Local Government Community Engagement Charter

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

What's being decided?

The Office of Local Government is conducting statewide consultation on a new Community Engagement Charter (the Charter) that councils will be required to comply with.

Background

Councils are always working with their communities to make important decisions, like setting annual business plans and budgets, deciding how council rates are collected, managing parks and public spaces, and even shaping how the council itself is structured.

When councils undertake community consultation on these important decisions, they are often required to consult with their communities as the Local Government Act 1999 (the Act) requires them to. Right now, the Act sets some minimum standards that have been the same for more than 20 years, and apply across the board.

But times have changed, and so have expectations. Changes to the Act will replace these past requirements with a new Charter. The Charter sets principles for engagement and also lists minimum actions that councils must comply with to meet these standards. These mandatory actions vary according to what councils are consulting on, to ensure that councils are making the optimal effort to reach all community members who are interested in what they are doing.

These changes will come into effect once the Charter is officially published. Councils will also be required to have a community engagement policy in place that spells out how they will deliver the engagement that the Charter establishes.

Balancing certainty and flexibility

As part of the Local Government Participation and Elections Review, we asked for your thoughts on how the Charter should work.

We wanted to know whether the Charter should:

  • set minimum standards for important council tasks, like the annual business plan and budget, while taking a more principles-based approach that lets councils decide how best to engage with their communities, or
  • be more prescriptive, like the current laws, by clearly stating the specific activities councils must undertake when consulting on various matters.

Here’s what we heard from you:

  • There’s strong awareness that councils are legally required to engage with their communities.
  • Most people agree that councils do share information about major decisions and make reasonable efforts to inform and consult the public, especially on annual business plans.
  • Opinions were mixed on whether councils should have full control over how they engage with their communities.
  • Many people supported the idea that legislation should give clearer direction on how councils should engage.

Based on your feedback, the new Charter will:

  • include different categories of consultation;
  • set mandatory requirements for each category;
  • give councils flexibility in how they meet those requirements; and
  • place greater emphasis on consultation for more significant decisions.

Get involved

Have your say by:

What are the next steps?

Following consideration of feedback, the Charter will be finalised.

The Charter will be published in the South Australian Government Gazette following the commencement of legislative amendments and councils’ development of their community engagement policies.

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

What's being decided?

The Office of Local Government is conducting statewide consultation on a new Community Engagement Charter (the Charter) that councils will be required to comply with.

Background

Councils are always working with their communities to make important decisions, like setting annual business plans and budgets, deciding how council rates are collected, managing parks and public spaces, and even shaping how the council itself is structured.

When councils undertake community consultation on these important decisions, they are often required to consult with their communities as the Local Government Act 1999 (the Act) requires them to. Right now, the Act sets some minimum standards that have been the same for more than 20 years, and apply across the board.

But times have changed, and so have expectations. Changes to the Act will replace these past requirements with a new Charter. The Charter sets principles for engagement and also lists minimum actions that councils must comply with to meet these standards. These mandatory actions vary according to what councils are consulting on, to ensure that councils are making the optimal effort to reach all community members who are interested in what they are doing.

These changes will come into effect once the Charter is officially published. Councils will also be required to have a community engagement policy in place that spells out how they will deliver the engagement that the Charter establishes.

Balancing certainty and flexibility

As part of the Local Government Participation and Elections Review, we asked for your thoughts on how the Charter should work.

We wanted to know whether the Charter should:

  • set minimum standards for important council tasks, like the annual business plan and budget, while taking a more principles-based approach that lets councils decide how best to engage with their communities, or
  • be more prescriptive, like the current laws, by clearly stating the specific activities councils must undertake when consulting on various matters.

Here’s what we heard from you:

  • There’s strong awareness that councils are legally required to engage with their communities.
  • Most people agree that councils do share information about major decisions and make reasonable efforts to inform and consult the public, especially on annual business plans.
  • Opinions were mixed on whether councils should have full control over how they engage with their communities.
  • Many people supported the idea that legislation should give clearer direction on how councils should engage.

Based on your feedback, the new Charter will:

  • include different categories of consultation;
  • set mandatory requirements for each category;
  • give councils flexibility in how they meet those requirements; and
  • place greater emphasis on consultation for more significant decisions.

Get involved

Have your say by:

What are the next steps?

Following consideration of feedback, the Charter will be finalised.

The Charter will be published in the South Australian Government Gazette following the commencement of legislative amendments and councils’ development of their community engagement policies.

  • Give us your feedback

    Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on Local Government Community Engagement Charter.

    Please take our short 3-question survey to provide your feedback.

    You can skip a question if you do not want to answer.

    All responses will be considered as part of this consultation.

    Complete Form
Page last updated: 05 Jun 2025, 01:25 PM