Please see below for scheduled programs and events. We also have Expressions of Interest open for our Short Courses.
The LG Professionals SA Ignite Program is a leadership learning path for supervisors, team leaders and coordinators in local government across South Australia.
The focus of the program is to enable those who have limited experience in managing and leading people to develop the competencies required to be successful in their role.
Download the full prospectus here.
Registrations at our events and programs are open to Local Government Professionals Australia, SA members, council employees, employees of regional subsidiaries and Local Government Professionals Australia, SA invited guests unless specified otherwise on the event or program brochure.
By registering for this event/forum/program you will be subscribed to the LG Professionals SA mailing list. Should you wish to unsubscribe at any time, please email eve@lgprofessionalssa.org.au.
The Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) is a program aimed to provide participants with a greater level of comprehension and understanding of local government; increased understanding of leadership concepts and practices and how to integrate these learnings into the workplace, increased confidence; enhanced self-awareness; an appreciation of and an ability to work with different personality types; the opportunity to challenge their assumptions.
The 2025 Emerging Leaders Program has currently sold out. Please join our waitlist in case a place becomes available.
Download the prospectus here.
By registering for this event/forum/program you will be subscribed to the LG Professionals SA mailing list. Should you wish to unsubscribe at any time, please email admin@lgprofessionalssa.org.au.
Join us for an eye-opening and educational session on the potential of AI!
Discover how AI is enhancing productivity, transforming industries and unlocking new opportunities to be efficient. We’ll delve into the benefits of AI and its offerings; from automating routine tasks to driving innovation. Learn how AI has been used for years up until this point, and how AI has developed over time to be more accessible and user-friendly as ever.
To support you in your journey, this session will explore the challenges and risks associated with AI, including ethical concerns, job displacement, and data privacy issues. Learn practical strategies to mitigate these problems and harness AIs full potential responsibly. Whether you’re an industry professional or just curious about AI, this session is your gateway to understanding and mastering the future.
Suitable for: All staff within local government, as your first step into AI.
Key learnings:
This session will provide you with an introductory overview into AI, focusing on the different platforms, how you can integrate AI into your daily work, and the current best practice governance on use.
This course will be delivered online via Zoom.
For more information, visit lgprofessionalssa.org.au/ai-training
Learn how to use AI to enhance your local government workday.
AI is revolutionising the way we work - join us in this hands-on session designed to equip you with practical skills for leveraging ai tools effectively within your workplace.
Suitable for: All staff within local government who hold a general understanding of AI including principles, ethics and AI tools; especially suited for those who complete their work frequently on their computers.
Looking to gain a basis of understanding with AI? Check out our AI Transformation: Introduction to AI short course.
This session has been designed to:
For more information, visit lgprofessionalssa.org.au/ai-bootcamp
Join the LG Professionals SA People and Culture Network as they explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping strategic workforce planning, workforce development and management within local government. Attendees will gain insights into innovative AI applications, hear practical case studies, and engage in forward-thinking discussions about strategic workforce planning (SWP) enhanced by technologies.
This Forum will be held on Wednesday 15 October 2025 from 9:15AM – 1:15PM at Tiwu Kumungka Blackwood and via Zoom
Further information on each session is below:
Setting the Scene – The transformative potential of AI in Workforce Development
Wendy PerryManaging Director, Workforce BluePrint
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant future, it’s an essential part of how local government workforce professionals shape the talent landscape, today and tomorrow. Dive into the transformative potential of AI in workforce development with Wendy Perry, Managing Director of Workforce BluePrint as she highlights how AI-driven tools and techniques are revolutionising every step of strategic workforce planning.
Wendy has a strong reputation as a leading authority on Strategic Workforce Planning & Development and is passionate about the potential for AI to re-shape the future of strategic workforce planning. She has designed and implemented systems for strategic workforce planning and development, entrepreneurship and education throughout her career, working across Australia, and internationally.
