Community Engagement Policy

Every project is different, but we use a consistent best practice approach to community consultation to inform Council decisions.

Our approach

When members of the Monash community are consulted they can see how their contributions make a difference to their local neighbourhoods and wider municipality.

We undertake community engagement when:

• the community can influence the decision being made, and
• the community will be impacted by the decision.

We may not undertake engagement when:

• Decisions are administrative or operational with no reasonable scope to influence outcomes
• There is no practical opportunity for community input to affect the decision
• Matters relate to staffing, commercial-in-confidence, legal, or confidential issues
• An emergency or urgent situation requires immediate action to protect public health, safety, or assets.

Guiding principles

The following principles guide how we plan, design, implement, evaluate and report community engagement.

Genuine

We believe we make better decisions when they are informed by the people impacted by them. We are committed to demonstrating how community input influences decisions. Where input cannot be adopted, we will explain why.

Accessible

We offer multiple ways for people to participate, that are easy and convenient for all. We remove known barriers to participation and regularly review who is (and isn’t) engaging, adapting our approach to improve access.

Inclusive

We identify those impacted and interested by the decision and proactively design engagement activities to include people with diverse backgrounds, particularly those who are under represented or less likely to participate. We track participation and take action when key voices are missing.

Informed

We promote engagement opportunities and provide timely, clear and balanced information in plain language so the community can provide informed input. 

Meaningful

We engage early, before decisions are made, and clearly define how community input will influence outcomes.  We demonstrate impact by showing what changed as a result of feedback.

Respectful

We engage with the community in a respectful, culturally sensitive and safe manner, valuing people’s time, experiences and perspectives. We listen actively and ensure people feel heard, even when their views cannot be adopted.

Transparent

We are clear about the purpose of engagement, the level of influence the community has and what the community can and cannot influence. We openly report how input was considered, what decisions were made, and the reasons behind them.

Other factors in decision-making

Community engagement is one input into our decision-making. Other considerations include but are not limited to: 

• technical information
• financial analysis
• risk assessments
• benchmarking, data and research
• legal or regulatory requirements.