Community consultation, the State Government way

I sat down on one of the chairs in the waiting area and watched as various people came into the room. There were all types, ranging from business-suited professionals to a slightly bemused little old lady. Eventually a person came in, on time, and called my name. I was ushered into another room with individual tables. I was shown to a table where the State Government Minister I had wanted to see was seated. There also was a ministerial and a departmental staffer at the table. I was introduced and sat down. I was able to talk directly with the Minister. His staffer took notes whilst the departmental staff supplied answers when appropriate. The Minister said that there would be a report back to me on the matters I raised, in four weeks.

Another part of the Community Cabinet meeting took place later that afternoon when groups were able to talk with the individual ministers. The final part of the Community Cabinet meeting process happened that evening when there was a Town Hall type general meeting where information was supplied to the audience and some questions taken from the floor.

The contrast between this process and the process followed by the City of Sydney Council was very marked. The ability to make an appointment to talk with a particular Minister was a pleasant change from turning up on the day, taking pot-luck that the Councillor chairing a particular committee would be in attendance, getting on the end of a queue, and hoping that you would get to the head of the queue whilst there was still some time left out of the scheduled 45 minutes before being herded into a hall to listen to presentations for an hour and a half.

Perhaps the City of Sydney Council should take a leaf from the NSW Government’s book when consulting with the community, the very group which employs them. The Community Cabinet actually wanted to hear from the community and provide substantive responses to issues raised by the community. The primary purpose of the whole process was to listen to the community, not to brief them on decisions already made.

Source: South Sydney Herald September 2009 www.southsydneyherald.com.au