FAQs

A deliberate process with the specific purpose of working with individuals and groups across a community to encourage active involvement, open dialogue, feedback and participation and to align decision making processes appropriately to actions undertaken to a problem, opportunity or outcome.

The Policy recognises the importance of designing and formalising community engagement methods to encourage maximum community participation and meet the specific outcomes of an initiative or project, deliver services or decision making. It aims to ensure that Council’s Community Engagement is aligned with Mitchell Shire Council Community Vision, Council Plan and Community Engagement Framework. Furthermore Mitchell Shire Council’s Community Engagement Policy fulfils the requirements as set out in the Local Government Act 2020.

Council has made a commitment to our community’s participatory rights in decision through its Community Engagement Framework.

Community participation will help ensure Mitchell Shire Councils approach to engagement is based on the feedback of the community and stakeholders, furthermore this feedback will contribute to the development of the Mitchell Shire Council Community Engagement Toolkit. 

Community Engagement must involve deliberative engagement practices. Deliberative engagement practices can be broadly understood by the parameters listed in the Local Government Act 2020 which are:

• Authentic engagement with the community
• Good representation of the community in engagement activities
• Clear demonstration of how all views have been considered
• Accessible and relevant information available to the community to ensure the decision-making process and the community’s level of influence is clear in each instance and that participants are fully informed.