2016-03-07 General Committee - Item 2 - Waste Management PBA Final Report - ATTACHMENT 1

3. Consultation Process
3.1     Consultation Process
A limited consultation program was undertaken to inform the community of the PBA process given
the level of reform already applied to the business, and previous PBA undertaken by Sunshine
Coast Regional Council in 2010 that included an extensive consultation process.

The consultation process undertaken involved the following:

Table 3.1: PBA Consultation Process
Stage                     Action

Information Preparation        A Stakeholder Information Paper was prepared for distribution
                                to key stakeholders, setting out the key features of competition
                                policy and competitive neutrality, as well as the potential
                                implications of each business model

Public Announcement            The PBA process was announced on Council’s internet site with
                                a corresponding media release (appearing in the local media)
                                announcing the PBA and seeking community input
                               A copy of the PBA Information Paper was also made available
                                for download on Council’s internet site
                               Interested parties were invited to submit comments on the
                                implications of each business model by 18th December 2015
                               The draft PBA report was made available on Council’s website
                                for a 2 week period closing on 2nd March 2016. No further
                                responses were received

Internal Consultation          Councillors were made aware of the PBA process and provided
                                opportunity for input
                               Council’s CEO and senior management discussed the PBA and
                                potential outcomes



3.2     Consultation Outcomes
Only one response was received by the 18th December 2015 due date from an external
stakeholder, who supported the continuation of the current full cost pricing business model.

The lack of detailed comments received from external stakeholders as part of the PBA consultation
process can possibly be attributed to a number of factors, namely:

   The waste management function already operates as a business activity in accordance with full
    cost pricing principles;
   Consumers, both residential and non-residential, have become accustomed to user pays
    based waste utility charges that reflect levels of use;
   The reform options under discussion are not expected to result in any substantial changes to
    the current pricing structure; and
   National Competition Policy objectives have largely been achieved since they were introduced
    20 years ago.


Waste Management Public Benefit Assessment                                                Page 14