Workforce planning traditionally requires the meticulous gathering, analysis, and interpretation of vast amounts of data - often a complex and time-consuming challenge. With AI, particularly advanced language models and custom-trained AI chatbots, workforce professionals can now rapidly process and synthesise large volumes of evidence and intelligence, making workforce insights more accurate, timely, and actionable.
Wendy will also be facilitating an interactive session: AI Tools and Strategic Foresight in Workforce Planning.
Drawing on extensive experience working with businesses and councils, Wendy will:
Local Government Case Study – City of Mitcham Kate O'Neill, General Manager Community and Organisational Services, will take us through Mitcham’s transformative journey with AI over the past 12 months. As a strategic priority for the organisation, AI has been actively embraced across teams, with Co-pilot becoming a key enabler in daily work. From early experimentation to confident adoption, Mitcham’s people have leaned into the possibilities of AI. Now, with growing momentum and engagement, the focus shifts to shaping the future, developing a clear strategy to embed AI into the organisation’s culture and operations.
Strategic Workforce Planning at Scale - Lessons from Defence and Nuclear Join Ben Keen, General Manager City Development, City of Marion and Chris Saint, Senior Nuclear & Submarine Manager, Babcock as they unpack how Babcock has enabled strategic workforce planning across global Defence and nuclear programs. You’ll see how an integrated approach supports long-range planning (3–10+ years) for workforces in the tens of thousands, while also driving operational/tactical actions (1–2 years) and clear individual development pathways for line managers and team members.
The session will showcase tools and methods that proved resilient through COVID, anticipate demographic shifts such as retirement waves, and map capability requirements vs actual to target training that closes gaps. Expect practical takeaways on scenario planning, pipeline visibility, and governance that translate across sectors—whether you’re building future-ready capability or tightening near-term workforce execution.
Workforce data at scale in the South Australian public sector: Trusted foundations for AI enablement
Join Kevin Paul, Manager, Workforce Business Intelligence at the Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment (OCPSE), as he shares how OCPSE enables South Australian public sector agencies to move from static reports to reusable workforce data assets that leaders can trust. This session will explore the essentials that make AI safe and useful at scale: shared definitions, data quality assessments, lineage, and role-based access, with self-service delivered as a product. You will see how these foundations power the annual State of the Sector reporting and support evidence-based decision-making across agencies, shortening cycle times, aligning metrics, and strengthening planning at multiple horizons, from operational delivery to strategic capability building.
A short demo will showcase AccuFind, an AI-based policy platform that delivers targeted, auditable guidance. By navigating complex policy and legal frameworks in real time, it reduces time to decision-making, empowers teams with clearer next steps, and strengthens compliance.
Hot Topics and Open Discussion The forum will close with an interactive discussion on emerging challenges, opportunities, and next steps for collaborative workforce planning across councils.
Registrations for this forum are open to Local Government Professionals Australia, SA members, council employees, employees of regional subsidiaries and Local Government Professionals Australia, SA invited guests.
By registering for this forum you will be subscribed to the LG Professionals SA mailing list. Should you wish to unsubscribe at any time, please email admin@lgprofessionalssa.org.au.
Many leaders find conversations about performance to be difficult and too often avoid them altogether. Providing feedback, particularly when a team member’s performance falls short of expectations is one of the most critical functions a leader performs. Yet for many this is one of the most dreaded and avoided.
This program enables participants to develop skills and confidence in holding these 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.
Visit https://www.lgprofessionalssa.org.au/performance-coaching for more information.
You’re invited to the LG Professionals SA Business Performance and Improvement Network for their final Forum of the year - Innovation vs. Continuous Improvement: Competing Forces or Perfect Partners?
Join us for a thought-provoking morning designed to challenge assumptions, inspire creativity, and strengthen your approach to improvement and innovation. You’ll hear real-world insights and practical tools to drive change!
Start your morning with Dr Lisa Bailey, Director of MOD (Museum of Discovery) where she will help us explore the “preposterous” ideas that could shape tomorrow’s essential services and hear from the City of Marion who are embarking on a journey to embed a culture of continuous improvement.
