A Citizens’ Panel will meet for the first time this week to help shape the future of a South-East Queensland region.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli said the new panel was an important way for Council to listen, learn and make better-informed decisions.
“The Sunshine Coast’s first Citizens’ Panel has now been formed, bringing together 53 residents who will start shaping advice on important issues facing our region,” Mayor Natoli said.
She said 10,000 households across the region were randomly invited to register for the panel with more than 340 residents saying there were interested.
“I would like to thank everyone who put their hand up to be involved.”
Mayor Natoli said registrations were sorted by demographic information such as age, location, education and housing tenure.
She said the final panel of 53 members was then selected by lottery to reflect the makeup of the region’s population.
“Recruitment was managed independently by the Sortition Foundation, experts in citizens’ panel processes.”
Mayor Natoli said by creating a panel that reflected the diversity of the community, across criteria like age, gender and geography, it made space for perspectives that might not otherwise be heard.
“Sunshine Coast Council established the panel to hear directly from a broad cross section of the community, including voices that are often under-represented in traditional consultation.”
She said panel members would come together for the first time at a meet and greet tomorrow (September 17), before beginning their first deliberative session in October.
“When people from different walks of life learn together, weigh up information and share experiences, the advice they produce is thoughtful, balanced and incredibly valuable.”
Mayor Natoli said the panel’s first task would be to explore one of the biggest and most complex issues for Council: budget and services.
She said over the coming months, the panel would receive detailed briefings, consider evidence, discuss trade-offs and then provide advice for Council to consider.
