Campaspe Shire Council has released a draft Community Engagement policy for public comment.
Mayor, Cr Chrissy Weller said the draft policy is a revision of the policy to now include the requirements of the new Local Government Act, relating to community engagement, which came into effect last year.
The following principles continue to underpin Council's approach to community engagement:
a. A community engagement process must have a clearly defined objective and scope.
b. Participants must have access to objective, relevant and timely information to inform their participation.
c. Participants must be representative of the persons and groups affected by the matter that is the subject of the community engagement.
d. Participants are entitled to reasonable support to enable meaningful and informed engagement.
e. Participants are informed of the ways in which the community engagement process will influence Council decision making.
"Council's approach to community engagement is still based on an internationally recognised model by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2)," the Mayor added.
At each level of engagement, the policy still outlines:
- When Council will engage
- What Council will do
- The level of community influence on the decision
"We look forward to receiving community feedback on the draft policy which will presented to Council for consideration at its February meeting," Cr Weller said.
Submissions are invited on the draft policy, closing on Friday, 12 February.
A copy of the draft policy is available on Council's website at www.campaspe.vic.gov.au.
