Draft Community Engagement Policy 2026

Have your say on our draft Community Engagement Policy. We have updated our Policy to align with the Minister for Local Government's Community Engagement Charter.

Under the Local Government Act 1999 (the Act) every council is required to maintain a Community Engagement Policy. The Community Engagement Policy sets out our formal commitments, statutory requirements and minimum standards for community engagement.

In December 2025, the South Australian Government introduced a new Community Engagement Charter that sets updated requirements for how councils engage with their communities.

Council has prepared a draft Community Engagement Policy to replace the current Public Consultation Policy. The updated policy aligns with the requirements of the Charter and related amendments to the Act.

Before the Policy can be adopted, Council must consult with the community across the whole council area and consider the feedback received. The new policy must be adopted by 11 September 2026.

What’s changed

The new Charter replaces the previous detailed public consultation requirements in the Act and introduces a clearer, tiered approach to community engagement.

The level of engagement now depends on how significant a decision is, ranging from Inform through to Significant, with each level having minimum engagement requirements.

Minor matters may only require information to be shared with the community, while major decisions such as the Annual Business Plan require formal public notice and opportunities for community feedback.

The five levels of the Charter are:

• Significant - Annual Business Plan and Rating Policy: decisions related to a council’s adoption of its annual business plan or proposed changes to the basis of its council rates.
• Significant: decisions that a council makes that have a significant impact on most or all ratepayers and residents, or the wider community or area.
• Standard: decisions that a council makes that benefit from community input across the council area.
• Local: decisions that impact an identifiable smaller group of residents/ratepayers or a local area.
• Inform: matters where councils provide information to a community impacted by a decision.

What you can influence

The general engagement activities of the mandatory community engagement requirements table (in item 6.2 of the policy) that are in red text. Those items not in red text are set by the Act and Charter and cannot be altered.

What you cannot influence

Legislative requirements as per the Local Government Act 1999 and Community Engagement Charter. That includes the five engagement categories and mandatory requirements.

How to have your say

Council is seeking your feedback on the draft policy. Community involvement ensures the policy reflects local needs, values, and expectations around how engagement should be conducted.

A clear and effective policy supports fair, consistent, and timely engagement processes, helping build trust and strengthen relationships between Council and the community.

You can have your say by reading the draft Policy then:

• Completing the online feedback form, or
• Sending a written submission via email to yoursay@mountbarker.sa.gov.au or posting to PO Box 54, Mount Barker SA 5251 or hand deliver to Level 1, 6 Dutton Road, Mount Barker

Community engagement is open from 6 May to 8 June 2026.

Feedback received during the consultation will be reviewed and used to inform the final policy, which will be made publicly available once adopted.