Community engagement
Register and have your say to help shape the City of Gold Coast's future.
The City's community engagement program facilitates and encourages public participation, to generate ideas and feedback that informs good decision-making to help shape our city's future.
To have your say
- Visit gchaveyoursay, the City's online community engagement hub where you can share your comments and suggestions on survey and open discussion forums; and
- Register to receive email updates and invitations to participate in future City community engagements and surveys.
View all consultations
- Current consultations
- Past consultations
Note: information on past consultations will be listed for five years from their closing date.
Why is community engagement valuable?
To enable a full decision-making process by Council Committees or Council's elected representatives, City officers may consider and report on a cross-section of information:
- local values
- professional assessments of local needs
- resources availability
- regional guidelines and national / international best practice.
Community engagement plays a key role in generating ideas, collating feedback and developing partnerships that inform good decision making as we shape our City's future. During the community consultation and reporting processes, City officers must be mindful of the resource constraints and best practice standards affecting the project.
In addition to ensuring internal City control of collected information, correct analysis, and transparent reporting to City bodies, good community consultation is able to:
- identify stakeholders – those with an interest in a decision making area - and help define their expectations
- define the agenda – set boundaries for the questions to be asked, encouraging debate around a structured set of opinions
- allow for two-way discussion – dialogue assists in reaching choices acceptable to a wide range of interests
- improve information flow – a wide range of mechanisms are used to invite stakeholders to consultations
- ensure a plan for evaluation.
Objectives of community engagement
- ensure community views are considered in City decisions
- ensure that community consultation is appropriately innovative
- ensure that community consultation is coordinated and integrated in a consistent manner across the City
- ensure meaningful community engagement in consultation
- identify community capacity building areas for strategy development
- establish and maintain partnerships between the City and the community
- build a network of community contacts
- minimise burden on community representation
- adopt the values, behaviours and work plans necessary to give effect to the City of Gold Coast's Community Consultation Policy
- provide planning and evaluation templates to be completed by staff and a registration form for registering community attendance at consultation meetings.
Language assistance
For assistance with speaking to a City officer, please call the National Translating and Interpreting Service on 13 14 50.
Information Privacy
Council of the City of Gold Coast (Council) is collecting your personal information in order to provide the services requested, perform associated Council functions and services, and to update and maintain Council's customer information records. Your information is handled in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld) and may only be accessed by Councillors, Council employees and authorised contractors. Unless authorised or required by law, we will not provide your personal information to any other person or agency. For further information, visit our Privacy page.
Council may also use your personal information in order to contact you to provide you with information regarding Council functions and services. If you do not wish to receive such information please opt out using the unsubscribe link in the communication material sent to you.
Council may also use your name, suburb and feedback provided in the form of a published quote. If you do not wish your name, suburb and feedback provided to be published please opt out by checking the check box in the Survey. Please note that Council's contractor Bang the Table host the website on Council's behalf and users when accessing the website must comply with the contractors Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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