WE often hear that public opinion is ignored during the legislative and decision-making processes of council or parliament house.
People wonder why they weren’t heard, or why in some cases the consensus of a community was seemingly ignored.
The response from politicians in the past has been that people didn’t respond to a consultation phase.
Modern community engagement practices are not yet ideal, and it is true that they can be skewed by those implementing the process.
But consultation is a lot more open and transparent than it once was.
Council has a “have your say” page on its website where people can comment on various documents which are passing through the bureaucratic channel.
Sometimes, the window for community involvement is very short. We’ll endeavour to call out the odd occasion that happens, but we’ll also try to ensure people are made aware of opportunities to share their view within ample time before deadline.
If councillors continue to refuse to discuss important topics in the public domain, the onus is on all of us to ensure we are providing the right input.
If your suggestions are then ignored, you’ve got every right to ask why.
