Deciding the Delivery Program
The Community Strategic Plan is virtually done – you may have the draft on public exhibition, or even have it ready for your Council’s formal endorsement. So now it’s time to really focus on the Delivery Program. It’s important to remember the distinct role and...
Before you finalise your Community Strategic Plan
By now, most councils will be close to finalising the Community Strategic Plan prepared on behalf of their local community. Before it goes to the elected council for formal endorsement and then to publication, it’s useful to do one last check that the draft is...
The new IP&R Handbook – a (very) critical review
It’s been just over a week since OLG finally published the updated IP&R Guidelines and Manual (or Handbook, as it’s now called). On the day of publication, like many of you, I was keen to understand what might be different and new in terms of the requirements of...
The new IP&R Guidelines – an overview of what’s changed
It’s been more than four years since these updated Guidelines were promised to the sector, and now they’ve finally arrived. So, what’s changed? A full comparison of the 2013 vs 2021 Guidelines is provided in the table below, but in summary, this is what’s new: There...
A spanner in the works
What an extraordinary 17 months or so it has been. As we head into Local Government Week, I thought it was time to get back to my IP&R blog. Obviously the whole world has been thrown into a spin with the global COVID-19 pandemic, but my focus for this blog article...
Councillors’ role in IP&R
There has been some interesting debate amongst IP&R practitioners recently about the how, when, why and what of councillor involvement in the preparation, endorsement, adoption and implementation of the suite of IP&R documents. As the most pressing task at the...
IP&R in the time of COVID-19
Firstly we had the drought and a devastating bushfire season, then floods, and now more reason to use the term “unprecedented” with the arrival of the corona virus phenomenon. What does it all mean for the local government sector? And how do we carry on with any...
The language of planning and reporting
Hands up if you sometimes get confused between a strategy and an objective, between a goal and an outcome? There are lots of different terms applied to planning and reporting practice, and it is not uncommon to find a term used in the wrong way, making it difficult to...
New Year reflections
It’s the first day of 2020. Usually the new year brings a sense of celebration – joy, optimism and anticipation for the year ahead. This summer holiday season has felt quite different, with no end in sight to the endless drought, and devastating bushfires seemingly...
Time to review the Community Engagement Strategy
In the lead up to the next cycle of IP&R, and in finalising the current one, effective community engagement will become a priority. To get the most from your community engagement efforts you will need an effective Community Engagement Strategy. Consider the...