“I do what I do until I enjoy it, for as long as I enjoy it.”

Indivar Dhakal is the Manager of Capital Works Planning and Delivery at Merri-bek City Council, where he leads teams responsible for developing long-term capital works programs and delivering infrastructure projects across the municipality.

Having moved to Australia in 2013, Indivar has spent his entire Australian career in local government, gaining experience across a range of councils and communities.

“I started working with council in local government in an entry-level role,” he explained. “Those three months showed me how engaging it is with the local community ... being the face of government.”

“Now I’ve been in local government for as long as I've been in Australia.”

Since becoming an LGPro member in 2017, shortly after stepping into his first management role, Indivar has taken every opportunity to learn, connect and broaden his understanding of the sector.

“One of the things my CEO at the time said was, ‘we need to make sure that we invest in your development’,” he recalled, which led him to participate in LGPro’s Mastering Management program, now known as Leading For Impact.

He has since become involved in a range of professional networks and Special Interest Groups. “I've got like three or four professional memberships,” he noted. “I always think I need to make it manageable [but] LGPro is definitely not the one I'm willing to give up.”



For Indivar, the greatest value of LGPro membership comes from connecting with peers and learning from their experiences.

“Most of the challenges are not unique to your council,” he said. “Learning from those peers is always very productive.”

One standout experience was participating in the LGPro New Zealand Manager Exchange Program, which provided valuable insight into how local government operates across the Tasman while highlighting the similarities in challenges faced by councils.

“Understanding how their local government functions ... was really eye-opening,” he said. “How they do it is very different, but their challenges are very similar.”

He also highlighted the importance of relationship building.

“I think I’ve met over 100 different people,” he said. Through the Manager Exchange Program, he had the opportunity to build connections and learn from professionals from Victoria and New Zealand.

His advice to anyone considering a career in local government is simple: “Give it a shot.”

“Don’t leave the sector, we need good people,” he said. “It is very rewarding.”

Stay tuned for more LGPro member profiles and diverse voices shaping the local government sector.