Local councils in Victoria have been giving their communities real influence over their community visions.
MosaicLab has had the privilege of working with many Victorian councils over recent months and supporting them to design and deliver deliberative engagement processes. One of the most interesting and exciting elements of this experience has been the high level of influence some councils offered to their community around the development of their community visions.
In this article we look at three different approaches. One council that set the level of influence at ‘empower’ from the outset, and two others that accepted their community’s vision statement in full.
When the new Local Government Act 2020 came into effect in Victoria, local councils were required to adopt a community engagement policy. The policy was to include deliberative engagement practices that could be applied to the development of the Community Vision, the Council Plan, the Financial Plan and the Asset Plan. Three of these plans needed to be in place by October 2021, meaning the last six months have been a busy period of engagement for all councils.
ELEVATING INFLUENCE INTO UNFAMILIAR ENGAGEMENT TERRITORY
For some councils, this was their first experience with deliberative engagement practices. One of the most exciting parts of the deliberation journeys we have been a part of with many councils, has been seeing them truly embrace deliberative engagement processes.
The International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) has a Spectrum of Public Participation which helps organisations to communicate the level of influence the public may have in a process. It spans across five levels with each level promising a higher level of influence to the community.
By definition, deliberation offers a high level of influence and would usually be set at the collaborate or empower level:
The promise for collaborate is: “We will look to you for advice and innovation in formulating solutions and incorporate your advice and recommendations into the decisions to the maximum extent possible” .
The promise for empower is: “We will implement what you decide” .
Setting the level of influence has always been a fraught issue for councils undertaking community visions. Councils want their communities to ‘buy-in’ to the vision. However, the council sponsors and manages the engagement process and some of them want to leave the final decision making power in the council’s hands. As a result, there are very few examples of local government authorities setting the level of influence at ‘empower’.
Councils listening to their community
City of Kingston
The City of Kingston chose ‘empower’ for their community vision, demonstrating council’s commitment to genuinely listening to and trusting their community.
“What is exciting about our new Community Vision is that although Council has always engaged with the community when developing our Council Vision and guiding plans, this is the first time a representative community panel has been given the power to develop their own vision with Council committing to adopt it with no changes.”
The panel also developed a series of recommendations for Council's strategic plans (including the Council Plan, Public Health and Wellbeing Plan and 10-year plans for managing the city’s finances and assets). This part of the deliberations was set at the 'collaborate' level of influence on the Spectrum.
“All our panellists told us they felt the process was ‘collaborative, genuine and worthwhile’ with most saying they were much more likely to participate in projects like this in the future now.”
You can find out more about Kingston’s new Community Vision and the process they undertook in developing it on their website and in the video below.
City of Stonnington
The City of Stonnington selected ‘collaborate’ from the spectrum. Although they had not set their deliberation at ‘empower’, Stonnington Council has accepted the vison developed by the community without any changes.
This has been a wonderful deliberative process to be part of. The Mayor Cr Kate Hely has been very supportive of the process and the council has been very respectful towards their community.
“The feedback from our People’s Panel about the process is that it was incredibly positive and many described it as “democracy in action” - Council listening to the people, working with our people, and shaping a future by the people. For me, their vision will also be a reminder of the hopes and aspirations our residents have for our community and neighbourhoods. It will give me something to live up to and be inspired by.”
You can find out more about the Stonnington Community Vision 2040 on their website and the process they undertook in developing it on the video below.
City of Greater Dandenong
The City of Greater Dandenong also set their level of influence at ‘collaborate’, but were highly engaged and supportive of the community panel’s work. Council accepted the community’s vision without change, and suggested two small additions to the panel’s draft principles - one regarding domestic and family violence, and the other an acknowledgment of traditional owners.
This was a great example of partnership between council and the community. The additions had both been discussed by the panel in their deliberations, but they had not made it to the final draft due to the volume of material and time limits the panel was working within.
The panel were encouraged to see that the council was paying such close attention to their deliberations, and wholeheartedly embraced the two suggested additions.
Find out more about the process the City of Greater Dandenong undertook on their website, as well as an overview of the ‘meet and greet session’ for the Greater Dandenong People’s Panel on their FaceBook page.
WE’RE LOOKING FOR HIGH INFLUENCE, EXCITING ENGAGEMENT PROCESSES
MosaicLab is always on the lookout for genuine engagement opportunities, and we’re here to support you to design and deliver your next deliberative process. If you’ve been thinking about elevating your engagement approach up the spectrum towards ‘empower’, we’d love to talk to you about where to start.
FURTHER RESOURCES
MosaicLab produced a free guide for local government to assist in implementing the
provisions in the Local Government Act 2020.
We hope you find it useful!
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