Help shape how we listen to you

Community engagement is how Council involves the public in making decisions that affect them. When we plan and manage public participation well, it leads to better policies and more effective Council programs and projects.

We value our community's knowledge and diverse experiences. We're committed to using this knowledge to help Council make better decisions and improve outcomes for everyone in our community.

Our engagement activities are designed to be:

  • Tailored - consideration given to specific issues and groups
  • Relevant - focused on what matters to our community
  • Purposeful - designed to achieve clear goals.

Your input will help to finalise our Community Engagement Policy. Please complete the short survey below by 16 September.

What does our Community Engagement Policy include?

The Policy outlines our commitment to engage with our community, and how we will strive to hear from a wide range of voices across our community. The Policy supports Council’s 2040 vision of becoming a safe, inclusive and creative city that celebrates its vibrancy of cultures.

The Policy establishes community engagement governance and demonstrates fulfillment of our legislative obligations set out by the Local Government Act 2020.

Engagement principles

Our community and stakeholder engagement approach is guided by the community engagement principles set out under the Local Government Act 2020:

  1. A community engagement process must have a clearly defined objective and scope.
  2. Participants in community engagement must have access to objective, relevant and timely information to inform their participation.
  3. Participants in community engagement must be representative of the persons and groups affected by the matter that is the subject of the community engagement.
  4. Participants in community engagement are entitled to reasonable support to enable meaningful and informed engagement.
  5. Participants in community engagement are informed of the ways in which the community engagement process will influence Council decision making.

These principles are supported by our community engagement values.

Engagement values

Our community engagement values are based on best practice frameworks including the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Core Values for the Practice of Public Participation, the Victorian Auditor General’s Office (VAGO) Public Participation Principles and the principles for engagement outlined in the Victorian Local Government Act 2020.

  • Transparent

    We will clearly explain the objectives and scope of the engagement and how community members can be involved. We will report back to those involved and the broader community with the outcomes and next actions.

  • Inclusive

    We value diverse ideas and perspectives of members from right across our community, and will make every effort to consider the needs and perspectives of all groups that want to be involved in the process.

  • Accessible

    We will provide the community with objective, relevant and timely information to inform their participation, and allow sufficient time for review and participation. We will use a mix of communication channels to ensure that the community is informed about, and can participate in, engagement activities.

  • Respect

    We value and respect our community’s time and will provide all reasonable supports to allow community members to have their voice heard.

Privacy Statement

The personal information requested on this form is being collected by Council for the purpose of facilitating the community engagement process for the Project Name. The personal information will be used by Council for that primary purpose or directly related purposes.

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