We’ll end the forum with a staff led panel discussion to challenge the notion that innovation is more valuable than continuous improvement - guaranteed to spark discussion and new perspectives and invite participants to discover how Design Thinking can help you ideate and visualise new solutions, then put your learning into practice back in your workplace as a true change maker.
Don’t miss the opportunity to explore whether innovation and continuous improvement are truly competing forces - or the perfect partners for progress.
Welcome to City of Playford
Jo Edwards
Manager - Community Insights, City of Playford
From Probable to Preposterous: Imagining Possibilities to Shape Better Futures
Dr Lisa Bailey
Director, Museum of Discovery (MOD)
What if the most 'preposterous’ ideas today become tomorrow's essential services? In this session Lisa will discuss how futures thinking can help identify when you need innovation rather than business-as-usual improvements.
Dr Lisa Bailey is Director of MOD, Australia's award-winning future-focused museum at the University of South Australia. With a PhD in biochemistry, she transitioned from bench research to science communication, working at cultural institutions including the Royal Institution of Great Britain and The Royal Institution of Australia. She served as president of Australian Science Communicators from 2018-2021 and has lectured in Science Communication at Flinders University. At MOD, Lisa leads innovative approaches to science communication and futures thinking, creating accessible experiences that help diverse audiences engage with complex ideas and contemplate possibilities for shaping better futures.
Continuous Improvement Framework at the City of Marion Claire Bircumshaw
Change Manager, City of Marion
The City of Marion is on a journey to embed continuous improvement into its everyday way of working across the organisation. Hear about their progress so far, the lessons they’ve learned, and what lies ahead as they continue to grow and strengthen a culture of continuous improvement.
Driving organisational excellence by supporting change initiatives and embedding a culture of continuous improvement focussed on the customer and improved community outcomes. Claire’s role guides employees through change, promotes innovation, and empowers staff with problem-solving skills to strengthen capability across the organisation.
Ignite Your Thinking
In the pursuit of progress, innovation is more valuable than continuous improvement. Our panel of speakers will 'debate' the topic to ignite your thinking!
Continuous Improvement will be presented by:
Innovation will be presented by:
Design ThinkingAaron Schroeder - Strategic Projects and Planning Manager, City of Burnside Stuart Boyd - Manger - Strategy and Governance, City of Holdfast Bay
An introduction to ideate and visualisation to support business performance and improvement.
Participate in this interactive session to learn the basis of Design Thinking so you can head back to your workplace and become a change maker!
Thinking about making the trip? We encourage our members to join us in-person for this forum. Reach out to your colleagues for carpooling opportunities to maximise connection and reduce your environmental footprint.
By registering for this forum, you will be subscribed to the LG Professionals SA mailing list. Should you wish to unsubscribe at any time, please email admin@lgprofessionalssa.org.au.
The Plain English movement was designed to cut through the confusing legalese of important documents in an effort to create clear and coherent communication using common, everyday language that is easily understood by the reader. Incorporating Plain English principles into your work will result in less writing time, shorter documents and enhanced readability. Even if your role doesn’t require a lot of writing, how you come across is crucial to your credibility. 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.
This course will be delivered in person at LG House, 148 Frome Street, Adelaide.
For more information, visit lgprofessionalssa.org.au/powerful-business-writing.
Registrations for this event are open to Local Government Professionals Australia, SA members, council employees, employees of regional subsidiaries and Local Government Professionals Australia, SA invited guests.
Whether your retirement is coming up or is in the distant future, there are a few important things to consider to help you plan for and enjoy the retirement lifestyle you really want.
The Navigating your Life Journey and the Road to Retirement short course will support you in gaining clarity around the aspects of life which are most important to you, creating a vision for your future - both inside and outside of work. The session will aid you in identifying potential roadblocks to achieving goals and managing them effectively, working on your life purpose and developing a clear action plan to help achieve fulfilment both now and in the re-definement phase of your life.
For more information, visit https://lgprofessionalssa.org.au/navigating-the-road-to-retirement/
You will also have the opportunity to explore superannuation with Hostplus. Find out more about the retirement journey and strategies to maximise super leading up to and during retirement. You will explore building up your retirement nest egg, transition to retirement, options to meet your income needs in retirement, including the Age Pension, and protecting your wealth.
