This article considers the changing expectations of communities towards local government, and looks at the inherent opportunities local governments possess to appreciate the unique needs of their own regions, and if able to access the right support from other levels of government, to deliver solutions that effectively address the needs of those communities. The ideas expressed here reflect the findings in Australia in a Century of Transformative Governance: A Federation for Communities and Places, released by LG Professionals Australia and the University of Canberra's Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis, calling for a greater role for local government within our three-tiered system.