The Linking Councils and Communities (LCC) Program is the strategic framework for the development of online services capability by Local Government in Western Australia, and is managed by the Western Australian Local Government Association.

Over the past three years the LCC Program has been rolled out to country Councils in line with the deed of agreement with the Networking the Nation program which has provided funding for non-metropolitan Councils. For the last year the LCC Program has been in a position to offer services to metropolitan Councils, who can leverage off the infrastructure and services being delivered as part of the LCC Program and established through the NTN funding.

The Western Australian Local Government Association is the peak organisation of Local Government in Western Australia, providing an essential voice for the 1394 elected members, the 11,500 employees and the 1.76 million constituents of the 142 Local Governments in Western Australia and those of Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

The WA Local Government Association provides a complementary suite of quality, value for money services dedicated to the needs of Local Government in Western Australia. As the peak body created by Local Governments to represent their collective interests, the Association is ideally placed to harness the collective buying power of Western Australian Local Governments to produce better results for all. This extends to being a source for information, services and products to assist Member Councils to realise their fullest potential.

As well as enhancing the collective purchasing power of Local Government as a sector by delivering economy of scale savings, the Association's services also strengthen the ability of the organisation to provide unity and leadership for Local Government through policy and advocacy work.

Sub Projects

The LCC Program provides online service solutions through a number of sub-projects, with the three major sub-projects being:

• Web Enablement - Assisting Local Governments and associated authorities to develop an website utilising the Content Management System
• Telecommunications Infrastructure - The provision of a Gateway PC and associated internet security and reliability services

Although a large percentage of Local Governments have identified the benefits in participating in all three main sub-projects, it is not a requirement to do so.