A WORD FROM THE CEO
As we wave goodbye to the financial year, the past few weeks across local government have no doubt been filled with finalising budgets, planning for the year ahead, and checking off those final expenditures. It is also likely that many of us have been leaning on our finance and procurement teams with all kinds of last-minute questions, so a sincere shoutout to these essential business units across every council and subsidiary in South Australia. Your hard work and support are truly valued. |
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It has also been a busy and rewarding time here at LG Professionals SA. We recently hosted our LG Professionals SA Economic Development Conference, bringing together professionals from across the state for a day of learning, connection and sector insight. The feedback has been outstanding, with attendees sharing that they took a great deal away from the program and valued the opportunity to connect with peers working across economic development in local government.
We are delighted to congratulate our 2026 Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) participants, who have recently commenced their ELP journey. We look forward to supporting them as they build their skills, confidence and connections throughout the program. Congratulations also to our 2025 Ignite Program participants, who recently graduated from the program. This is a significant achievement, and we are proud to celebrate your commitment to professional growth.
Our Network Forums and Global Insight Online Forums have continued to provide valuable opportunities for members to connect, learn and share ideas, and our Lunch and Learn series continues to thrive, with hundreds of local government professionals joining us so far. These free for Members monthly sessions remain a practical way for staff across South Australia to learn something new over their lunch break.
As your Membership Association, we are so grateful for your ongoing support and investment in your teams. It's membership renewal time! For those due for renewal, we have been in touch with your organisation's contact person, so please send through your renewal form promptly if you're wishing to renew. We look forward to continuing to support all staff in local government on their leadership journey in 2026-2027 and beyond.
In the coming months, we will be sharing information about all of our Leadership Programs for 2027. I encourage you to take note of these opportunities as they are released and use them to start conversations with your managers about the professional development that could support your next step.
This is a jam-packed edition, full of updates, insights and stories from your peers. Scroll on to learn more and connect with what is happening across the sector.
Best wishes,
Rhiannon |
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THE EMERGING LEADERS PROGRAM KICKS OFF FOR 2026!
A huge welcome to our 2026 Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) participants, who have now kicked off their development and education journey!
Our extremely popular Emerging Leaders Program is now in its 21st year, and late last month we welcomed 28 emerging leaders from across the sector, beginning their 7-month experiential learning program, consisting of 8 modules plus a group project.
Our cohort this year consists of (in alphabetical order of last name): Kimi Claessen, Jordan Crabtree, Danielle Crisci, Pia Daniells, Kurtis Eichler, Daniel Eldic, Joshua Fraser, Meaghan Gibbs, Dave Gregory, Thomas Hogan, Anna Kantilaftas, Kaushal Karki, Kate Lock, Cameron Lyle, Jaimie Martin, Ashleigh Norton, Emily Pemberton, Maddy Pulling, Jeffery Purves, Jenny Reyes, Grayson Wayne Saruwaka, Denish Shah, Shaun Smith, Karan Sobti, Simone Stretton, Daryl Tian, Yihong Wang and Lisa Warren.
Congratulations to all for your commitment to your development and for what you will achieve in these months ahead!
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CONGRATS TO OUR 2025 IGNITE PROGRAM GRADUATES!
This month we recognised and celebrated last year's Ignite Program cohort at their program graduation.
Our 2025 cohort consisted of (in alphabetical order of last name): Ruby Balmer, Chris Carrey, Mauricio Chiappe, Daniel Flowers, Mia Hamilton, Cameron Hill, Adam Kromkamp, Beth MacGillivray, Henry Mathews, Alyce McKay, CJ Munn, Simon Neumann, Ivan Nolte, Charlotte Oldfield, Fiona Opitz, Justine Perry, Scott Pittaway, Aaron Reddy, Stevie Robinson, Natali Rojas Palacio, Caleb Snodgrass, John Straccia and Kimberley Wandel.
This 10-month program, spanning 12 program days plus an orientation session and graduation, is designed to enable those who have limited experience in managing and leading people to develop the competencies to set them up for success in their role. Upon successful completion of this program, graduates receive the nationally recognised qualification Certificate IV in Leadership and Management.
Congratulations to you all - we can’t wait to see what awaits you next!
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COUNCILS TACKLING HOMELESSNESS
Thursday 2 July 2026
This Forum brings together two experienced local government professionals in the field of homelessness to share their experience and insight. You will hear methods for strengthening relationships across the sector and practical ways councils can collaborate, particularly with councils of similar demographics, to coordinate responses, reduce duplication, and scale approaches that deliver results. We will also discuss how councils can clarify their role, use their influence and levers, and take shared responsibility for supporting their communities.
