Submissions double to city’s community engagement

SUBMISSIONS about the City of Greater Geelong’s projects have more than doubled over a 12-month period, according to a report presented to the council.

The Community Engagement Policy Impact Report tracks the achievements and statistics from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.

Over that period, the number of submissions lodged at the city’s Have Your Say website increased by over 100 per cent, to 17,381.

The report’s other highlights include:

• 72 projects being shared with the community for feedback through the Have Your Say website in the 2022-23 year
• A 30 per cent increase in new Have Your Say registered members
• A 5 per cent increase in the number of people who have visited the Have Your Say website to 82,891 from the previous year
• 47 per cent of the city’s engagements were hybrid (a combination of face-to-face and online)
• More deliberate and timely engagement with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and
• More improvements to the accessibility and inclusiveness of engagements, including translation support, face-to-face engagements and ‘Join Us’ campaign.

The city’s most visited Have Your Say pages for the year to March 31 were for Market Square Masterplan (3,361 visitors), Dogs in Public Places Policy Review (2,607 visitors), and Ocean Grove Sporting Infrastructure Plan (2,475 visitors).

The council adopted its Community Engagement Policy in March 2021.

Under the policy, the city has committed to presenting an impact report to the council each year.

To read the full Community Engagement Policy Impact Report, head to yoursay.geelongaustralia.com.au/CEIR