Advocacy

Advocacy is the intentional undertaking of activities with the goal to influence policy making. 

In the context of Local Government, advocacy is undertaken to benefit our residents and the wider community.

• To seek and foster strategic partnerships
• Raise awareness of any local issues and obtain support from the State and Federal Governments
• Increase funding for infrastructure and services aimed at driving economic, environmental and social outcomes
• Influence governance frameworks to drive economic, environmental and social outcomes
• Clarify and inform the community on roles and responsibilities of all tiers of Government.

Council's advocacy strategy is based on the following principles:

• Evidence-based - Council will only discuss and agree to advocacy priorities following extensive research and analysis of the issue
• Transparency - Council will inform the community on agreed advocacy priorities to raise awareness of local issues
• Pro-active - Council is taking a pro-active approach to influence policy making on behalf of the community.

Measuring our success:

Council recognises that advocacy efforts are undertaken in a dynamic policy environment, and that legislative changes or government priorities can take a number of years to come to fruition. We use the following to measure our success:

• Confirmed support from key organisations and stakeholders
• Advocacy priority included in electoral campaigns
• Changes made to policies and strategies
• Grants and funding received
• Engagement from the general public.