Proudly delivered in partnership with LG Professionals NSW.
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INCREMENTAL INNOVATION
Thursday 13 August 2026
This session explores how two councils have successfully embedded incremental innovation and continuous improvement into their operations. They will share their experiences, demonstrating how creating space for staff to contribute ideas, test them safely, and refine workflows can transform organisational performance. Participants will gain practical insights and real examples that can be applied within their own roles in local government.
Proudly delivered in partnership with LG Professionals NSW.
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LG PROFESSIONALS SA NETWORK LUNCH AND LEARN SERIES: SPARK PROGRAM - COMMUNITY-LED SOLUTIONS TO LONELINESS
Tuesday 14 July 2026
Join us for our next Network Lunch and Learn Session, hosted by the
LG Professionals SA Community Development Network.
Loneliness is a growing challenge across communities, requiring evidence-based, locally led approaches to build connection, belonging and wellbeing.
Join Dr Nadia Corsini, Associate Research Professor at Adelaide University, for a practical session exploring Spark, a community-led initiative designed to ignite local solutions to end loneliness. Spark evolved from The Loneliness Project, a community co-design collaboration between the University of South Australia and The Hut Community Centre, which brought together community members, partners and volunteers to create evidence-based responses to loneliness.
This webinar will be delivered via Zoom. Please be aware that our Network Lunch & Learn Series is open to LG Professionals SA Members only. |
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LG PROFESSIONALS SA 2026
PEOPLE AND CULTURE NETWORK CONFERENCE: CULTURE BY DESIGN
Friday 24 July 2026 Join us at the 2026 LG Professionals SA People and Culture Network Conference - Culture by Design. This conference brings together local government people and culture professionals for a practical, future-focused day dedicated to shaping workplaces with intention, courage and care, and explores how communication, capability, mental safety and values-driven leadership intersect to create strong, sustainable council cultures.
Through engaging keynotes, real-world council case examples and an interactive panel, attendees will gain fresh insights into psychosocial risk, workforce capability uplift and cultural transformation in the local government sector. From building confidence and connection, to creating mentally safe workplaces and embracing constructive “good trouble,” the program is designed to be relevant, practical and energising. Join peers from across the sector to learn, reflect and connect, and leave equipped with ideas and tools you can apply immediately to design culture that delivers for people, councils and communities.
This conference is open to all local government people and culture, work health safety and human resource professionals - we also strongly encourage anyone who works closely with people and culture or with a passion or role in leading the future of the local government workforce to attend. |
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How Russell King’s bold thinking, practical innovation and generous mentorship has shaped councils across South Australia
When Russell King first stepped into local government, he did not expect to stay long.
Fresh from a civil engineering degree, he was unsure whether a career built around rigid rules, formulas and technical manuals was the right fit. Then came a short-term maternity leave backfill role at the City of Port Adelaide Enfield.
Within a month, everything changed.
“I was in love with the work,” Russell reflects. “Dealing with the community, solving problems at the grassroots level, and using creativity and lateral thinking to solve tricky problems.”
More than two decades later, that same sense of purpose continues to drive him. Now recognised with the Outstanding Contribution to Local Government Award at the 2026
LG Professionals SA 25th Annual Leadership Excellence Awards, Russell’s career stands as a powerful reminder that infrastructure is never just about roads, drains or kerbs. At its best, it is about making everyday life better for communities.
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We caught up with Danielle Crisci, Riverland Preventive Health Project Officer, Berri Barmera Council, about what led her to join the Emerging Leaders Program, her biggest takeaway from the Opening Retreat, and what she's most looking forward to as part of the Program.
What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?
As someone early in my career, I saw the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) as a valuable opportunity to build my local government knowledge and leadership capabilities.The passion I have for my role drives me to continuously seek opportunities for growth and development, so I can deliver better outcomes for the community and council. With aspirations to create meaningful impact throughout my career, the program felt like the perfect opportunity to invest in myself and my future as a leader.
What was your biggest takeaway from the opening retreat?
Leadership has a different meaning for different people. The retreat reinforced the importance of perspective and highlighted that there is no single definition of a leader. It encouraged me to reflect on the type of leader I want to be, and I discovered my passion lies in being a leader of change. Someone who can inspire new ways of thinking and create positive outcomes for communities. |
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What are you most looking forward to as the program progresses? I’m looking forward to continuing to learn, grow, and build meaningful connections with the ELP 2026 cohort as the program progresses, and into the future. Meeting the ELP cohort during the opening retreat was both enjoyable and energising. The networking opportunities and conversations with people from across the sector have been so fascinating and one of many highlights so far. I am grateful to share and experience this opportunity with such a diverse and supportive group of emerging leaders. |
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Danielle Crisci
Riverland Preventive
Health Project Officer
Berri Barmera Council |
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YOUR NEEDS, YOUR MEMBERSHIP
It's membership renewal time! We look forward to continuing to support all staff in local government on their leadership journey in 2026-27 and beyond. Our friendly team has been in touch with your organisations contact person. If you are still wishing to renew, please get in contact with our team and send through your renewal form promptly.
