Have Your Say on the Future of Community Engagement

Have your say on a new Community Engagement Charter that will change the way councils consult and engage with their communities.

The Office of Local Government is currently conducting a statewide consultation on a proposed Charter that will introduce updated standards for how local councils across South Australia engage with their communities on key decisions.

What’s Changing?

Currently, council consultation is guided by the Local Government Act 1999, which sets out minimum consultation requirements. However, these requirements haven’t changed in more than 20 years.

The proposed Community Engagement Charter will replace these outdated provisions with a modernised approach that balances certainty (through clear, mandatory standards) and flexibility (through principles-based guidance tailored to each council's local context).

Why It Matters

Local councils make decisions that affect many aspects of community life - setting annual business plans and budgets, collecting council rates, managing parks and public spaces, and even determining the structure of council itself.

The Charter will ensure that councils meet minimum standards for engagement and take extra steps for more significant decisions. It will also require councils to adopt a Community Engagement Policy, outlining how they plan to meet the Charter’s requirements.

Key Features of the Proposed Charter

• Mandatory minimum actions for different categories of consultation
• Principles-based approach that allows councils to tailor engagement to their communities
• Clearer guidance on expectations, especially for major decisions like budgets
• Flexibility in how councils meet these requirements, allowing room for innovation and local relevance

What the Community Has Already Said

In earlier consultations through the Local Government Participation and Elections Review:

• Most people acknowledged that councils are legally required to engage with their communities.
• There was strong recognition that councils make genuine efforts to inform and consult on big decisions.
• Many supported clearer guidance through legislation, while opinions varied on how prescriptive the rules should be.

Based on this feedback, the proposed Charter aims to strike a balance - providing structure where it’s needed and flexibility where it makes sense.

Have Your Say

Although this consultation is being led by the Office for Local Government, we’re sharing it because the outcomes will directly impact how we connect with you - our community.

To get involved, you can:

• Read the draft Community Engagement Charter
• Complete the online feedback form
• Email your feedback to: DIT.LocalGovernmentReform@sa.gov.au
• Post written feedback to:
  Office of Local Government
  GPO Box 1475
  Adelaide SA 5001
• Call (08) 7133 3277 for more information

🔗 Have your say and read the draft Charter on YourSAy

What’s Next?

Once public consultation closes, feedback will be reviewed and used to finalise the Charter. It will then be officially published in the South Australian Government Gazette following the commencement of relevant legislative amendments. Councils will be required to adopt a supporting Community Engagement Policy in line with the new Charter.