Too often, government consultation is treated as a box-ticking exercise – yet it sits at the heart of legitimacy, accountability and public trust. This paper shows how public consultation integrity can deliver better decisions and reduce the disproportionate influence of vested interests, but only when consultation is genuine, accessible and done early – before outcomes...

A consultation paper about the Disability Support Quality and Safeguarding Framework and Ecosystem Safeguarding Strategy, developed in response to the Royal Commission. Aimed at unifying safeguards for all Australians with disability, it seeks community and sector views on the meaning of safeguards, what effective safeguards look like, and how quality should be defined.

An analysis of 17 community consultation demographics across seven metropolitan local councils in Melbourne, Victoria. This research note tests a simple hypothesis: that Victorian local council consultations are biased toward older homeowners. It finds that the community consultation models tend to favour the time-rich (property owners and older residents) over the time-poor (renters and younger...

Meaningful citizen participation in policymaking is critical. This report identifies systemic challenges for citizen participation facing citizens, elected representatives, civil servants and civil society. It advocates for a strategic and targeted approach to citizen participation; lowering barriers to enable more inclusive participation; building capacity among both civil servants and citizens; and ensuring impact and accountability.

This guide outlines the New South Wales Government’s approach to consulting with regional, rural and remote communities, including Aboriginal communities, to make better decisions and optimise outcomes. It offers guidance on addressing the challenges associated with community engagement in this context.