As your Membership Association, we are so grateful for your ongoing support, and investment in your teams. |
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4. EXPAND YOUR INFLUENCE
Our range of Leadership Programs and Short Courses provide professional development opportunities, for every stage of your career journey with content contextualised for the local government sector.
Learn more about what your LG Professionals SA Membership offers you. |
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NEW
MEMBERS
Welcome
to our 39 new Members! Click here to see the list.
We look forward to
providing support and professional development and networking
opportunities
through every stage of your local government career. |
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This month we spoke with Chris McDermott, Manager City Operations at the City of West Torrens, about his role, his learnings and takeaways from completing the Change Drivers Program, and how time around the bonfire contributes to a fresh perspective at work.
What is your role and how long have you been in local government?
I am the Manager City Operations at the City of West Torrens and have close to 30 years' experience in local government. My career has included roles with the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters and the City of Salisbury, where I have built strong expertise in operational leadership and service delivery. Read more... |
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Chris McDermott
Manager City Operations
City of West Torrens
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LG PROFESSIONALS SA WOMEN'S NETWORK FORUM: THE STORIES WE LEAD FROM
Thursday 30 July 2026
Join us for the LG Professionals SA Women's Network Forum: The Stories We Lead From. Step into a thoughtfully curated space where leadership is explored as both a practice and a lived experience. This Forum invites women to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the stories, values, and moments that shape who they are and how they lead. Through Sharon Mason’s insights on values-based leadership and Joanna Giannes’ exploration of storytelling as a leadership practice, you’ll be encouraged to lead with greater intention, clarity, and authenticity. Personal stories shared by speakers from across the sector - some newly forging their path, others who have built long careers in and adjacent to local government - offer honest reflections on resilience, purpose, and navigating change, reminding us that leadership rarely follows a straight path. Together, this session creates an opportunity to connect meaningfully and leave with renewed confidence in your own voice and impact.
Forum runs on Thursday 30 July 2026 from 9:30AM - 12:30PM at the Arts Centre, 22 Gawler Street, Port Noarlunga and via Zoom.
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How the District Council of Yankalilla transformed
placements into real project delivery, stronger capability and better outcomes
for community
For small rural councils, big ambitions often come with a
familiar challenge: limited budgets, stretched teams and growing expectations
from the community.
At the District Council of Yankalilla, that reality sparked
a practical question with powerful potential. What if student placements were
not treated as observational experiences, but as a genuine way to deliver
meaningful council work?
The answer became Small Council, Strong Capability, a
workforce development initiative that has reimagined how small councils can
build internal capability, deliver priority projects and create valuable
pathways for the next generation of local government professionals.
Now recognised with the Excellence in People and Culture
Award at the 2026
LG Professionals SA 25th Annual Leadership Excellence
Awards, the initiative is proving that innovation does not always require new
funding. Sometimes, it starts with reframing what is already possible.
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WATCH OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT CHALLENGE HIGHLIGHT VIDEO!
Let's throwback to our Local Government Management Challenge in May 2026! Watch now to experience the challenge, or remember the day that shot by in a flash. Thank you to Stray Creative for joining us and pulling together these highlights of the day.
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INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Wednesday 29 July 2026
Wednesday 4 November 2026
This
course is designed to cover the basic principles of managing projects to help
you plan, control and organise activities to ensure that you are delivering
successful projects every time. It is best suited for staff who may be new to
managing projects or have not previously undertaken any formal project
management training.
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AI TRANSFORMATION: INTRODUCTION TO AI
Wednesday 19 August
Discover
not only why integrating AI into your work is essential for the future but also
how to implement it ethically and responsibly. Learn practical strategies to
leverage AI effectively while mitigating risks and ensuring that your adoption
of this inevitable technology is both impactful and safe. Want to supercharge your AI learning? We recommend registering for AI Bootcamp as well to make it a full day of learning.
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AI BOOTCAMP
Wednesday 19 August 2026
This is a detailed and immersive workshop designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge to harness the full potential of free AI software and programs easily available to you, and to understand more of Microsoft Copilot Pro. You’ll explore how to use free AIs safely, while understanding the difference between free and paid options currently within the market.
