Establishing a community panel is one method of running a ‘deliberative’ community engagement process.  

A deliberative engagement process puts the community and/or stakeholders affected by a decision at the centre of the decision and brings residents closer to decision-makers and affairs of government. 

A community panel is a group of randomly selected community members who represent (as best as possible) the broad makeup of the Bass Coast community in terms of age, gender, abilities, suburb/area they live or run a business, as well as a mix of housing situations (e.g. owning a home vs. renting). This panel of community members will work together to consider and discuss community feedback, research and information to develop recommendations to Council to help shape the strategic plans for the next four years.

Random selection is a process where participants are chosen by chance from a larger population, without bias. In community engagement, this approach aims to create a group that mirrors the diversity of the wider community, reflecting different community demographics, such as age, cultural diversity and gender.  

The random selection process means that everyone in the community has an equal chance of registering their interest and an equal chance (within their demographic) of being selected to be a Panel member. 

Council have engaged external consultant, Mosaic Lab, as an independent body to manage the panel process and ensure the selection process is randomised with no Council involvement. Mosaic Lab will work with Australia Post to send out 8,000 randomised letters to residents and ratepayers of the shire, to recruit 45 panel members. If you receive a letter, you will have until 5pm 13 February 2025 to respond and register your interest in participating in the community panel. You don’t need any prior knowledge or experience to take part.

Following Victoria’s local government elections, our new Council’s first major responsibility will be to develop the Council Plan 2025-2029 and review the Long-Term Financial Plan, Asset Plan and Community Vision, with recommendations from our community panel. The panel will act as representation of our diverse shire, to ensure community views and priorities are embedded into these plans.

If you are 1 of the 8,000 randomly selected households and you are interested in being on the panel, you will need to register via the information provided in your registration pack. Mosaic Lab will select the 45 panel members to represent (as best as possible) the broad make-up of the Bass Coast Shire community. If you are one of the 45 selected panel members, you will be required to participate in four workshops. Here you will learn about the lived experiences and unique needs of our community to challenge our thinking, explore new ideas and work together to help Council navigate big challenges of our region.

If you are selected, Mosaic Lab will contact you via phone to record any specific requirements you have and to ensure that the panel sessions remain accessible to all participating. We will make every effort to ensure accessibility, including providing mobility and disability support.

The Community Panel will provide recommendations to Council. The recommendations will be used to develop the four strategic plans. This may involve updating the Community Vision and further shaping the Financial Plan to ensure we make the most of funds collected through rates by appropriately managing our assets including roads, drains, footpaths, buildings, and open space, and providing community support and services.

The Council Plan will be presented to community in a draft form for the broader community to review and leave comments in September 2025. This is the final opportunity to have your say and provide input into the draft plan, prior to Council adoption. Follow this page to stay informed of when the draft plan will be open for your input.