On May 21 Australians had the opportunity to have their say about their Federal Government representative, by voting in the Federal Election.
In-between election cycles, there are many other ways you can contribute to decisions being made that affect your local community, your State and your country.
Many Australians do not know what issues are being debated at a government level, or know what projects are being planned for their local area. As community engagement professionals, we have few suggestions for you to consider – what do you care about? Do you want the opportunity to contribute to the conversation?
In your local community there will be opportunities to influence decisions being made about your neighbourhood. Councils commonly coordinate these opportunities:
- Apply to join an advisory or reference group
- Join a committee at the local school, the neighbourhood house or the local seniors group
- Participate in any engagement activities that interest you – do a survey, attend a community feedback workshop, ask a question at a community information session
- Attend a council meeting, make a submission or ask a question about a council report
- Join a neighbourhood action or community group
- Sign a petition about a local issue
If you are more concerned with State Government issues, the Engage Victoria website provides details of current projects and issues where you can have your say.
If you are interested in Federal government issue such as aged care or immigration, you can make a submission or comment on a discussion paper. Find each department’s website at https://www.directory.gov.au/departments-and-agencies.
Go to your local council website and search for their community engagement page – you can sign up to receive regular updates by email and register to receive the council newsletter. Find your council’s website via https://knowyourcouncil.vic.gov.au/.
Find out if your council has any advisory or reference groups or committees that deal with issues you are interested in.
If you are more concerned with State Government issues like education or transport or large infrastructure projects, register at the Engage Victoria website. You will be notified about projects that match your interests. Keep an eye on Victorian Government projects https://engage.vic.gov.au.
Important Dates:
Federal Election – 21 May 2022
Victorian State Election – 26 November 2022
About Jenny Grogan
Jenny, our Social Research Lead, is an experienced social researcher and research analyst with 30 years of work experience in the health and community services sector. Her approach is focused on understanding the needs of clients, what information they “need to know” and what is “nice to know”. With this understanding, she creates and delivers the research program so that decision makers can extract practical insights to inform the decision, or gain a better understanding of the project or topic.
