Making it easier to have your say

Update February 2025: Read the Engagement Summary Report

We heard from 290 community members between 16 November - 16 December 2024. You can read what they said in this Engagement Summary Report. This feedback is being used to inform a review and update of our Community Engagement Policy.

Community Engagement Policy update

We are updating our Community Engagement Policy to improve how you can share feedback when Council decisions are being made that impact or interest you. Our current Community Engagement Policy is due to expire in 2025.

Snapshot of community engagement 2023-24

How can the community influence this project?

What can be influenced?

How we put the five principles of community engagement into practice.
How we make it easier for our community to share feedback on decisions that impact them

What can't be changed?

The definition of community engagement
The principles of community engagement
The use of deliberative community engagement: Councils must, at a minimum, apply their community engagement policy in the development of the following:
- community vision
- council plan
- financial plan
- asset plan
Compliance with relevant legislation

This policy will not include detailed procedures around how we implement the policy.

Feedback on this project is open from 16 November - 16 December 2024

Timeline

Timeline item 1 - complete

Phase 1 community engagement

Gathering input from the community.
Saturday 16 November to Monday 16 December 2024
Timeline item 2 - complete

Under review

We will review your input and report back on what we heard from you. An Engagement Report will be made public in February 2025.
February 2025
Timeline item 3 - incomplete

Draft Policy

We will use your input to develop a Draft Policy
Early 2025
Timeline item 4 - incomplete

Phase 2 community engagement

Gathering feedback on the draft Policy.
Mid 2025
Timeline item 5 - incomplete

Under review

We will review your feedback and report back on what we heard from you during the Phase 2 engagement period. An Engagement Report will be made public in mid 2025
Mid 2025
Timeline item 6 - incomplete

Community Engagement Policy finalised

Changes will be made to the Draft Community Engagement Policy based on what we heard in the Phase 2 engagement period. The Community Engagement Policy will be presented to Council for adoption
Late 2025

Document Library

Frequently Asked Questions

Community engagement is a planned process of informing and involving people in Council’s decision-making. Victoria’s Local Government Act 2020 requires local governments to engage with their communities and stakeholders on a range of Council policies, plans and projects (Section 56).

Engagement is key to making sure political and administrative decisions consider the interests, concerns and aspirations of local communities. Not only does engagement support decisions that are acceptable, localised and sustainable, but it represents an important opportunity to share knowledge with and between communities, as well as build stronger and healthier relationships.

Port Phillip is one of many Australian Councils to adopt and adapt the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation. This framework helps to determine the level of public participation appropriate in any given decision-making processes.

Currently, the policy includes:

Definition and purpose of community engagement
Roles and responsibilities
Scope of the policy
Council’s promise to the community
- Who we engage
- Levels of engagement and community involvement (IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation)
- Our engagement process
- How we will let the community know about the outcomes of their involvement
Legislative requirements
Community engagement principles
Criteria for deliberative engagement
Community stakeholder groups
Engagement methods

You can read the full policy here.

In addition to the topics covered in the current policy and key areas for improvement identified by the community, the updated policy will include:

An explanation of how community input informs Council’s approach to decision-making
Making it clear what the principles of community engagement mean in practice
Compliance with related legislation, including: Victorian Child Safe Standards and the Victorian Gender Equality Act 2020

The Victoria Government sets out five principles of community engagement that every Council needs to put into practice through a Community Engagement Policy.

These principles are:

A community engagement process must have a clearly defined objective and scope.
Participants in community engagement must have access to objective, relevant and timely information to inform their participation.
Participants in community engagement must be representative of the persons and groups affected by the matter that is the subject of the community engagement.
Participants in community engagement are entitled to reasonable support to enable meaningful and informed engagement.
Participants in community engagement are informed of the ways in which the community engagement process will influence Council decision making.

The Community Engagement Policy will assist Council in delivering a consistent approach to community engagement and will meet the legislative requirements outlined in the Local Government Act 2020.

Victoria’s Local Government Act 2020 requires local governments to have a Community Engagement Policy, and to engage with their communities and stakeholders on a range of Council policies, plans and projects (Section 56).

We are updating our Community Engagement Policy 2021 -2025 as it is due to expire next year. Before we make any changes to the current policy, we want to make sure it aligns with our community's hopes and needs.

Who's listening?

Have questions or want to learn more about this project? Contact us:

Contact Information
Name	Monique Cosgrove - Head of Stakeholder Engagement
Phone	(03) 9209 6777
Email	engagement@portphillip.vic.gov.au

Translating & Interpreting Service

131 450

National Relay Service

133 677 and ask for (03) 9209 6777