2015-08-18 Planning and Organisation Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                18 AUGUST 2015


Community Engagement
12                       COMMUNITY JURY 1 PROCESS
DOCUMENT INFORM AT ION




Author                           Community Engagement Manager, Debra Bambrook
                                 Executive Office

Index                            ECM/Subject/Community Jury

Attachments                      Nil


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Noosa’s first Community Jury process has been a success in many respects: the Jury
reached a consensus on a difficult and complex topic and delivered a report with a full set of
recommendations to Council that all Jury members stand by. Jury meetings were
consistently covered by the local media and feedback from jurors was overwhelmingly
positive.

Feedback from our first process suggests that there is room for improvement and that there
are actions that Council can take to improve the process for subsequent juries and to
engage the community to a greater degree. These improvements are mainly required in
certain areas of communications such as:
    increased communication with the community to deliver more information about the
      topic itself early in the process;
    more information delivered through the media and online about major, specific items
      discussed at each Jury meeting in a manner that engages the community; and
    providing more channels through which the community can have their say to inform the
      Jury could result in greater community engagement with both the topic and the Jury
      process.

This is Noosa’s and Queensland’s first Community Jury. Council has learned a great deal
about deliberative public participation processes from its first Community Jury. The benefits
for the community will be realised more fully when the Jury’s recommendations are
considered by Council.


RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Community Engagement Manager to the Planning &
Organisation Committee Meeting dated 18 August 2015 providing an update on the first
Community Jury process.


REPORT
Background

Noosa’s Community Jury Pilot Project is a project in partnership with newDemocracy
Foundation (nDF) comprising two successive community juries designed to assist Council
achieve its strategic goal of working in partnership with our community in support of
Council’s “As one with our community” value (as identified in the Noosa Council Corporate
Plan 2014-2019).




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