— GOVERNANCE
The ASCA Reference Working Group plays a vital role in enhancing member engagement, sharing best practices and developing thought leadership across Australia’s smart communities sector.
— ABOUT THE GROUP
Established in July 2023, the Reference Working Group is a member-led group that tackles key topics related to smart communities and provides direct feedback that shapes and influences the future direction of ASCA.
The group creates a safe, confidential environment where all views are heard and acknowledged, while offering valuable networking opportunities and professional development for its members.
The group meets up to 6 times per year, bringing together like-minded professionals passionate about seeing the smart communities sector mature and evolve.
What the group does
— RWG MEMBERS
Our current group brings together smart city practitioners and leaders from across local government, industry and academia – contributing their expertise to shape ASCA’s direction and the broader sector.
Pearl Li Ng | Chair
Pearl leads the integration of smart technology, collaboration, and innovation to enhance sustainability and resilience at the City of Casey, one of Australia’s fastest-growing councils.
Trained as an engineer at the University of Melbourne, she brings diverse experience spanning professional services, non-profit, and government sectors.
Pearl has been recognised with prestigious awards including the IBM Manager’s Choice Award and the IBM Global Service Excellence Award.
Passionate about promoting women in STEM and harnessing technology for positive impact, she has been acknowledged as one of Science & Technology Australia’s Superstars of STEM.
Goran Babusku
Goran combines technical delivery expertise with a strategic mindset focused on utilising emerging technologies to build resilient communities. He leads the development and implementation of smart infrastructure projects that integrate people, data, and technology to solve real-world urban challenges.
With solid expertise across Urban Technologies, Smart Cities, IoT, IT infrastructure and telecommunications, Goran is passionate about embedding resilience, performance, and digital equity into the fabric of our cities. What sets him apart is his human-first approach to technology – while passionate about systems, sensors, innovation and data, his focus remains squarely on people and how connected technology can enable more inclusive, accessible, and liveable cities.
Peter Runcie
Independent Technology Innovation Consultant & Smart Places Theme Lead, NSW Smart Sensing Network
Peter works closely with government, industry and research sectors to initiate and support innovative technology development for the benefit of society. His smart communities experience includes leading a world-leading infrastructure monitoring project on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the multi-award winning OPENAIR air quality for councils project.
He has built a strong technical and business background in technology research and development at organisations such as CSIRO’s Data61, National ICT Australia, Avaya USA and Bell Laboratories. Peter is an inventor on 29 granted international patents in voice and video communications, data networking and biometrics, civil engineering and data analytics. He holds an MBA (Exec) from the Australian Graduate School of Management and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Chris Williams
Chris is driven by a lifelong passion for problem-solving, innovation, and community impact. From his early days as an automotive mechanic – where he honed his ability to decode complex systems – to managing multi-million dollar budgets in retail, Chris has consistently sought purpose in his work.
That search led him to the world of smart cities, where he now applies human-centred design, continuous improvement, and cutting-edge technology to create more connected, responsive urban environments.
A natural collaborator and customer experience enthusiast, Chris thrives in teams where learning never stops and challenges are seen as opportunities to innovate. Whether it’s deploying IoT solutions or reimagining public spaces, he brings curiosity, humility, and a deep commitment to making a difference.
Claire Chaikin-Bryan
Claire is a qualified Town Planner and Civil and Environmental Engineer with a background in Smart Cities, construction planning and project controls, project management, visual arts, graphics design, digital engineering and computer programming.
She has been working in Smart Cities and innovation since 2016, collaborating with government, researchers and private industry to implement Smart Cities initiatives, particularly in the Internet of Things (IoT) space.
Claire also established and runs the Lake Mac Libraries Fab Lab, a digital fabrication space open to the community where anyone can make almost anything.
Abdoulaye Diakité
With over 12 years of experience in BIM–GIS integration and 3D standards, Abdou focuses on turning complex building and city data into practical digital solutions.
By combining open standards such as IFC, IDS, CityGML, City/GeoJSON and IndoorGML, he develops workflows that support use cases such as digital cadastral registration, digital building permitting, and 3D city model integration.
His expertise helps cities and agencies reduce bottlenecks, ensure compliance, and build trust in digital transformation.
Robert Ward
Robert is a forward-thinking leader who drives success through innovation.
With expertise in digital strategy, operations management, sales, and supply chain dynamics, he specialises in digital tools, app solutions, and mobile technologies to enhance sales, service, and operations beyond the traditional workspace.
He takes a holistic approach to change implementation, balancing people and processes to create sustainable solutions.
Constantly exploring new technologies and techniques, Robert remains at the forefront of innovation, ensuring organisations stay agile and competitive in an evolving landscape.
— GET INVOLVED
Expressions of interest are now open for the 2026 Reference Working Group. This is a genuine opportunity to help shape ASCA’s strategic direction, contribute your expertise to the sector, and connect with smart city professionals from across Australia.
The group is open to current ASCA members — both individual and organisational. Members of all tiers are encouraged to apply. If you’re passionate about smart communities and want to contribute meaningfully beyond your day-to-day work, we’d love to hear from you.
Successful candidates are selected by the ASCA Board following the expression of interest process. Members of the 2026 group will serve for the full year, attending up to 6 meetings and contributing to ASCA’s work between sessions.
2026 Expressions of Interest
📋 Who can apply
📅 Commitment
🌏 Format
Questions? Contact admin@australiansmartcommunities.org.au
— GOVERNANCE
Strategic Plan
ASCA’s four strategic priorities and the direction they set for the association through to 2026. → Learn More
Annual Reports
Year-by-year reporting on ASCA’s activities, membership, events and financial performance. → Learn More
