Public Consultation Toolkit - Civil Service College

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Public Consultation Toolkit 11 12 Public Consultation Toolkit Stakeholders as partners 5. Developing the strategy for consultation The first stage of the consultation process involves the conceptual development which aims to: 1. Identify the stakeholders to be consulted, 2. Select the tools and channels to be used, and 3. Develop strategies to mitigate potential risks in the consultation process. 5.1. Step 1: Identify stakeholders Selection of appropriate stakeholders to participate in public consultation ensures that the views of relevant parties are well represented and their views heard. Officers should make sure that participants are representative of the affected groups, while ensuring that stakeholders holding different views or from diverse background are involved in the consultation exercise. Stakeholders can be categorised into the following groups: Besides engaging the stakeholders directly, ministries and statutory boards can leverage on partnership with parties outside their own agencies to reach and engage the stakeholders. The following table (Table 5-1) illustrates how different partners can assist agencies in their consultation initiatives. Agencies may consider tapping on these resources: Partners REACH (Reaching Everyone for Active Citizenry@ Home) The government unit for engaging and connecting with citizens http://www.reach.gov.sg People’s Association http://www.pa.gov.sg/ Voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) Industry and trade associations Advantages • Provides a one-stop publicly available platform for the public to state their opinions and understand different perspectives on an issue • Assists agencies to identify relevant stakeholders in the community and organise consultation activities • Leverages on network of grassroots leaders to gather community views • Provide insights on issues affecting the stakeholder groups under their charter • Assist in obtaining feedback from stakeholders they serve Table 5-1: Partners in consultation exercises • Provide industry knowledge • Represent companies and businesses within an industry • Assist in identifying and engaging relevant stakeholders in the industry 1. Individuals/organisations that might benefit from the policy/initiative, 2. Individuals/organisations that might be adversely affected by the policy/initiative, 3. Individuals/organisations that might have the skills and resources to contribute to the policy/initiative development process; and 4. Individuals/organisations that might be interested in the policy/initiative and its development process. Note: The mode and the degree to which the stakeholder groups are consulted may vary, depending on the level of knowledge, expertise and degree of impact which the policy or initiative may have on the different groups.
Public Consultation Toolkit 13 14 Public Consultation Toolkit Considerations for facilitating effective partnerships Agencies can do the following to facilitate effective partnerships: 1. Lead time. When tapping on partners, it is important to provide them with sufficient lead time to allow the partner agencies to mobilise the necessary resources. Agencies should provide a minimum of one month’s notice to the partners, and a period of at least three months for the partners to gather feedback on agencies’ behalf. 2. Information. Agencies should provide partners with comprehensive information so that they have a good understanding of the policy and its considerations before the consultation process. This allows the partners to be more effective in addressing the questions raised by their constituents/members during the actual consultation exercise. 3. Materials. Agencies should generally equip partners with communication materials for the consultation exercise. This may include briefing slides (with speakers’ notes), pamphlets and FAQs. 4. Funding and technical support. Agencies can also provide technical assistance (e.g., design of survey questions) and funding support (e.g., for organising dialogue sessions). Note: The above are some suggestions but are not exhaustive. Case 3: The Living Murray River Restoration Agency/country: • Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Australia Background: • The Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) comprises a large geographical area that spreads across five states and territories: Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. • The landscape of the MDB was under severe ecological stress, with issues such as salinity, poor water quality, stressed forests, dried wetlands, threatened native species, feral animals and noxious weeds. • The Australian government engaged different stakeholders in the restoration of the cleanliness and health of the MDB. Consultation Process: Stakeholders engaged during the consultation exercise included: • Individuals/organisations who could benefit from the restoration - Local communities (e.g., landholders, land managers) - Rural communities (e.g., indigenous people) • Individuals/organisations who could be adversely affected - Industry stakeholders, including businesses that depended on the river’s resources as a form of income (e.g., agricultural farmers) • Individuals/organisations who had the skills and resources to contribute to river restoration - Ecological and environmental experts • Individuals/organisations who were interested in the restoration - Activists (e.g., land care groups) - Interest groups and individuals who had an interest in the river’s health
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Public Consultation Toolkit - Civil Service College

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