City of Bunbury enters deal with Oracle Australia to launch WA-leading online portal for community and staff

Bunbury is set to become the first local government in Western Australia and one of the first in the country to launch a new program which will make paying fees easier and reduce waits times for community members. Council voted last Tuesday night to enter a new $1.8 million deal with Oracle Australia, which will launch the new cloud-based programs to be used by City staff, councillors and the community. City of Bunbury acting chief executive Karin Strachan said the new systems will vastly improve the public’s ability to pay rates, other fees and access important information. “Looking at it from a community perspective, for them, it is an online portal where they can log in, see their accounts, pay their licenses, see where there customer requests are, pay their rates — all of that can be customised so much more,” she said. “It will enhance the experience for the community member.” The Oracle system will form part of a new City of Bunbury website, which will also be launched as part of the initiative. The technology will also be used internally for staff, and is set to bring significant efficiency savings. “We are looking at 36,000 hours of savings over the course of this project — that equates to a 7 per cent improvements,” Ms Strachan said. “But we are not going to let those hours go, it is about having those people work closely with the community and with businesses in the application of those systems.” Bunbury City Mayor Jaysen Miguel said Bunbury’s bid to become a digital city relied on it having its own house in order. “It is really exciting. If we are promoting that we are a digital city and we are still using paper forms for registrations, it’s not a great look,” he said. “The efficiency savings are also exciting and where those savings can be put to.”