Community engagement, consultation and research

How we involve Canberrans in government decision-making, the standards we follow, ways we consult, and how we use research.

Community engagement

Community engagement means how we involve Canberrans and give them ways to have a say on ACT Government projects, services or policies.

Community engagement includes:

providing information about what’s happening and how to give feedback
consulting to understand what people need and expect
sharing what we’ve heard and how we’re using it to make decisions.

We engage and consult about:

plans to develop our growing city and its services
actions to create positive change and improve wellbeing in our community
major building projects and upgrades
how to spend the budget
reviews of existing policies
drafts and proposals for new or changing laws.

Our community engagement standards

When we involve the community, we aim to meet these standards:

We provide meaningful engagements where the community has clear, relevant and timely information to help shape decisions.
We are accountable when we engage. This means we update the community about how they’re contributing to decisions, projects and policies.
We are responsive to the community. This means we act positively to grow strong relationships for future collaboration and cooperation.
We are inclusive and respectful when we engage, finding ways to listen to all voices in our community.

How we consult

Consulting is when we invite Canberrans to tell us what they think about an issue or initiative.

We consult:

online, mainly through YourSay Conversations
in-person, through focus groups and drop-in sessions at community locations.

We are committed to open and genuine consultation that:

allows Canberrans to have their say on issues that matter to them, in a way that is inclusive and convenient
encourages a diverse range of Canberrans to get involved with government decision making
influences government to achieve more effective policy and project outcomes.

YourSay Conversations

The YourSay Conversations website allows Canberrans to provide feedback to the ACT Government as we plan, develop and consult on policies, services and projects.

YourSay Conversations provides a range of ways to participate and share ideas.

You can find projects that interest you and share your opinions through:

online discussions, quick polls, surveys and written submissions
information about community pop-up stalls
registering for a workshop or discussion.

Each project includes:

consultation timelines
reports about what we heard from the community and how we’re using what we learned.

Find a project on YourSay Conversations

Our research

Another way we listen to the community is through research. This research includes:

online surveys to learn how many people think a certain way about a topic
focus groups to hear directly from people about why they think a certain way about a topic.

We use the results and insights from this research to:

understand how aware the community is about government services
find out what the community’s priorities are for government
test community attitudes towards a topic, issue, decision or program
plan awareness campaigns
guide policy and law reform
plan budgets and investment
evaluate programs and the effectiveness of ACT Government communications.

To read our research reports, go to YourSay Panel survey reports.

YourSay Panel

Joining the YourSay Panel is an important way Canberrans can have a say on topics that matter to them. Anyone over 16 years old can join the panel.

Members live in all regions of the ACT and are a representative sample of the ACT community.

Panel member complete online surveys which help the ACT Government deliver better services and programs. Members can choose which surveys they want to complete.

Find out how to join and learn more about being a YourSay Panel member.