NSW Local Government Data Compilation

Scope:
We are seeking a freelance researcher/data-analyst to compile a detailed dataset for each Local Government Area (LGA) in New South Wales (NSW). The deliverable will consist of:

The name of each LGA (Council)

A list of their upcoming or planned infrastructure / capital projects (for example: park settings, playground upgrades, road renewals, community facilities, etc)

For each project: a short description, planned budget / value (AUD), projected year or timeframe, and project phase/status (if available)

Data to be delivered in Excel (or a structured CSV) with consistent columns for easy import into Power BI or other analysis tools.

Key Requirements:

The research must cover all LGAs in NSW (or a clearly defined subset, if agreed)

Data must be sourced from publicly available official documents (Council Budget, Capital Works Program, Operational Plan, Annual Report, etc) and cited

Clean and standardise the data: e.g., uniform LGA names, consistent financial year labels (e.g., FY24, FY25), consistent project categories (parks, roads, community infrastructure, water/sewer, etc)

Provide source links and date of publication for each extracted item

Meet agreed deadlines and maintain high accuracy.

Ideal Candidate:

Strong research skills and experience extracting tabular data from various formats (PDFs, websites, reports)

Comfortable working with Excel/CSV and data cleaning standards

Familiar with Australian local government context (beneficial but not essential)

Excellent attention to detail and commitment to data integrity.

Deliverables:

A master Excel file with one row per project, columns such as: LGA Name, Project Name/Description, Category, Budget Value (AUD), Financial Year, Project Phase/Status, Source Document Link, Source Publication Date.

A separate summary sheet listing each LGA with total planned capital investment (sum of project values) by upcoming year.

Documentation of methodology (how data was gathered, assumptions made, any data gaps).
What I am expecting is Project Overview

I am building a comprehensive data dashboard to analyze infrastructure investment and project opportunities across NSW Local Government Areas (LGAs).

To achieve this, I need a freelancer to collect, organize, and standardize council-level data — focusing on capital works, project pipelines, and annual budget allocations (for example, park settings, playground upgrades, community facilities, sports infrastructure, and public amenities).

The final dataset will help identify where each council is investing, how much, and in which project categories — enabling data-driven insights and visualizations in Power BI for business and strategy planning.

What I Need

A clean, consolidated Excel dataset that includes every NSW Local Government Area (LGA) with the following fields:

Column Description
Council (LGA) Official name of the local government area
Project Name / Description Each listed or planned project (e.g., “Park Setting Renewal – Stage 2”)
Project Category Type of work (Parks, Recreation, Community, Roads, Drainage, Water, etc.)
Budget (AUD) Planned or allocated amount
Financial Year FY24, FY25, FY26, etc.
Project Phase / Status Planning, Design, Procurement, Construction, Completed
Source Link Direct link to the original document or webpage
Document Type e.g., “Capital Works Program 2024-25”, “Operational Plan”, “Annual Budget”