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Thanks for your feedback on the draft
After consulting with our community in 2022, we prepared a draft policy on how we will engage residents and ratepayers on important decisions. Before we finalise the draft, we asked for your feedback over 37 days in September and October 2023.
- Over 40 per cent of respondents expressed satisfaction with the policy, while 30 per cent remained neutral. About 23 per cent expressed dissatisfaction with the policy.
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Respondents highlighted the following strengths of the policy:
- Concise yet thorough (two mentions)
- Establishes a clear vision (two mentions)
- Clearly outlines the attributes of quality engagement (two mentions)
- Demonstrates inclusivity (two mentions)
- Offers the opportunity for participation (two mentions)
- Defines the policy parameters (one mention)
- Establishes the role of Councillors as observers (one mention)
- Enhances transparency (one mention).
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Respondents said they would make the following changes or additions to the policy:
- Wording modifications, such as eliminating double negatives or reevaluating the need for an exhaustive list of minority groups to avoid exclusivity (five mentions)
- Emphasising the importance of communication (three mentions)
- Including a time frame for policy review and renewal (one mention)
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Shortening the policy (one mention).
For more information, read the Community Feedback Summary in the Document Library.
The City is finalising the policy considering the community’s feedback alongside relevant policies, plans, and our commitment to effective and sustainable resource management. When available, we will publish the final policy on the Comment on Cockburn website.
For any further updates please contact the City’s Advocacy and Engagement Team at [email protected] or 08 9411 3444.
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Thanks for sharing your views on consultation
In August and September 2022, the City asked for your views on quality engagement to help shape the new Policy and Framework. We received input from over 100 people. Thank you for having your say.
What our community said
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What ‘quality engagement’ means to you –
- Influence: Input leads decision-making and influences the outcome.
- Diverse participants: Everyone has the opportunity to have a say and be heard, including those who are quieter and require more effort to engage with.
- Fit for purpose: Participation occurs in multiple formats (considering potential barriers), and participants have the information they need to participate meaningfully.
- Well communicated: Timely, thorough and effective communication from the City to the community.
- Trust: Outcomes consider all parties’ needs and reflect the community’s desires to the extent possible.
- Transparent and clear: The purpose of engaging and how feedback will be used to inform the decision-making process is clear.
- Genuine: The reason for engaging is authentic and the City intends to listen.
- Follow through: Decisions and ideas are followed through and updates are available.
- Well-timed: Engagement begins early in the project.
- Community sentiment: Engagement unifies the community and creates a sense of belonging.
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What outcomes you said ‘quality engagement’ delivers -
- Shared understanding: The City’s goals align with the community’s needs and wants.
- Involvement: The community are involved and participates in projects and decisions that impact them.
- Trust: Engagement builds trust and creates transparency.
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Your views on the City’s current engagement practices –
- There is roughly an even distribution of those who feel current engagement is not achieving outcomes, those who are neutral, and those who feel it is.
- Some community members are satisfied with their level of influence, but others want the City to listen more to their feedback and implement it accurately.
- Some respondents feel decision-making often reflects only the needs and wants of the loudest voices, as opposed to the community as a whole.
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How you like to participate and keep informed –
- Online activities (e.g. Comment on Cockburn)
- Email updates (e.g. e-newsletters)
- The preferred time for events is early weekday evenings.
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What the City should consider when engaging with our First Nations community –
- Consultation should begin early in the project and involve areas of heritage/historical value or significant land/waterways.
- The Aboriginal Reference Group (ARG) is seen as the best way to consult the community, which can then advise on the best approach to engagement for the specific scenario.
- Consulting too frequently may reduce efficiency.
- Emails are effective for distributing project descriptions and explaining the relevance of Aboriginal consultation.
- Building respect for local Elders and understanding community dynamics, including individual preferences for attendance, is important.
For more information, pead the Community Feedback Summary in the Document Library.
Next steps
The City is reviewing the community’s feedback and updating our Community Engagement Policy and Framework accordingly. We will present the revised documents to Council for consideration around mid-2023 and publish the approved Policy.
