Community Engagement Strategy

The Community Engagement Strategy ensures decisions about Crown land are made transparently and inclusively. It sets out requirements for engaging with the community on various dealings, such as sales, leases, licences, permits, and vestings under the Crown Land Management Act 2016. The strategy is a statutory document and the processes and procedures it outlines must be followed by the Department and all non-council Crown land managers.

• Transparency: Clear and open communication with the public.
• Inclusiveness: Engaging diverse community groups.
• Responsiveness: Addressing community feedback promptly.
• Sustainability: Ensuring long-term benefits for the environment and community.

The strategy outlines specific engagement requirements for:

• State strategic plan: A 10-year plan for managing Crown land.
• Plans of management: Detailed plans for specific areas of Crown land.
• Changes to reservations and dedications: Modifications to the use or purpose of Crown land.
• Sales and leases: Transactions involving Crown land.
• Licences and permits: Permissions for various uses of Crown land.
• Vestings: Transferring management of Crown land to other entities.

We use various methods to engage with the community, including:

• public consultations
• surveys and feedback forms
• workshops and focus groups
• online platforms.

Engagement with Aboriginal people and communities is a key requirement and should occur as early as possible. Non-council Crown land managers should identify and acknowledge relevant Aboriginal peoples and communities who may be interested or impacted by the proposed activity. It is important to reach out to groups such as NTSCORP and Local Aboriginal Land Councils to ensure their perspectives and concerns are considered.

Inform

One-way communication providing reliable, balanced, and objective information to the community. Engagement activities may include:

• placement of notification on this website (mandatory)
• local newspaper advertisements
• fact sheets or frequently asked questions
• signage—local or site-specific.

Consult

Two-way communication designed to obtain feedback about ideas, proposals, and important activities and dealings. Engagement activities may include:

• community information events
• utilising the NSW government Have Your Say website.

Participate

Two-way communication that enables collaboration between community and decision-makers to identify issues and views. Engagement activities may include:

• targeted meetings
• interactive workshops
• site visits
• online forums
• letter box drops
• submissions
• community advisory or consultative committees.

Some dealings or activities can impact on current community use and enjoyment. For all sales, leases, and plans of management, an assessment is conducted to determine the level of impact. This determines the engagement requirements, which can be summarised as follows:

• Minimal impact: Informative consultation (28 days on this website).
• Moderate impact: Informative consultation (28 days on this website), plus at least one consultative method.
• High impact: Informative consultation (42 days on this website), plus at least one consultative method, plus at least one participatory method.

Where engagement has been conducted, it is a mandatory requirement of the Strategy that the outcomes of community engagement be considered in the final decision-making process. Once the final determination is made, the community will be informed about the final decision on this website.

The Strategy requires, as a minimum, that:

• proposed sales, plans of management, and leases are all notified on this website—regardless of whether they impact on current community use and enjoyment
• all draft plans of management and all high-impact sales and leases must be exhibited for 42 days
• a submissions process is to be carried out for all sales and plans of management. Additional engagement requirements also apply for moderate and high-impact leases and high-impact sales and plans of management.

The strategy also includes engagement requirements for the state strategic plan. The requirement is that a draft of the state strategic plan must be publicly exhibited.

Learn more about our Crown land strategic plan.