Community engagement in Australian local governments: a closer look and strategic implications

Christensen, HE; McQuestin, D

Community engagement in Australian local governments: a closer look and strategic implications

Christensen, HE

McQuestin, D

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Local Government Studies, 2019, 45 (4), pp. 453 - 480
Issue Date:: 2019-07-04

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Christensen, HE https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7770-1556	en_US
dc.contributor.author	McQuestin, D https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0137-0260	en_US
dc.date.available	2020-05-25T19:26:47Z
dc.date.issued	2019-07-04	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Local Government Studies, 2019, 45 (4), pp. 453 - 480	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0300-3930	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/128255
dc.description.abstract	© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Public input into decision-making through participatory and deliberative democratic practices has become a widely accepted and legislated responsibility of Australian local governments. At any one time, councils are leading submission processes, workshops and online surveys on a multitude of projects, ranging from long-term community strategic plans to public art projects. The increase in these practices has been exponential, leaving little time for critical reflection. The lack of empirical data to illustrate how community engagement is understood and practised in different councils has hindered sector-wide reflection. This paper presents the findings of the ‘Local Government Community Engagement Census’, a survey of 175 councils–approximately half–from 4 of Australia’s eastern states. This sectoral snapshot provides a picture of how councils understand, prioritise and practise community engagement, allowing critical reflection, an interpretation of implications and suggesting areas for future research.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Local Government Studies	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1080/03003930.2018.1541794	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Political Science & Public Administration	en_US
dc.title	Community engagement in Australian local governments: a closer look and strategic implications	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	4	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	45	en_US
utslib.for	1205 Urban and Regional Planning	en_US
utslib.for	1606 Political Science	en_US
utslib.for	1402 Applied Economics	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)/lnstitute for Public Policy and Governance
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.issue	4	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	45	en_US

Abstract:

© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Public input into decision-making through participatory and deliberative democratic practices has become a widely accepted and legislated responsibility of Australian local governments. At any one time, councils are leading submission processes, workshops and online surveys on a multitude of projects, ranging from long-term community strategic plans to public art projects. The increase in these practices has been exponential, leaving little time for critical reflection. The lack of empirical data to illustrate how community engagement is understood and practised in different councils has hindered sector-wide reflection. This paper presents the findings of the ‘Local Government Community Engagement Census’, a survey of 175 councils–approximately half–from 4 of Australia’s eastern states. This sectoral snapshot provides a picture of how councils understand, prioritise and practise community engagement, allowing critical reflection, an interpretation of implications and suggesting areas for future research.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/128255