A WORD FROM THE CEO
This month has been an exciting one for
LG Professionals SA. We’ve hosted several Network Meetings, supported the delivery of key state and Australasian sector events, and worked closely with our partners in preparation for the launch of our leadership programs for the year ahead. Keep an eye on your inbox - expressions of interest for these programs will be opening soon. |
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We were also proud to recognise our 2025 Strategic Management Program cohort for the significant investment they have made in themselves and their professional development. Congratulations to all participants - we wish you every success as you continue on your leadership journeys.
Looking ahead, the next few months promise to be just as busy and inspiring. Be sure to watch out for details on how to nominate for our Board (an opportunity I highly recommend for anyone with a passion for the sector and for supporting the development of local government people), as well as registrations opening for our
LG Professionals SA Women’s Network Conference and Economic Development Conference, and the full suite of Leadership Programs on offer for 2026.
Best wishes to the nine teams who will take part in the Rural Management Challenge on Thursday 18 September 2025. We so look forward to spending the day with you and supporting you as you undertake this exciting development opportunity. I look forward to sharing a wonderful end to the year with you. In the meantime, keep dry as the last of the winter rain makes its way across the state!
Best wishes,
Rhiannon
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LG PROFESSIONALS SA STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 2025 COHORT GRADUATION
This month, we celebrated the 2025 Strategic Management
Program cohort for their participation in the program.
This group of local government participants have built on their
leadership and management skills and were assessed on the following topics
“Thinking Strategically, Understanding of Financial Reports and Operational
Excellence (Lean Six Sigma)”.
We look forward to seeing where your leadership journey takes you next!
Please
join us in recognising (in alphabetical order of last name): Josh Axon,
Praveenkumar Balan, Peter Beshara, Bill Blyth, Chris Campbell, Adam Hornhardt,
Rachel Murchland, Nicky O'Broin, Stephanie Paprzycki-Baker, Benita Parsons,
Renee Pitcher, Tim Pudney, Linda Scholz, Vince Sicari, Andrew Smithson, Michael
Soininen, Kim Strickland, Pamela Thomas, Bruce Tonkin, John Wilkinson, and Lisa
Ziernicki. |
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Meet the Precinct Bringing a
Community Together
City of Port Adelaide Enfield wins Excellence in Community
Partnerships and Collaboration Award.
On Adelaide’s Lefevre Peninsula, a once-simple vision has
transformed into something extraordinary: a vibrant community hub where locals
come together to connect, learn, and thrive.
The Lefevre Community Precinct, delivered by the City of
Port Adelaide Enfield in partnership with Preventive Health SA, is more than
just a space - it’s become a second home for many, a place where confidence
grows, friendships form, and wellbeing flourishes.
Now recognised with the Excellence in Community Partnerships
and Collaboration Award at the 2025 LG Professionals SA Leadership Excellence
Awards, the precinct is proving what’s possible when councils, partners, and
communities come together with a shared purpose. |
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ONE TO WATCH - 24TH ANNUAL LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE AWARDS GALA DINNER HIGHLIGHTS REEL
Earlier this year we celebrated the 24th Annual Leadership Excellence Awards alongside over 450 local government professionals. We are excited to share some highlights from the LG Professionals SA Gala Dinner.
Thank you to our Multimedia Partner, Stray Creative, for putting together this amazing video. |
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This month we spoke with Zahra Panahi, Open Space and Activation Officer, City of Salisbury, about her experience in the Australasian Management Challenge, her role at Salisbury, and some fun facts about her (including being trilingual!).
What is your role and how long have you been in local government?
I’m the Open Space Activations Officer, supporting the design, planning, and delivery of inclusive recreation activities in public spaces, especially along the Little Para River. My focus is on building community connection and wellbeing through events that engage diverse communities. This is my first role in local government, and I’ve been here for 10 months! Read more... |
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Zahra Panahi
Open Space and Activation Officer
City of Salisbury
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LG PROFESSIONALS SA WOMEN'S NETWORK CONFERENCE
Friday 7 November 2025
Our LG Professionals SA Women's Network Conference is back and better than ever, with this year's event scheduled to take place on Friday 7 November 2025 at the Morphettville Racecourse. More details are soon to be revealed... but until then, make sure to save the date and express your interest to your People and Culture team! |
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ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT - 5 PLACES LEFT
Monday 29 September 2025
Our Advanced Project Management course is designed for those ready to move beyond the basics. Perfect for anyone with experience managing projects, or who has completed our Introduction to Project Management. |
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PERFORMANCE COACHING
Monday 20 October 2025
Our Performance Coaching course 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. |
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POWERFUL BUSINESS WRITING
Friday 31 October 2025
Our Powerful Business Writing course uses your own writing examples to demonstrate the use of Plain English principles and persuasive writing techniques.
