Draft Community Engagement Charter released for consultation
The Community Engagement Charter replaces previous consultation requirements in the Local Government Act 1999 with a new framework that sets out engagement principles, five categories of consultation, and associated minimum actions. The categories are:
- Significant (Annual Business Plan and Rating Policy)
- Significant
- Standard
- Local
- Inform
The Charter sets out mandatory requirements including publishing information, holding public meetings, inviting submissions and more. For lower-impact decisions, councils may simply be required to notify affected communities or provide accessible information.
LGA welcomes the release of the draft and the opportunity for councils to have their say on this important reform. While the Charter reflects principles such as transparency and responsiveness, we note that many of the mandatory requirements appear to closely mirror pre-reform arrangements.
LGA has consistently supported a more flexible and principles-based approach which allows councils to tailor engagement based on the complexity and scale of the decision, and to adopt more contemporary tools and practices. This is particularly important in responding to shifts technology and changing expectations in citizen engagement.
In our submission we will explore how the Charter will best support councils to meet modern expectations for public participation, while ensuring approaches remain practical and proportionate.
We encourage councils to consider the draft in detail and provide feedback directly to the Office of Local Government. Councils are also invited to share their submissions with LGA to help inform our sector-wide response.
Review the Charter and have your say
Visit the YourSAy website to read the draft Community Engagement Charter and provide your feedback.
Consultation closes Sunday 29 June 2025.
For further information or to provide a copy of your submission, please contact:
Michael McCarthy
Manager Governance
governance@lga.sa.gov.au