The Council & Municipality Transformation Reference Group, powered by PRIME BPM, hosted its September 2026 Live APAC Chapter Meetup, bringing together local government professionals to explore how councils can build community trust through transparency, governance, and accountability.
The virtual meetup featured Shweta Babbar, Corporate Services Director at Golden Plains Shire Council, who shared candid insights into why good governance so often goes unnoticed by the community, and how councils can close the gap between the decisions they make and the trust those decisions earn.
Drawing on more than 13 years in local government, including roles at Frankston City Council and her current interim position at Golden Plains, Shweta outlined how legislation, internal policy, and individual experience all shape council decisions long before the community ever sees the outcome, and why explaining that journey matters as much as the decision itself.
“Trust is not built because people agree with every decision. Trust is built by making difficult decisions and helping people understand how we arrived at them,” Shweta said.
Key Discussion Highlights Included
- Why transparency is more than publishing data, and how councils can provide information with the right context so community members can actually understand it
- The difference between “governance” and “good governance,” and why the strongest governance work can go completely unnoticed
- How conflicting decisions between departments, such as planning and building teams, damage community trust, and why clear internal accountability matters
- Why communities experience government as one system, and how confidence in one level of government can shape perceptions of another
- Practical examples from participating councils, including community-led disaster response, cross-team asset governance committees, and clearer handover points between business units
The session generated candid discussion among council leaders and transformation professionals, with attendees sharing their own experiences of departmental silos, conflicting decisions, and practical steps taken to close the trust and transparency gap with their communities.
About the Council & Municipality Transformation Reference Group
Facilitated by PRIME BPM, the Council & Municipality Transformation Reference Group is a dedicated forum for local government professionals engaged in process mapping, system implementation, and transformation initiatives, providing a venue to exchange practical insights, promote peer learning, and accelerate improvements that drive better local government outcomes.