Ballina Shire Council seeks input on climate change
Ballina Shire Council says it is revolutionising the way it seeks community input on important issues.
‘Deliberative democracy’ is being introduced to the Ballina community as part of the council’s aim of making sure its upcoming Climate Action Plan represents the views of the broader population.
Climate change will have enormous implications for Ballina, with potential social, land use planning, infrastructure, asset management, agricultural and ecological impacts, the council said.
“Whether you believe in climate change or not, local governments have an obligation to prepare for the predicted impacts associated with climate change. We need to make sure that our response truly reflects the interests and concerns of the local community” said John Truman, Ballina Shire Council’s Group Manager, Civil Services Group.
“As the name suggests, it invites the community to receive detailed information, deliberate over issues and come up with a considered consensus view. The information gathered will be crucial in informing the decisions of the elected councillors.”
A research company working on Council’s behalf will soon be phoning residents randomly across the shire inviting them to take part in the project. The selected group will involve a range of people from different backgrounds and will be representative of the whole community. It will not be open to self-nomination.
People who are interested in joining the project will be invited to an initial workshop on 8 July to talk about what climate change means to them, what issues they are concerned about and how we could manage these issues.
Following that initial step, Council, in conjunction with recognised experts in the field, will hold a series of more detailed discussions about the issue of climate change.
Community groups and non-government organisations will also have the chance to provide information and opinions about what they think climate change will mean for our community.
Experts in the field of atmospheric science, risk management, coastal issues and governance will be on hand to help the group to understand the impacts, risks and options for the future.
