Hervey Bay is a bay area and city on the coast of Queensland. As the area expands and diversifies, the local government sought community input in planning for the future of the Hervey Bay Esplanade. The engagement process involved surveys, group forums and a community panel.
Problems and Purpose
Hervey Bay is located on the coast of Queensland. As the area expands in the future, the regional council wished to consider how the Esplanade might be redeveloped. The council undertook a two phase engagement process in order to understand the community’s views about the Esplanade and to ask them to consider their needs now and for the future of Hervey Bay.
A community engagement program was carried with the aim of going ‘wide’ and gathering as many perspectives as possible. These views were collated into a report that fed into the community panel in the second phase. The community panel aimed to go ‘deep’ and consider the key issues along with the community’s perspectives. The panel were given a ‘blank page’ rather than a specific proposal or plan to consider for the Esplanade [1].
Background History and Context
The Butchulla People are the traditional custodians of the land the Frasier Coast is in. There are many markers of their influence in the coastal region, such as stone-walled fish traps, highlighting the significance of the region for the community. [1]
There have been previous initiatives and plans for the region, with a focus on different components of the region and amenities. [1] These initiatives are:
- The Hervey Bay Foreshore Management Plan (2007)
- Parking Strategy 2031
- Walk and Cycle Strategy (March 2015)
- Sustainable Growth Strategy 2031
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
The community engagement process was convened by Fraser Regional Council who are responsible for Hervey Bay. Mosaiclab facilitated the community panel and the wider community engagement activities. Recruitment was carried out by Deliberately Engaging.
Participant Recruitment and Selection
Participants in the community panel were recruited through a random sample of 14,000 invitations. From respondents who registered their interest, census data was used to collate a representative group according to age, gender and location. From this, a further random sample of 45 participants was drawn [2]. In total, 36 people attended in full [3].
Panellists were given a small financial payment for their participation as well as to cover any costs to them for participating, such as childcare and/or travel [1].
Methods and Tools Used
A community panel is comparable to a citizens’ jury. In addition to the panel, the wider community engagement used online surveys, and face-to-face open house sessions and workshops.
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
The wider community engagement program was carried out first with the aim of identifying a wide range of perspectives on the characteristics of the Esplanade that were most important to people and what they were most concerned about. This phase involved online surveys and face-to-face sessions where residents and stakeholder could share their views. This feedback was compiled into a report which was utilized by the community panel in the second phase of the engagement.
The panel met for six full day sessions. Prior to the first official session there was also a meet and greet session. The aim of this initial meeting was for panel members to get more familiar with the task ahead of them and clarify their remit with the council, as well as get to know each other. Mosaiclab facilitated the development of working principles and agreements on communication [4].
On the first day, the panellist first learned about critical thinking from facilitators and ways in which to help them assess information. They were then taken on an extensive bus tour of the Esplanade area. During the tour council staff provided information on some of the challenges the area faced including potential trade-offs and opportunities [5].
At the second session, the panel reviewed the feedback from the wider community engagement report and identified potential speakers that they wanted to hear from, or topics that they needed to know more about. The council was responsible for sourcing these people. The panel also began drafting some initial suggestions.
On the third day, the panel heard from the speakers they had selected. Speakers and panellists had small group conversations rather than the standard presentation / Q&A format which allowed for more in-depth discussion [6]. After hearing from the speakers, the panel began to work on refining their initial suggestions into a vision for the Esplanade and identifying priority areas.
The panel presented their final report on June 23 2019 to the council.
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
The council supported 10 out of 16 of the panel’s recommendations for the Esplanade. For the rejected proposals, reasons were provided and include limited resources, or the council did not perceive there to be a need for them [7].
Analysis and Lessons Learned
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See Also
References
[1] Fraser Coast Regional Council (2019). Hervey Bay Esplanade Community Engagement. Available at: https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/hervey-bay-esplanade-community-engagement
[2] Ibid.
[3] Hervey Bay Community Panel (2019). Community Panel Report [pdf]. Available at: https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/documents/4362881/017e9ebd-b019-4c5f-8480-9f44a0da8977
[4] Fraser Coast Regional Council (2019). Hervey Bay Esplanade Community Engagement. Available at: https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/hervey-bay-esplanade-community-engagement
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Fraser Coast Regional Council (2019). Hervey Bay Esplanade Community Panel Report Organisational Response Spreadsheet [pdf]. Available at: https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/documents/4362881/0ad15a15-1ef5-41fa-9db1-e3393021c2d3
External Links
https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/hervey-bay-esplanade-community-engagement
https://www.mosaiclab.com.au/current-projects
