Regulation News

Engaging with the community

In the past, planning for development has focused primarily on statutory requirements related to town planning, environmental assessment and assessment of ?hard? infrastructure. In recent times, however, the focus on people and the community where people live and work has received more attention and the community?s opinions and attitudes are having greater influence on decision-making.

There is now an increasing body of evidence to demonstrate that more decisions and approvals are being made based on community input and opinion, despite planning regulations being satisfied. Communities are now recognised as playing an integral part in maintaining and enhancing the local environment. Communities can become organised to present their views very quickly and professionally with the availability of the internet and web resources as well as access to publishing and printing.

While the importance of community consultation and engagement is becoming increasingly understood, there are still many examples of consultation and engagement being undertaken poorly. The reason for this is because there is a general lack of understanding of what constitutes good practice in the area of consultation and engagement.

{{image2-a:r-w:250}}Strategies are inadequately resourced (not necessarily financial but responsibility may sit at an inappropriate level), expectations are unclear and not clearly defined and there is a general fear of consultation and engagement. We have become risk-averse to other people?s opinions and attitudes because we think they will have a negative impact on our core business.

A lack of, or poorly conducted, consultation and engagement represents a risk to our business. Good community consultation and engagement, at the very least, provide an opportunity to manage information.

SOUND ENGAGEMENT PRINCIPLES
There are a number of identified principles that underpin good consultation and the engagement process. These may be theoretically based or identified through an individual?s or organisation?s experience. My learning has been grounded in many years of talking to communities to establish their needs, issues and aspirations. I believe good principles to follow are those that we can all relate to, so in this context the basic principles are outlined in Table 1.

COMMUNITY CONSULTATION AND ENGAGEMENT

Community consultation and engagement covers many types of information exchange between organisations and the public. The most commonly used terms are:

?    Consultation ? which refers broadly to the way organisations seek the views of particular stakeholders or the wider public to improve a project or outcome.
Examples include info giving and receiving.
?    Engagement ? which refers to more active processes in which the public is given a greater role in formulating plans or influencing development outcomes. Examples include info sharing and participatory decision-making.

In this context, the term ?community engagement? has the potential to go beyond merely making information available or gathering opinions and attitudes. Community engagement entails the active exchange of information and viewpoints between the sponsoring organisation and its stakeholders.

Therefore community engagement seeks to actively draw stakeholders into the activities of the organisation. This principle is a key difference to strategies such as consultation and participation. It is important that we understand the difference between these terms because communities will expect a level of participation if we use the term ?engagement?.

Undertaking a process of community consultation and engagement is not a ?magic wand? that makes all parties happy. It can present information and views that may be in opposition to what our ultimate goal(s) is. However, community engagement must be conducted in good faith and seek to fully engage the whole community. If not, the process will be perceived as a cynical and manipulative exercise.

Part of this approach is clarifying the limits of the community?s influence in the process. This is particularly necessary when the decision-making power ultimately rests with government. Without a clear definition of the realities of a particular situation, it is inevitable that a sense of distrust will be generated about the engagement process.

BENEFITS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Working closely with communities is becoming ever more integrated into the day to day planning operations of government and the private sectors. Increasingly, there is an expectation and recognition that the community should have greater involvement in decision-making processes.
{{image3-a:c-w:600}}
Governments? recent emphasis on community engagement is partly a response to the community?s apparent apathy and cynicism, arising from a perceived lack of opportunity to influence the decision-making process. Governments (at all levels) have responded by promoting opportunities for people to be involved in decision-making in matters of public interest.

There are potential benefits for all parties through engagement with communities. For those in policy, plan making or development processes ? for the sponsoring organisation, for major stakeholders and for members of the broader community ? the process promises successful outcomes. Better ways of working with communities should lead to good government, good management and good business.

The value to communities and your company (and the sector as a whole) include:

?    Bringing better ideas to a project.
?    Minimising conflict and delay.
?    Establishing relationships in the local community that can benefit current and future projects.
?    Testing priorities in the marketplace.
?    Optimising value for money by enabling more efficient use of resources.
?    Enhancing reputation in the community and increasing credibility/accountability.
?    Providing an opportunity to involve the broader community and satisfy community expectations/desire/demand for involvement. Findings are available from a community about how aproposal will affect them and what measures might be appropriate to address impacts.
?    The opening of avenues for the community to raise issues incorporating local knowledge, expertise and ideas.
?    Saving time and money by addressing community concerns early in the process.
?    More sustainable development.
?    Developing a deeper understanding around an issue or problem through public information sharing, discussion and deliberation.
?    Improving democratic outcomes or the equity of a policy or proposed project.
?    Providing an active means for researching the community impacts of policies, services, education campaigns and the like.
?    Making better decisions through less duplication and more rational use of resources.
?    Making more acceptable decisions that lead to more effective policies/programs/services.
?    Developing networks and sustainable processes to ensure the continuation of engagement in the future.
?    Fulfilling statutory requirements and reducing regulatory pressure.

James Marshall is the director of Lantz Marshall. He has more than 18 years? experience in human services with experience in community development and social planning. He has held a number of senior management roles in the community development sector, local government and private practice.

Email: james@lantzmarshall.com.au

Leave a Reply

Send this to a friend