it is being optimised to create value within the organisation and across its customers and ecosystem.
