local government

Feb 8 2021

5 tips for good survey design

As we emerge from the pandemic and start to evaluate COVID- response programs and initiatives, it’s likely that you may need to collect data in the form of online surveys. Online survey software is available to everyone at little or no cost. But if your survey is not well designed, the internal validity (accuracy) of […]

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Dec 7 2020

A successful and timely program model

The Australian live music industry was the first sector to be significantly impacted by COVID-19, when non-essential gatherings were banned in March. Eight months on, restrictions in Australia have eased and the live music industry is in recovery mode. At this significant time of rebuilding and recovery, targeted and tailored creative initiatives are more important […]

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Aug 3 2020

Let’s celebrate Local Government Week!

This week (3-9 August) is a time for local government areas across NSW to celebrate council services that extend beyond rubbish, roads, rates and rubbish to include areas such as arts and culture, the environment, public libraries, childcare centres, sporting facilities, building and development. There are even Local Government Week awards! Peak organisation, Local Government […]

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Jul 21 2020

4 things council staff need to know about evaluation

Program evaluation play a key role in supporting local government decision-making by helping council managers understand whether a program is working, for whom, in what context, when it’s not working, and why not. Except in larger LGAs, councils often have inadequate time and personnel to learn the specialist skills required to conduct evaluations. Additionally, the […]

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Jul 16 2020

Girgarre: a successful small town

Girgarre is a dynamic small town situated in the Shire of Campaspe in northern regional Victoria. It was featured on the ABC’s Backroads program just this week as a town transformed by the power of music. From 2016-2018, Girgarre was one of six small towns funded by the Victorian state government as part of the […]

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Jul 1 2020

4 takes and 4 tips!

I have just launched my first in a series of online evaluation courses. This opening course is tailored to the local government sector, in which I have extensive evaluation experience. You can see it HERE and even preview the first lesson without enrolling. The whole course creation process was new to me. It was a […]

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Jun 25 2020

3 tips for local government evaluators

Evaluation within the local government context can seem complicated or confusing. There is such an array of things that may need to be evaluated, include programs, events, activities, policies, strategies, initiatives, services and venues; all of which can vary in size and structure, delivered at a single location, or be part of broader service delivery […]

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Jul 26 2017

Evaluation or research?

Sometimes research and evaluation can be confused or conflated, as I explain in my new online evaluation course for local government, which you can see here. When commissioning a project it is important to be clear about whether you require research or evaluation. Because, despite them being related and sharing some common approaches, they are […]

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