A recipe for working with communities and getting it

right

Natalie Kent, LGAQManager Finance, Governance and Community

Aim:

•Provide an outline of how community engagement came to be a priority for the Queensland Local Government Association

•Why engagement is the new age for Councils

Why did LGAQ get into the business of Community Engagement?

•Bi-annual survey results

•Constant environmental scan

•Group of LG professionals

•Maroochy Shire Council

Why is there a need for a new recipe for Local Government changing operations?•Move from pure representative democracy to participative democracy

•Community demanding more, has an opinion and wants responses

•Front page test

Council backflips on trail bikesA fortnight after agreeing to prohibit trails bikes… Council has now decided to investigate options for allowing trail bikes to use the land….

Councillors were told that following the Council’s resolution … a meeting was arranged on-site with interested parties, and following that meeting the Council received a letter … requesting that Council give consideration to altering the use of the reserve.

Old ProcessStep1-10

Follow policy development process

Step 11 CompletedDraft Policy

Step 12 Consult

Step 13 Consider consultation feedback

Step 14 Make decision

•Defending position

•Hosing down public opinion

•Backflipping on decisions

New Process

Step Action Inform Consult Involve Collaborate Empower

Step1-10

Follow policy development process

X X X X

Step 11

CompletedDraft Policy

X

Step 12

Consult X X X

Step 13

Consider consultation feedback

X X

Step 14

Make decision X

IAP2 Spectrum

LGAQ Initiatives

•IAP2 framework

•Policy Development

•Training

•Resources

LGAQ and the State Government

•Protocol

•Engagement definition

Problems

•Some do not want to hear the message

•Hot and cold

•Not yet “the way they do business”

•Egos – let’s invent a new wheel

Further Assistance

•Desley Renton Social Policy Advisor 07 3000 2216

•desley_renton@lgaq.asn.au