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NAVIGATING YOUR LIFE JOURNEY AND THE ROAD TO RETIREMENT
Thursday 6 November 2025
Whether your retirement is approaching or is in the distant future, there are a few important things to consider to help enjoy a quality lifestyle now and to plan for the retirement you are working towards. |
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SPEAK WITH INFLUENCE, NEGOTIATE WITH EASE
Monday 17 November 2025
This course will provide you with tips and tricks to enhance your current communication, negotiation and influencing styles. |
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Looking for a specific short course or want to secure your place for a courses next scheduled session? Express your interest for the variety of our short courses on offer through LG Professionals SA here.
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We caught up with some of our Emerging Leaders Program participants, Lissy and Evan, to hear about their experience so far, including why they chose to participate in the program, reflections from a recent module, and what they're looking forward to as part of the development opportunity. |
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What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?
Leadership is a lifelong journey, and I’m passionate about continuous growth. In my current role leading a team with a heavy focus on Aged Care services, I balance technical expertise with the human side of leadership daily. The Emerging Leaders Program felt like the perfect opportunity to give myself the time (and permission) to focus on my leadership skills further and challenge my thinking outside of the day-to-day operations. I’m grateful my Council values staff development and recommended me for the program; it’s a privilege to be recognised and supported to grow. It’s also a great stepping stone towards the Strategic Management Program, which I hope to complete one day as I continue evolving as a leader.
A recent module focused on ‘A Rural Perspective’ – what were some of your takeaways from this module?
The session on 'Recovery in Rural Communities' really stuck with me. It showed the incredible resilience rural communities have and how recovery is often driven by connection, creativity, and trust, sometimes even through arts and storytelling. My biggest takeaway was the power of true partnership: doing with, not for. When you invest time to engage and build trust, communities step up in ways that create lasting impact. It reframed how I see collaboration in local government and reminded me that authentic relationships are at the heart of sustainable recovery and growth.
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What are you most looking forward to as the program progresses?
Working with other leaders in local government and building connections. I’m really looking forward to continuing to expand my knowledge of local government as a whole and my own leadership styles. I feel like I’ve already utilised some of the tools learnt and been able to see my leadership in a different lens throughout this process, so I am really looking forward to leaning in to the vulnerability and understanding what makes me tick, and growing from this both personally and professionally. |
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Lissy Oxford
Coordinator - Ageing Well
City of Charles Sturt
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You were part of the organising group for the Political Context module. What did you want the cohort to get out of the module?
Our primary goal was to demonstrate that the ‘political context’ influences the decisions councils make every day. We wanted the group to really feel how politics influences local government, and why understanding that bigger picture matters. By designing it like a game, with moves, strategies and playful competition, we hoped people could connect the dots in a hands-on way. At the end of the day, we wanted everyone to walk away with a deeper appreciation for political context and the role it plays in shaping outcomes.
How did you find organising the module with your group?
Organising the module was a real journey in the best way. We had seven different personalities, ideas and working styles, which could have been tricky, but instead became our biggest strength. Everyone contributed something unique, from creativity and humour to structure and detail, which mirrored the theme of our day by bringing different voices together to create something bigger. We embraced the playful game theme as we wanted to bring energy to the topic. The process showed me how collaboration, planning and fun can transform any task into an engaging time. |
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What was your biggest takeaway from the module?
The guest speakers were definitely a highlight. Hearing their real-world experiences brought the topic to life and made the importance of politics, relationships and community understanding so much clearer. They showed how decisions don’t happen in a vacuum and that every action has a reaction. I found it eye-opening to see how much thought and negotiation go into even small decisions at the local level. As we coupled this with our game-style activities, it reminded me that learning is most powerful when it’s both engaging and practical. The mix of fun and expert insights made the day really memorable. |
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Evan Woolford
Transport Engineer
City of Charles Sturt
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CALLING ALL XLP ALUMNI!
