About the Community Panel
Baw Baw Shire Council brought together a community panel of 42 people from across the Shire to contribute to a Community Vision for our future.
The panel was independently recruited in a random-selection process to ensure there is a diverse cross-section of people involved.
Together, the panel discussed the community’s goals and ideas. The panel’s recommendations were compiled to create a draft Community Vision, which has also influenced the draft Council Plan and Long Term Financial Plan. These documents will be made available to the community for feedback.
How the Community Panel worked
This was a ‘deliberative’ community engagement process, which means the panel:
- Discussed the issues, challenges and opportunities in depth.
- Heard what the broader community thinks Baw Baw Shire should be like in the future.
- Considered a wider range of information and hear from expert speakers.
Expert independent facilitators from Spark Strategy supported the community panel members with different viewpoints to work together respectfully and to reach a shared position on the future of Baw Baw Shire. It was not an open public meeting format where loud voices can sometimes dominate.