A Local-State Government Spatial Data Sharing Partnership

Chapter 5 – Results of Partnership Case Studies at State Government Level
LGAs were rated from 0-100 in these areas based on their assessed performance. Some of
the measures such as match rates and lodgement rates were easy to identify and could
provide a defined score out of 100. However, the area of participation was more difficult
to benchmark accurately and it was up to the liaison officers to make a subjective
judgment. The assessments performed by each of the PIP liaison officers were compiled
into a single report that is used internally to assess progress and participation of each LGA.
Individual progress provided back to the LGAs were used as a tool for continuous
improvement during the project. In some cases the CEO or manager of the local
government section received the performance report and then encouraged the local
government officer to improve the LGA’s performance. The success of this initiative has
resulted in the formalisation of the process via the Property Information Audit Project.
The performance report appears to be a useful mechanism to provide an overall picture of
the progress of the project, particularly from a management perspective. It was
immediately evident from the report that matching rates in rural areas reflected a lack of
capacity or attention being paid to the rural LGAs.
By 2004, the PIP manager and staff had identified that the project had matured and should
be viewed as a program rather than a project, as it was now heavily into the operation and
maintenance cycle. Long term improvements in efficiency and sustainability were now
identified as the greatest challenges.
5.2.5 Governance
The PIP process is managed by a project manager within the DSE who reports to the
director of the Spatial Information Infrastructure group on its progress and performance.
For the purpose of project management this arrangement proved adequate, however it
became obvious that the partnership program was not sufficiently inclusive of all the
parties within the initiative. Therefore, to sustain PIP in the longer term other
arrangements needed to be considered. This resulted in the formation of the Local
Government Spatial Reference Group (LGSRG) in January 2003. The charter of the group
is to:
• develop sector-wide positions on key spatial issues relating to local government,
• take advantage of opportunities for local government collaboration,
• generate increased awareness of spatial management issues across the sector,
• seek resources to progress priority projects on a sector-wide basis, and
• advocate on behalf of local government to other key stakeholders (LGSRG 2005).
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