10.07.2015 Views

Governing the City State - Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate ...

Governing the City State - Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate ...

Governing the City State - Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

undertaken, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> roles participants are expected to play. It is founded on “actualgenuineness, as well as <strong>the</strong> perception of genuineness”. 76It was a common <strong>the</strong>me in Submissions to <strong>the</strong> Review that <strong>the</strong> ACTPS’s performance incommunity engagement processes has been variable at best. Contributors remarked thatsome community engagement processes pursued by <strong>the</strong> ACTPS fell short on genuineness,<strong>and</strong> lacked clarity about purpose, role <strong>and</strong> impact, which are crucial to <strong>the</strong> success ofparticipatory processes, if only in overcoming community cynicism. The ConservationCouncil ACT Region Inc, noted, for example in its Submission a significant proportion ofpeople it r<strong>and</strong>omly surveyed:stated that <strong>the</strong>y believed <strong>the</strong> government would not, or probably not, listen to <strong>the</strong>ir views on<strong>the</strong> future of Canberra. Rarely is <strong>the</strong>re any feedback provided after public comment on anexhibition to demonstrate how <strong>the</strong> government may have taken <strong>the</strong> community’s views intoaccount. 77ACTCOSS similarly noted in its Submission deficiencies in ACTPS engagement practices:There are a number of concerns regarding government consultation processesincluding:• Being provided with a short amount of time to provide feedback;• Gaining little or no feedback regarding consultation processes;• Outcomes of consultation processes being delayed by months or in some casesyears;• Some aspects of policies appearing to be predetermined, with consultation processesacting as a formality; <strong>and</strong>• Replication of consultation processes for projects <strong>and</strong> policies that are similar orlinked.Despite clear guidelines in <strong>the</strong> current ACT Government community engagement manual, toooften consultation occurs with short timeframes, or at inappropriate times of year (e.g. around<strong>the</strong> Christmas/holiday period). The community sector has limited capacity to respond toconsultations. When only given short timeframes, or when consulted at inappropriate times,this seriously limits <strong>the</strong> sector’s capacity to engage. 78The Review notes <strong>the</strong> public cynicism that greeted <strong>the</strong> announcement during <strong>the</strong> 2010 federalelection campaign of a citizens’ representative assembly on climate change as an example,perhaps, of <strong>the</strong> scepticism with which people will receive future announcements ofparticipatory processes in which <strong>the</strong>y have little confidence.76 Edwards (2008) pp.8,1377 Submission No.21. Conservation Council ACT Region Inc.78 Submission No.19.<strong>Governing</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>City</strong> <strong>State</strong>: 65

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!