JOIN US FOR THIS VALUABLE WORKSHOP
Friday 5 September 2025
All
Executive Leaders Program (XLP) Alumni are invited to join us for a workshop on
Humanness, Complexity and
Leadership, facilitated by Andrew Stevens, director and
co-founder of the Uncharted Leadership Institute.
This is an opportunity to
reconnect with your story, hear from others, and walk away with a deeper
understanding of what it means to lead as your authentic self. Whether you’re
meeting your cast for the first time or returning to deepen your understanding
of your ensemble, this session offers fresh insight and valuable connection.
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YOUR NEEDS, YOUR MEMBERSHIP
2. GROW YOUR NETWORKS
Our Networks help you create lasting connections
with peers who share a common idea or experience.
Sharing information, gaining support, raising
awareness, and shaping the future of local
government starts with our Networks.
Learn more about what your LG Professionals SA Membership offers you. |
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NEW
MEMBERS
Welcome
to our 78 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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CONGRATULATIONS TO COSMIC COUNCIL FOR YOUR FANTASTIC PARTICIPATION IN THE AUSTRALIASIAN MANAGEMENT CHALLENGE
After winning the SA State Management Challenge, City of Salisbury’s ‘CoSmic Council’ took up the Challenge for the second time in Perth for the Australasian Management Challenge Final earlier this month.
What a great few days of learning, networking, camaraderie, challenges and fun! Well done to all teams. A huge congratulations to the Gutteridge Guardians from Waratah-Wynyard Council, Tasmania who were crowned the national champion at the Australasian Management Challenge Final.
Congratulations also to Interwoven Innovators from City of Mandurah, Western Australia and Agenda Setters from City of Casey, Victoria, who took out second and third place respectively.
Thank you to Challenge Partner JLT Australia for their support and passion for
developing local government people. |
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YOU'RE INVITED - LOCAL GOVERNMENT SKILLS AND TRAINING SESSIONS
LG Professionals SA and LGA South Australia are pleased to support Public Skills Australia to deliver a series of local government skills audit sessions across South Australia, and we invite people and culture team professionals to participate.
Public Skills Australia (PSA) is the Jobs and Skills Council for the local government sector and have federal funding to deliver a detailed national study on skills and training gaps in the sector. This represents a timely opportunity to provide valuable insights on workforce capability, current and emerging skills needs, and challenges in attraction, retention, and development from your council perspective. |
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Whyalla City Council
Monday 22 September 11:00AM - 4:00PM
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LG House, Adelaide
Wednesday 24 September
10:00AM - 3:00PM
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Wattle Range Council
Friday 26 September 10:00AM - 3:00PM
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Each session will include interactive group discussions, encouraging open sharing on skills challenges in your region. All sessions are catered for at no cost. For any questions please contact Lauren Grantham, Program Lead Sector Development at LGA South Australia on 08 8224 2068 or lauren.grantham@lga.sa.gov.au. |
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Please save the date for the following LG Professionals SA events for 2025/2026. If you are planning a local government event, we invite you to contact us to avoid date clashes.
Friday 7 November 2025 - LG Professionals SA Women's Network Conference
Friday 14 November 2025 - LG Professionals SA Economic Development Conference
Friday 20 March 2026 - LG Professionals SA Annual State Conference
Thursday 23 April 2026 - LG Professionals South Australian Management Challenge
Friday 22 May 2026 - LG Professionals SA Leadership Excellence Awards Gala Dinner Registrations and further details on our events released soon! |
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Our Network Forums provide our Members the opportunity to learn and develop whilst sharing and networking with peers from their own and other councils and subsidiaries across the state. Our upcoming Forums include:
Thursday 4 September 2025 - LG Professionals SA Women's Network Forum.
Thursday 11 September 2025 - LG Professionals SA General Managers and Directors Network and CEO Network Joint Forum Thursday 2 October 2025 - LG Professionals SA Community Development Network Forum
Wednesday 15 October 2025 - LG Professionals SA People and Culture Network Forum
Thursday 30 October 2025 - LG Professionals SA Business Performance and Improvement Network Forum
Thursday 13 November 2025 - LG Professionals SA General Managers and Directors Network Forum Registrations and further details on our upcoming Forums coming 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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