We’re excited to share the news of our new partnership with the Shire of Narrogin, which will support the Shire’s move to modernise and strengthen its records management environment.

Located in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt region, the Shire of Narrogin plays a central role as a regional service and administrative hub for surrounding rural communities. With a proud agricultural heritage and strong community networks, Narrogin continues to balance tradition with change, including navigating the growing presence of renewable energy developments such as wind, solar, and battery projects across the region.

As a regional centre supporting families, agricultural workers, small business owners, and surrounding farming communities, the Shire relies on efficient internal systems to keep services running smoothly.

Why Change Was Needed

Like many regional councils, Narrogin recognised that its existing records system was no longer meeting the needs of a modern local government environment.

The existing platform had become increasingly clunky and inefficient. Searching for and retrieving documents was time-consuming, folder structures and document management processes lacked consistency, creating compliance and governance challenges.

At the same time, changes in records personnel presented an opportunity — a natural moment to reset, refresh, and improve how records are managed across the organisation.

Rather than continuing to work around limitations, the Shire chose to modernise.

The decision to partner with CouncilFirst was grounded in practicality.

The CouncilFirst Records solution operates within a familiar Microsoft 365 environment, providing seamless integration with Outlook, Word, and Excel, tools staff already use every day. This familiarity is expected to improve adoption and reduce resistance to change.

The Shire also valued CouncilFirst’s exclusive focus on local government, confidence in its growing customer base, and the scalability of the broader platform, should future needs evolve. Importantly, the solution offered an affordable and sustainable path forward.

For the Shire of Narrogin, this project isn’t just about new software. It’s about refreshing awareness across the organisation of the importance of good records management practices. It’s about making it easier for employees to find what they need, when they need it. And it’s about strengthening compliance in a way that feels intuitive, not burdensome.

By implementing a modern, integrated Records solution, the Shire is laying stronger foundations for governance, efficiency, and long-term resilience.