Help shape how we engage the community

Help shape how we engage the community

Published on 31 July 2020

Mildura Rural City Council is inviting residents who live, work, study or visit our municipality to help shape our new Community Engagement Policy.

Council engages the community for a number of reasons, including to help develop strategies and plans, and to deliver projects.

The Community Engagement Policy will guide how Council engages residents on these and many other matters that are meaningful and important to them.

Residents can provide their input by filling out a quick survey at www.mildura.vic.gov.au/haveyoursay. Feedback will be taken until Friday 28 August 2020.

This feedback will help ensure Council’s engagement practice is accessible, inclusive and effective in reaching our region’s diverse community. It will also increase awareness of opportunities for residents to have their say on matters that impact them.

Principles of the Victorian Local Government Act 2020 will underpin the objectives of the policy and include:

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

Councillor for Community Development and Gender Equality Helen Healy said community engagement was important to ensure Council’s services and strategies aligned with the community’s needs.

“Community engagement is a planned process that involves two-way communication between Council and residents who may be affected by a decision,” Cr Healy said.

“It needs to be flexible, able to adapt to a wide range of activities, issues and stakeholders, and can be as simple as a community survey through to comprehensive collaboration with residents.”

For more information contact Community Engagement Officer Connie De Maria on (03) 5018 8100.

ENDS