Draft Community Engagement Policy Consultation

Published 8th July 2026

We’re adopting a new Community Engagement Policy and invite you to have your say.

Councils are now required to adopt a new Community Engagement Policy that reflects the Minister for Local Government’s new Community Engagement Charter. This draft policy will replace our current Public Consultation Policy which was adopted in 2024.

The Draft Community Engagement Policy outlines how we will engage with our community, confirms our commitment to meeting legislative requirements, and identifies who is responsible for deciding on engagement activities.

Some elements of the policy are mandated by legislation and cannot be changed, such as the minimum mandatory requirements under the Community Engagement Charter. However, all relevant feedback received during the consultation period will be carefully considered and may result in changes to the final policy or be used to improve our internal processes.

Written feedback received through our submission form, or via email or letter, will be presented to Council at the August meeting before the new policy is considered for adoption.

What has changed

The new policy reflects updates to the Local Government Act 1999, including revised categories for projects and decisions that we must engage with you about. It also incorporates the legislative changes relating to the principles of council engagement and consultation.

While the Community Engagement Charter identifies specific projects for consultation, we may choose to engage with the you on matters not listed in the Charter. These are outlined in the draft Community Engagement Policy in Section 8.

Learn more

View the draft policy, a summary of changes, and provide your feedback via our consultation website.