Citizens' Panel 2023
Throughout 2023, the panel met regularly to discuss and influence a range of important issues.
2023 Report
With the conclusion of the Citizens Panel for 2023, MosaicLab, have prepared a report to highlight and summarise the process and content of the 2023 Citizens Panel. The report provides a breakdown of what a Citizens Panel is, how the members of the Mornington Peninsula Shire are selected and delves into roadmap of the topics that were disused this year. It was a wonderful year with a plenty of valuable and informative feedback given and wonderful relationships created. Thank you again to ALL our wonderful members who dedicated their time and participated with open minds, a willingness to share and help us make better decisions for community benefit! We can’t wait to see what the next Citizens Panel for 2024 brings!
Download: MPS Citizens Panel Process Report - March-November 2023
2023 sessions
Meet and greet - Safety Beach Sailing Club
Tuesday 28 March, 5.30pm to 7pm
This session was held in-person at the Safety Beach Sailing Club and gave all panel members an opportunity to meet each other and to hear about the year ahead. The Mayor Steve Holland and CEO John Baker welcomed the panellists and spoke about the importance of this unique public forum. 2022 Panel members shared their experiences from the previous year. Our consultants Mosaic Lab explained the facilitation process and answered questions. All panellists were given a handbook to assist with their preparation. The evening concluded with some light refreshments and networking.
Wednesday 5 April, 6pm – 9pm
Session 1: Get to know your council – online session
This session introduced our panellists to the world of the Mornington Peninsula Shire council. We arranged for officers from each of our directorates and business units to be on hand to explain their roles and answer any questions. It was a bit like a speed dating session. The focus of this introductory session was to give our panellists an overview of what council does and some broader sector context for the up-coming sessions. The overwhelming response was “I didn’t realise council did so much!”.
Wednesday 3 May, 6pm – 9pm
Session 2: Open Air Burning Local Law – online session
During our session, we delved deep into the intricacies of our Open Air Burning Local Law. We were joined by officers from diverse departments including Community Safety & Compliance, Legal & Insurance Services, Climate Change & Sustainability, Circular Economy & Waste, and Environmental Health. Each officer provided valuable insights and expertise related to their respective areas. To ensure a thorough understanding of the issue, they participated in break out groups to answer the panel's questions. The result was a comprehensive overview of the various considerations and complexities associated with the Open Air Burning Local Law. Feedback from the panellists will be compiled and presented to council for their consideration before adopting the Local Law.
Download the report from this session
Wednesday 7 June, 6pm - 9pm
Session 3: Visitor Paid Parking Pilot
This Citizen Panel started with a quick review on last month’s session – Open Air Burning Local Law review and then moved into this month’s topic: Visitor Paid Parking Pilot. Major Project Coordination Team members provided an overview of the project and our Paid Parking officers were also on hand to answer questions. And questions there were! Lots of them. This was really valuable feedback and it's given the team some rich data to review and include in future communications and discussions in the lead up to the start of the pilot later this year. The team has already put the feedback and suggestions to good use when they started engagement with business stakeholders.
Download the report from this session
Wednesday 5 July, 6pm - 9pm
Session 4: Open Space
During this session, the Panel had the opportunity to explore topics that interested them. They nominated 16 themes ranging from invasive weeds in Shire reserves, to road funding and maintenance, Airbnb regulations and more. Our Panel split into groups to discuss these challenges and possible solution-based outcomes. All their ideas were captured, highlighting why the topic is important for Council. These ideas will be presented at the mid-year check-in, where the Panel will have a chance to further explore all themes with Councillors.
Download the report from this session
Thursday 20 July, 6pm - 9pm
Session 5: Mid-year check-in
The mid-year check-in was held in person at the Mornington Peninsula Community Theatre. Our Panel enjoyed reconnecting face-to-face with each other, Councillors and Shire staff. The 16 themes chosen in Session 4 were used as discussion points, where it was our Councillor’s turn to ask the Panel questions, including the importance of each topic and how Council can help. The evening concluded with reflections from our Councillors and some light refreshments.
Wednesday 2 August, 6pm - 9pm
Session 6: FOGO Waste Collection Service
The Panel was presented with the opportunity to consider a mandated recycling service that would best serve the needs of the community. The intent was to meet the ambitious target of sending zero waste to landfill by 2030. The Panel were presented with different service models to maximise diversion of food and organic waste away from landfill, and recycling of this valuable resource.
Download the report from this session
Wednesday 6 September, 6pm - 9pm
Session 7: Urban Forest Strategy
This session was about being at the forefront of strategy development; to build the foundations of the Mornington Peninsula Shire’s inaugural Urban Forest Strategy. The Panel played a crucial role in setting up building blocks of the strategy that will provide strategic guidance in growing, protecting and development the Peninsula’s urban forest. More importantly, the Panel also helped identified priorities and raised issues that should be addressed in the development of the UFS.
Download the report from this session
Wednesday 4 October, 6pm - 9pm
Session 8: Speed Limits and Road Safety Strategy
The 2023 Citizens Panel had their last deliberative session in October. The topic was on the reduction of speed limits to minimise road trauma. The 3 hours session was put to good use, examining the complexities and nuances when road risks management move beyond being reactive. As expected, the panellists provided a diversity of insights and recommendations for the traffic and transport team to take on board when they develop their future-forward speed limits action plan.
Download the report from this session
Wednesday 1 November, 5.30pm - 8pm
Hello and goodbye - Safety Beach Sailing Club
It's a wrap! The final session for 2023 took place at the Safety Beach Sailing Club where members were acknowledged for providing valuable feedback and helping shape Council's services and projects. The mayor presented certificates of appreciation and participation to the members and the evening concluded with some light refreshments and more conversations about being a CP member. Thank you, Citizens' Panel 2023, your work is much appreciated.