Page 2473 - Week 08 - Thursday, 6 August 2015
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In a discussion like this and in light of some of the examples Mr Hanson highlighted today, it is fair to say that government does not always get it right and government can do better. That is certainly something as a minister I am constantly seeking to do—that is, work with my directorates to ensure decisions we are making or things that need to be put in place are done better to make sure there is improved engagement with the community, being honest with the community and drawing out those occasions where consultation is taking place or where notification takes place.
There are occasions when it is simply about informing the community that something is going to happen. It might be something that does not warrant consultation or there might be an urgent or pressing or specific need for something to take place. One of the things I have tried to instil in the directorates I work with is to be clear about those things so there is a sense of the community knowing when they are being consulted and when it is simply a case of notification.
I have heard people come forward and say, “I haven’t been consulted,” or, “There hasn’t been enough consultation.” I have seen examples where there has been quite a bit of consultation and someone still does not agree with the outcome. We need to be honest in reflecting on those circumstances. I have seen people who feel like they have not been consulted, but the bottom line is that they put their view and their view simply was not taken on board. That needs to be recognised on some occasions.
It is worth having ongoing conversations about public consultation because there are certainly constant improvements to be made. I am keen to see more delivery of democracy-style opportunities used where there is a stronger opportunity for people to be involved early in the discussion and being involved at a point where the problem is identified and the question is what might the solutions be. It is often the case that a lot of work goes on inside government in recognition of a problem and a solution is then put forward to the community. I think a lot of people are bewildered by that at times because they have not been involved in thinking about what the problem is.
There is a lot more opportunity for government to start at a point of going to the community and saying, “This is the problem. What responses might we come up with,” and being open to hearing what some of the community solutions could be. There is a lot of knowledge in the community and a lot of willingness to participate in trying to identify solutions. Sometimes it is through a genuine sense of public servants doing their job. They think their job is to come up with solutions and fix things for the community. Whilst there is some truth in that it is often like, “We can get it done faster if we just prepare the options and bring it forward.” Some of these matters turn into protracted disputes. A lot of time could be saved by asking more questions up-front and being better at hearing some of the ideas that come forward and tapping into that community knowledge.
The Greens will continue to advocate for improved public consultation. I welcome the support of members of this place when we bring some of those legislative ideas forward, and I welcome continuing discussions on how we can do it better going forward.
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