Want to supercharge your AI learning? We recommend registering for AI Transformation: Introduction to AI as well to make it a full day of learning.
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UNLOCKING THE POWER OF AI WITH MICROSOFT COPILOT
Thursday 27 August 2026
This engaging and immersive workshop is designed to empower participants with the practical skills and knowledge to confidently understand the full potential of all versions of Microsoft Copilot. The session includes Copilot Free, Copilot for Windows 11, Copilot Chat, CoPilot Pro and Microsoft 365 Copilot, along with brief insights of additional offerings such as Copilot for Sales, Service, Studio, GitHub Copilot, and integrated tools like Loop, Pages, and BizChat.
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SPEAK WITH INFLUENCE, NEGOTIATE WITH EASE
Friday 28 August 2026
For the first time, our Speak With Influence, Negotiate With Ease short course will be held online via Zoom. Get in quick to secure your spot in this engaging and accessible learning format.
This course will provide you with an insight into your current communication, negotiation and influencing styles. Course facilitator, Gary Edwards, will share a range of tools and frameworks that will enable you to communicate more effectively in any situation.
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ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Friday 18 September 2026
Whether you’re leading infrastructure upgrades, delivering community programs or improving internal processes, strong project management skills are essential. And as local government professionals, we should be leading the way.
This course will explore project leadership and you will learn how to manage some of the challenges faced when managing big projects in a local government context.
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POWERFUL BUSINESS WRITING
Tuesday 27 October 2026
The ability to write clearly, precisely, powerfully and persuasively is a key skill that enables you to summarise and present ideas, build relationships and gain commitment to action. It can also demonstrate your knowledge, confidence and professionalism.
This course uses your own writing examples to demonstrate the use of Plain English principles and persuasive writing techniques.
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PERFORMANCE COACHING
Monday 9 November 2026
This
course enables participants to develop skills and confidence in holding performance conversations in an easy and comfortable environment. Participants are provided
opportunities to engage with a new and contemporary approach. They will prepare
for effective performance conversations in their workplace.
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Looking for a specific short course or want to secure your place in the next scheduled session? Express your interest for the variety of our short courses on offer through
LG Professionals SA here.
See a course that you would like to deliver in-house directly to your employees at your Council or Subsidiary? Please reach out to Jade Falco, Training and Development Officer at jade@lgprofessionalssa.org.au. |
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FROM OUR COPORATE PARTNER, BRM ADVISORY
As AI moves from being an experimental toy to an everyday tool, water-cooler debates rage about whether it's leading us to a utopian or dystopian future. Our take is that AI is powerful, but no algorithm knows your council and community like you do. We are reminded of this daily as we work with councils across the state to deliver reviews, provide specialist advice and prepare plans and strategies. You are a synthesising, sense-making, super-machine. You know your council and communities better than a computer ever will, informed by a lifetime of experiences. Across projects big and small, we’re seeing how AI is helping councils achieve more, but it is not replacing human judgement. We are particularly excited to be working with the City of Charles Sturt to develop AI-enabled tools to organise and draw insights from a deep knowledge base, aligned with the council’s values, and configured to deliver a dynamic City Plan. Reach out if you’d like to chat more about how councils and their consultants are using AI to more effectively tackle challenges via our website or LinkedIn.
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Please save the date for the following LG Professionals SA events for 2026. If you are planning a local government event, we invite you to contact us to avoid date clashes.
Friday 30 October 2026 - LG Professionals SA Women's Network Conference
Registrations and further details on our events will be released soon! |
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LG PROFESSIONALS SA SPONSORSHIP AND CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS
Do you work for or know an organisation who would be interested in gaining exposure to local government professionals through sponsorship with LG Professionals SA?
As a not-for-profit association, LG Professionals SA rely on the support of sponsors to be able to continue to deliver the range of high quality events and professional development programs that we are known for.
Partnering with sponsors also creates opportunities for our members to learn, build
relationships and receive best value. Please contact Megan Down, Manager - Events and Partnerships, for further details on corporate partnership opportunities.
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ABOUT
LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROFESSIONALS AUSTRALIA, SA
LG
Professionals SA is a not-for-profit member based association representing
professionals working in local government in South Australia.
We have
the ability to link and connect people from different councils who may not
otherwise form relationships or share.
Our high
quality professional development programs and networking events are uniquely
local government – reflective of the culture of the sector and sensitive to the
needs of its
professionals.
The
content of our events and programs are informed by our members and people who
genuinely care about the sector.
We
provide a safe and supportive environment in which to grow and learn while
creating
opportunities to make time away from the office to work on the
business or on self.
We award and acknowledge
achievements of excellence. |
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