Community News

VOICES FOR THE EARTH – Council and Community Consultation

In last week’s VOICES column John Edwards discussed Clarence Valley Council’s decision to amalgamate some of its community advisory committees – including the important Biodiversity Advisory Committee of which John was a member. 

While all levels of government in Australia claim they welcome community input to help them in their decision making, enabling this input and then actually taking notice of what the community has to say often belies these claims. The former council committees I am familiar with provided the opportunity for more detailed interaction between community members and council which is quite different to the often simplistic, quick response interaction through formats like the council’s online “Clarence Conversations” gateway or other brief sessions such as arranged visits to local halls.

Community members serving on advisory committees give their time because they are interested in the committee’s work and want to have an input on that to council. They are volunteers whose time is spent not only in attending meetings but also in researching and preparing for them and in following up afterwards.

In the past council has been very fortunate in having community members with a range of experience and skills on these committees. For example, membership in the most recent committee on which I was a member – the Climate Change Committee – included engineers, a farmer, a former state government planner, and a Doctor of the Economics of Climate Change – diverse experiences offering a range of perspectives on the matters the committee discussed.

The pushing together of separate entities such as the Biodiversity and Climate Change committees into a mish-mash amalgamated committee with several other former committees will not be in the long term interests of the Clarence community or council. The separate committees provided community members with a valuable opportunity to provide council with advice on important matters which affect both it – and even more importantly – the community, the natural environment and our community’s future.

Council’s new committee concoction is unlikely to be able to do this effectively – even if the council bureaucracy gives it the chance.

Leonie Blain