2016-01-11 General Committee Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                  11 JANUARY 2016


 A more structured approach to meetings including a more focussed agenda with major decision
   points clearly identified;
 A template for the Jury report would help jurors focus on the decisions required and help juries
   conclude effectively within the time allocated;
 Ensure that juries run over six meetings rather than five to allow time for effective decision-
   making, achieving consensus and report writing using the newDemocracy model
 Ensuring that jurors understand that specific questions can be asked of Council officers during
   the final two meetings to allow proceedings to move forward when discussions become
   gridlocked. Questions could be directed through the facilitator to Council officers to clarify facts
   but not seek opinions.

8.    Community Jury research grant

Inherent to the partnership with newDemocracy Foundation was a requirement to contribute a one-
off lump sum to an academic research project. nDF’s research committee allocated Noosa
Council’s research contribution in August 2015. Four projects are currently underway and one is
researching Noosa’s Community Jury specifically. The research papers will be available upon
completion in 2016.

9.     Future Community Juries

While ultimately a matter for the Council of the day, the two jury trial has demonstrated that a
Community Jury can be an important tool in extending how a Council can engage with its
community on key issues. A community jury is not suitable for every type of community
engagement that a Council needs to undertake. It is best for complex matters that impact across
the community, have a significant resource impact and require some deep analysis over time. In
those circumstances, a community jury is very effective.

As such, the community jury should continue to be an important tool in the overall toolbox of
community engagement tools available to help the Council work with our community.


Previous Council Consideration

Ordinary Meeting, 27 August 2015, Item 12, Page 7
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.

Finance & Risk

Noosa Council has partnered with newDemocracy for the Community Jury Pilot Project which
came at a financial cost and time imposts, however Council gained in return:
 a year of training for Council officers in operating Community juries;
 a large amount of new information from expert speakers and community considerations about
   organic waste management and river management;
 greater insight into how the community is able to be involved with Council decisions relating to
   changes in waste services and changes to Noosa River management and consequently better
   inform communications;
 greater opportunity for Council to make more fully informed decisions about issues that have
   significant financial and policy implications for the whole of the Noosa community;


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