Community Engagement System adopted!

At the general council meeting on 25 October, council adopted the Community Engagement System consisting of the Community Engagement Policy, Statement, Framework and Strategic Action Plan.

The system guides how council engages with community members, why we engage and what we hope to achieve from engagement. A toolkit has also been developed for council staff.

By having a clear direction and defined processes, council aspires to better understand how to serve community and provide opportunities for them and all stakeholders to be involved in the decisions that affect them.

As part of the endorsed Community Engagement Strategic Action Plan, Community Reference Groups (CRGs) will undergo an exciting refresh.

‘These place-based groups invite extra involvement from community members to progress their ideas and discuss local issues that directly affect them,’ says Acting General Manager Communities Leisa Donlan.

Each CRG is different, just like our communities themselves are unique and council is committed to supporting groups with their community led initiatives.

‘All CRGs will be invited to be part of the discussion and be involved in creating their group’s transition plan into the future,’ Ms Donlan continued.

Discussions will be held in the new year with CRGs to determine how to best support their transition. This will include re-focusing the groups purpose to progress community-led initiatives, redeveloping the terms of reference and re-defining the roles of all participants.

It will also see a move away from processing customer service requests, with these now being lodged by community external to the meetings.

This refresh will ensure that community reference groups can work efficiently into the future and support our communities to achieve the initiatives they seek in their community.

You can view the Community Engagement System documents here.

To learn more about CRGs and see how they have been making an impact in your community, head here.

If you have any enquiries, please contact council on 1300 242 686.