Planning for the Future: Insights from LGAT's 2025 Annual Conference
We were thrilled to host Tasmanian elected representatives in Hobart for our 2025 Annual Conference on 20 and 21 November. It was also the first year we held a pre-conference event, with attendees invited to connect in a more informal setting at the President’s Welcome Drinks.
Our theme for this year was Planning for the Future. Local government doesn’t have the luxury of standing still. Whether it’s new technology, shifting populations, or the growing impacts of climate change, the world around us is changing daily. The choices councils make today will shape the kind of places Tasmanian communities will experience tomorrow.
To open this year’s conference, the President of the Australian Local Government Association Mayor Matt Burnett shared what advocacy has been occurring at a national level, including the ongoing fight to restore Financial Assistance Grants to 1% of Commonwealth taxation revenue.
Stephen Yarwood spoke about how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming strategic planning and shared the work he’s undertaken with the City of Launceston to develop its 10-year strategic plan. He demonstrated how he has trained ChatGPT to deliver optimised results, ensuring consistency in tone and the use of integrated metrics. Additionally, Stephen highlighted the capability of AI to help local governments with economic development, infrastructure and governance.
Our workshop streams this year were hosted by Rikki Mawad and Ric De Santi. Rikki shared how to resolve conflict effectively with practical, human-centred strategies. Meanwhile, Ric helped attendees understand the important role internal audits play in good governance.
Day 1 of conference closed with a timely keynote from Felicity Cull. As seen in our Lift the Tone survey results, those working in local government are facing increasing levels of abuse and harassment. Her practical strategies to tackle online toxic behaviour will help elected representatives and council staff foster positive online spaces where community members can engage respectfully. Felicity provided guidance on how to address misinformation proactively and present factual, reliable details to residents.
The Minister for Local Government, the Honourable Kerry Vincent, opened proceedings on Day 2. He spoke about multiple reforms happening in the local government sector, including important changes to the Electoral Bill ahead of the 2026 elections. Kerry also committed to advocating for fairer federal funding for Tasmanian councils under the Commonwealth's Financial Assistance Grants Program.
This year, our panel discussed the role of local government in community wellbeing and climate change. Local government leaders shared the work they’ve implemented locally that supports the new role statement for councils. This statement outlines a vision for Tasmania’s councils with the goal of supporting the wellbeing, sustainability, and prosperity of local communities over the next 20 to 30 years.
We closed our 2025 conference with a deeper look at Tasmania’s changing demographics. Simon Kuestenmacher inspired us to become the ‘pilot state’ where innovative experiments can be tested on the ground before being implemented in other parts of Australia – and the world! Some of these ideas included enhancing regional resilience and reinventing aged care. The population trends are clear – Tasmania is getting older, and we must figure out strategies that will support older community members and address workforce skill shortages.
As always, it was a pleasure to recognise the significant achievements of councils and elected representatives. Congratulations again to Karen Hampton from Devonport City Council for her outstanding commitment to local government. We were also delighted to welcome Dr Mary Duniam as Life Member. Her commitment to her community and the support she provides to women looking to stand for election is inspiring.
We also congratulate our Awards for Excellence winners Tasman Council, Devonport City Council, City of Launceston, Brighton Council and Central Highlands Council. Full details of these awards can be found in our media release.
We hope that those who joined us walked away with new learnings and connections. Presentations will be available on our Member Portal to enable continued reflection on the conversations and insights shared with us across the two-day event.