A new guide for New South Wales councils is set to strengthen consultation practices with regional, rural and remote communities.
The guide is designed to build stronger regional communities by delivering solutions tailored to local communities and informed by local knowledge.
The Regional Communities Consultation Guide outlines the State Government’s approach to consulting with regional, rural and remote communities, including Aboriginal communities, to make better decisions and improve the lives of people across New South Wales.
The release of the guide follows the introduction of the Regional Communities (Consultation Standards) Act 2024, by Independent Member for Barwon, Roy Butler.
In a state first this legislation enshrines that compliance with the guide is required for certain consultations, setting a clear standard that those affected by decisions should be involved in the decision-making process.
The Member for Barwon worked with the government to address the barriers which have historically faced regional engagement with government consultations, including population sparsity, and digital disadvantages.
The guide is informed by in-depth stakeholder engagement across regional and rural communities, to ensure the priorities and expectations of regional, rural and remote communities are reflected. This included direct engagement with peak organisations including the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, Local Government NSW, the Country Mayors Association, the Riverina and Murray Joint Organisation and the Central NSW Joint Organisation.
Further, around 200 stakeholders participated in eight regional listening sessions held in Broken Hill, Wagga Wagga, Nowra, Lismore, Port Macquarie, Newcastle, Narrabri and Bourke.
The guide will now be rolled out across agencies for immediate use and can be downloaded along with a detailed engagement summary here: www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/consultation-regional-communities.
Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, said that no-one knows what a local community needs better than the people who actually call that place home.
“That’s what this is about, ensuring that the people impacted by the decisions we make are a part of the decision-making process,” Minns said.
“It’s a commonsense step, which I’m grateful Roy brought to the table because I genuinely think our state will be stronger for it.
“Every community is different, from large regional centres to small remote villages and the people within these communities are equally different and diverse too, our engagement and solutions as a government should reflect that.”
New South Wales Minister for Agriculture, Regional NSW and Western NSW, Tara Moriarty, said that this guide – underpinned by transparency, accountability and best practice – is a reflection of what regional, rural and remote communities have said they want from NSW Government agencies.
“Effective community and stakeholder engagement is fundamental to good governance.
“This new guide demonstrates our commitment to improving consultation practices.”
New South Wales Member for Barwon, Roy Butler, said that regional communities know what they need but feel disadvantaged by current consultation processes, including a reliance on digital channels, or consultation conducted during harvest.
“While not all projects will reflect every view, consultation should be done to give regional, rural and remote communities a fair chance to share their input, which is what this guide will now ensure,” Butler said.
“The guide will significantly reduce the risk of tick-the-box disingenuous consultation occurring or bad decisions being forced on vulnerable communities.”
