Under the Victorian Local Government Act 2020, Councils are required to use deliberative engagement to develop or review their Council Plan, Community Vision, Financial Plan and Asset Plan. These strategic documents provide the foundation for how local governments deliver services and allocate resources.
Baw Baw Shire Council (Council) contracted Capire to design and deliver a broad and deliberative community engagement program to inform their 2025–2029 strategic documents and help Council focus on issues important to the community. Capire partnered with Deliberately Engaging to manage the independent recruitment of the Community Panel.
Engagement approach
The broad engagement included a range of activities: an online survey, interactive market pop-ups, a conversation toolkit, business door knocks, and focus groups with key professional and advocacy groups (environment, sport and recreation, health and wellbeing). The engagement captured diverse community perspectives from across the Shire, informing the deliberative process and ensuring the wider community could contribute to Council’s planning.
After an expression of interest process, 43 people who live, work and/or study in Baw Baw Shire were randomly selected, based on demographic goals, to join the Community Panel. The Panel met across four structured sessions between March and April 2025. Each session was designed to build knowledge, explore Council’s challenges and opportunities, and support the development of informed, community-led priorities.
The Panel produced 27 recommendations, each including a priority, coupled with outcomes and advice on service and asset levels required to deliver on each priority. In addition to priority-specific recommendations, Panel members shared key messages – values they believe should guide Council’s planning for the next four years.
Outcomes
The evaluation showed that Panel members had an increased understanding of Council and the strategic planning cycle. They valued connecting with others, hearing diverse perspectives, and having a genuine voice in decision-making. Suggestions for future engagement included a slower pace to deliberate on complex topics in plain language and ensuring all voices are heard in the process.
Alongside other forms of evidence, Council drew on the broad and deliberative engagement findings to draft the next Council Plan, Asset Plan, and Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan.
