Community Engagement and Participation

Tweed Shire Council shares the community’s passion and pride in the Tweed. Council is committed to work with the community to make better decisions.

Council’s responsibility is to consider a broad cross-section of views from the community when making decisions. Professional staff will also provide guidance on policy, legal and statutory matters. Councillors are then well informed to fulfil their role as elected representatives to make better final decisions that they believe are in the best interests of the Tweed as a whole.

The Community Engagement and Participation Plan sets out a whole-of-council commitment to community engagement where the Tweed community will be:

• encouraged to make recommendations to Council
• informed about issues and decisions that could significantly affect their future
• able to raise issues and have their say, in a way and at a time that suits them
• confident that their views have been considered and will have access to feedback.

The Plan combines the Community Engagement Strategy (a requirement of the Local Government Act 1993) with the Community Participation Plan (a requirement under the Environmental Protection and Assessment Act 1979) resulting in an integrated document that makes it easier for the community to understand how, when and on what they can expect Council to engage with them, no matter what part of Council is managing the project.