Regional Victorian councils launch shared cloud model

Warrnambool City Council, Moyne Shire Council and Corangamite Shire Council have launched Coastal Connect, a shared services model that links the three regional Victorian councils through a common cloud-based system.

The model allows the councils to work together while maintaining separate governance structures and local identities. It comes as councils face pressure to maintain services with constrained resources and rising operational demands.

Under the arrangement, the councils have moved from on-premise systems to a shared software environment built on TechnologyOne's OneCouncil platform. Common business processes now cover finance, people, assets, spatial and records management.

Staff will use the shared system to work across organisational boundaries, share expertise and reduce manual administrative work. The approach is intended to support more consistent service delivery for residents across the region.

Shared model

Coastal Connect is a practical example of regional councils pooling systems and internal support functions rather than operating separate technology stacks. The three municipalities span a broad part of south-west Victoria, where councils often manage dispersed communities and infrastructure with limited scale.

The next phase of the program will add property, rating and customer request functions. These additions are expected to expand the range of services handled through the common platform and standardise more interactions with residents.

Andrew Mason, Chief Executive Officer, Warrnambool City Council, said: "Regional councils have a responsibility to continually look for better ways to serve their communities. Coastal Connect demonstrates how collaboration and innovation can help local government respond to growing challenges while building a stronger and more sustainable foundation for the future."

For Moyne Shire Council, the project is also seen as a way to access skills and support that may be difficult for a single regional authority to sustain alone. Shared service arrangements have become an area of growing interest across local government as councils weigh the costs of technology renewal, compliance and workforce shortages.

Mark Everstyn, Chief Executive Officer, Moyne Shire Council, said: "By joining forces with our neighbouring councils, we can access the technology, skills and support needed to meet growing needs and continue to deliver services, manage assets and deliver projects. This is a pragmatic and sensible approach that will provide greater value for ratepayers and the community."

Regional pressure

For Corangamite Shire Council, the initiative responds to the complexity of serving a large and varied area. Regional authorities often oversee extensive road networks, community facilities and essential administrative services across populations spread over long distances.

David Rae, Chief Executive Officer, Corangamite Shire Council, said: "Serving communities across such a large and diverse region requires strong systems and partnerships. Coastal Connect is laying the foundation for councils to work together more effectively, helping us build the capability, resilience and shared approaches needed to deliver better outcomes for ratepayers and communities into the future."

TechnologyOne, which supplies the software platform, said the rollout shows how councils can consolidate legacy systems into a single software-as-a-service environment. The supplier has positioned the model as one way for local governments to modernise core administrative systems without each council pursuing a separate implementation.

The project also reflects a broader shift in local government technology procurement away from older in-house systems and toward shared cloud services. For smaller and regional councils, the economics of that change can be tied not only to software costs, but also to access to specialist staff, process consistency and continuity when teams are stretched.

Ben Malpass, EVP Local Government, TechnologyOne, said: "Regional councils across Australia are under increasing pressure to deliver high-quality services with less. Coastal Connect has demonstrated how councils can successfully transition from separate on-premise systems to our OneCouncil SaaS platform, creating a more sustainable operating model. Importantly, it shows how regional councils can use modern technology and shared services to strengthen capability, improve efficiency and deliver better outcomes for their communities."