Setting the context

Introduction

Involving citizens in government planning and decision making is crucial to the legitimacy and responsiveness of government, the quality of public policies and programs, and the effectiveness of services.

While community engagement is aligned with our system of representative democracy and Queensland Government agencies have been undertaking a range of community engagement activities for some time, the government acknowledges the need for continuous improvement.

In a modern democracy, there is an expectation that public offi cials will facilitate the contribution of citizens and communities in government planning and decision making processes. There is also an expectation that government agencies will, through their Ministers and chief executive offi cers, account for the results of their engagement with citizens and communities.

The increasing emphasis on community involvement in government processes in Queensland corresponds with growing citizen expectations for more accessible, responsive and accountable government. It also corresponds with an international trend towards more participatory and deliberative approaches to democratic governance. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development advocates strengthened government–citizen connections and the involvement of citizens in shaping public policies.

The Queensland Government has responded to citizen expectations and international trends with a significant commitment to improving community engagement. The commitment has been demonstrated through:

• innovation and reforms to improve inclusiveness and accessibility at all levels of government
• establishment of the Department of Communities with the vision of 'Safe, valued and empowered communities'
• implementation of a Community Engagement Improvement Strategy to improve engagement practices and capability across the public sector
• inclusion of 'Delivering responsive government' as one of the government’s seven key priorities.

Community engagement drivers and trends

Globally, there are a range of drivers and trends moving governments to improve community engagement in planning and decision making. They include:

1. Concerns about low levels of trust and confidence in government
   As communities and governments have grown in diversity and complexity, real or perceived disconnections have increased and levels of trust and confi dence in government and public institutions have decreased. The challenge to restore public trust and confi dence has therefore driven many governments internationally to develop and implement innovative ways to effectively involve citizens in government processes.
2. Community expectations for governments to be responsive, accountable and effective
   Internationally there are community expectations for greater government transparency and accountability, leading to increased outcome measurement. Greater transparency and accountability allows citizens to more easily access information about government and to examine and evaluate government decisions. There is also continuing pressure on governments to deliver increased efficiencies through more tailored and better coordinated policies, programs and services.
3. Mounting evidence and acknowledgement of increased social exclusion and disadvantage
   There is significant evidence that the increasing complexity of social and economic issues is changing the face of society and the gap between the well-off and the socially and economically disadvantaged is growing. Effective community engagement provides opportunities for governments to work with citizens and communities to close this gap.
4. The realisation that government does not have the expertise, resources or influence to solve all issues
   Effective community engagement practice enables the government to access the considerable knowledge and expertise residing within Queensland communities.

Several other global trends are contributing to a growing interest in community engagement. They include:

• rising education levels
• increasing interest in seeing more citizen opinions and values reflected in government policies and decisions
• the changing nature of community and non-government organisations
• changes brought about by technology which are providing opportunities for fast and direct communication between citizens and public officials.

In response to these drivers and trends, governments are taking a variety of approaches to enhance government–community connections. The diversity of approaches has led to various descriptors, such as community engagement, community capacity building, community renewal, strengthening communities and place management. However, the common overall objective is to enhance government capacity to understand and respond to the complex and diverse needs of communities, and to assist citizens and communities to build their own capacity to become involved in the processes of government.

Governments internationally are shifting from a top-down model to ‘networked’ governance — a more inclusive approach that acknowledges the importance of connections, facilitates increased citizen input into government processes, and emphasises collaboration across the public, private and community sectors.