By registering for this short course, you will be subscribed to the LG Professionals SA mailing list. Should you wish to unsubscribe at any time, please email admin@lgprofessionalssa.org.au.
Join us at this year’s LG Professionals SA Women’s Network Conference - Embrace It - for a day of inspiration, practical learning, and genuine connection. Together, we’ll explore what it means to embrace resilience, confidence, opportunities, and the power of human connection, providing you with strategies you can apply straight away in your work and life. Each session is designed to spark reflection, encourage growth, and provide tools to help you embrace challenges, seize opportunities, and excel with clarity and purpose.
Beyond the program itself, the conference is also a chance to embrace community. By connecting with other professional women in local government, you’ll share experiences, build supportive networks, and discover fresh perspectives that last well beyond the event. Whether through formal sessions, informal conversations, or networking opportunities, participants will leave with fresh perspectives, stronger connections, and renewed confidence.
More than professional development, this is your opportunity to step away from the everyday, invest in yourself, and be inspired by the collective wisdom of a local government community committed to growth, equity, and leadership. Together, let’s Embrace It.
Meet Christina Vithoulkas
Christina Vithoulkas knows first-hand what it means to navigate hardship and emerge stronger. Having faced significant personal challenges, she has transformed adversity into a platform for growth, leadership, and purpose. In this heartfelt and practical keynote, Christina shares her journey of resilience and the lessons she has carried into her work and life. Exploring the three pillars of resilience: strength, hope, and purpose – she offers inspiration and practical strategies to face challenges with courage, optimism, and clarity. You’ll leave encouraged to embrace your own story and to turn obstacles into opportunities for growth.
WOMEN'S NETWORK DINNER
The Women’s Network Committee are organising a ‘pay your own way’ dinner at a nearby location the evening prior to the conference to give delegates an opportunity to network informally and enjoy a meal ahead of the event. To register your interest, please indicate this within your online registration and further information will be shared.
Registration at our events and programs are open to Local Government Professionals Australia, SA members, council employees, employees of subsidiaries and Local Government Professionals Australia, SA invited guests.
By registering for this event, you will be subscribed to the LG Professionals SA mailing list. Should you wish to unsubscribe at any time, please email admin@lgprofessionalssa.org.au
In the local government environment, being able to influence those inside and outside of our organisations is a critical skill. Our ability to communicate clearly and influence ethically is essential to being able to productively manage projects, workloads and timelines.
In addition, we build ongoing collaborative relationships as a by-product of establishing effective negotiation behaviours. This short course encourages you to gain an insight into your current negotiation preferences and to develop the micro-skills necessary to navigate through the range of negotiations you face in the workplace.
This course will provide you with tips and tricks to enhance 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.
For more information, visit https://lgprofessionalssa.org.au/speak-with-influence-negotiate-with-ease/
Project management is a fundamental skill in our modern workforce, as it ensures that what is being delivered is not only right, but that it also delivers against the business opportunity - so it's important that we get it right.
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.
Suitable for: those seeking to enhance their self-developed project management skills, including: Officers, Coordinators and Team Leaders.
For more information, visit lgprofessionalssa.org.au/introduction-to-project-management.
The Management Challenge is a simulation-based team building, learning and networking program using real local government themes—the types of issues that a senior management team in a council would most likely face.
The teams are challenged to respond to a series of tasks in a unique one-day, fast paced, ‘pressure cooker’ environment. Some tasks will require written responses (such as a council report or recommendation document), and some will take the form of role plays or presentations and the teams are also scored on observations of how well they display energy, synergy, effectiveness and creative thinking.
View the prospectus here.
By registering for this event you will be subscribed to the LG Professionals SA mailing list. Should you wish to unsubscribe at any time, please email admin@lgprofessionalssa.org.au
Mailing Address: 148 Frome Street ADELAIDE SA 5000 Phone: 08 8224 2080 Email: admin@lgprofessionalssa.org.au