Digital innovation was the talking point when the Central Highlands’ councillors and senior staff hosted Mr Matt Schultz, City Digital Officer for the Ipswich City Council and Mr Steve Knight, Principal Digital Economy Officer with the Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation on Wednesday.
Mr Shultz made a presentation about his council’s progress with Smart Cities, an Australian Government funded initiative to, ‘improve the liveability, productivity and sustainability of cities and towns across Australia’.
Central Highlands’ Mayor Kerry Hayes said what stood out for him was the practicality of the presentations and how the examples could translate to our region.
‘I was really impressed by the progress Matt and the Ipswich City Council have made over the last eighteen months.
‘It’s great to share ideas and experiences with fellow councils and gives us a bench mark to strive towards.
CEO Scott Mason believes council needs to lead the way in bringing innovation to our communities.
‘It’s about working out where we want to go and what we want to achieve.
‘To walk the talk we need to demonstrate our own embracement of innovative technologies.
Council, in partnership with the Central Highlands Development Corporation, awarded the tender for a Detailed Digital and Telecommunications Audit to Gravelroad Group in February. This audit forms the basis of a project to determine priorities and identify opportunities to improve telecommunications and digital infrastructure in the region.
Phase two of this project, including stakeholder consultation, will commence next month.