The City of Adelaide's Community Engagement Policy was last reviewed in 2018. As the policy was due for review, Council undertook a review of the policy in 2025.

On 26 August 2025, Council approved the draft Community Engagement Charter and draft Community Engagement Policy for public consultation. We sought community feedback on the draft documents from 1 September 2025 to 6 October 2025.

After considering the feedback received and incorporating changes to the draft Policy, Council adopted the Community Engagement Charter and Community Engagement Policy on 26 November 2025.

On 11 December 2025, the Minister for Local Government’s Community Engagement Charter (State Charter) and related amendments to the Local Government Act 1999 (SA) were published in the South Australian Government Gazette and came into effect.

As a result, the City of Adelaide is required to review and update the existing Community Engagement Policy to ensure it aligns with the requirements of the State Charter and the amended Local Government Act 1999 (SA).

How does the City of Adelaide Community Engagement Charter align with the State Charter?

The South Australian Government’s Community Engagement Charter (State Charter) includes principles to help ensure the community has meaningful opportunities to provide feedback to inform Council decision-making.

The State Charter Principles:

(a) members of the community should have reasonable, timely, meaningful and ongoing opportunities to gain access to information about proposed decisions, activities and processes of councils and to participate in relevant processes;

(b) information about issues should be in plain language, readily accessible and in a form that facilitates community participation;

(c) participation methods should seek to foster and encourage constructive dialogue, discussion and debate in relation to proposed decisions, activities and processes of councils;

(d) participation methods should be appropriate having regard to the significance and likely impact of proposed decisions, activities and processes;

(e) insofar as is reasonable, communities should be provided with information about how community views have been taken into account and reasons for decisions or actions of councils.

The guiding principles in the City of Adelaide Community Engagement Charter of ‘community-centric’, ‘accessible and inclusive’ and ‘transparency and trust’ aligns with the principles outlined in the State Charter.

The City of Adelaide Community Engagement Charter can be viewed here and at the City of Adelaide Community Centres, Libraries and Customer Centre.

What changes have been made to the updated draft Policy?

The City of Adelaide draft Community Engagement Policy has been updated to align with the South Australian Government’s new Community Engagement Charter (State Charter).

The proposed changes provide for:

• Inclusion of the five levels of engagement outlined in the State Charter, and the minimum consultation requirements for each level.
• Clarification on how the State Charter, the City of Adelaide Community Engagement Charter and the Community Engagement Policy work together.
• Addition of a ‘Delegations’ section to clarify who can make decisions about community engagement under the legislation and Policy.

The draft Community Engagement Policy can be viewed here and at the City of Adelaide Community Centres, Libraries and Customer Centre.

How does the City of Adelaide work with the community to make informed decisions?

The City of Adelaide works with the community at different stages of projects, through both online and in-person opportunities. We then collect the information and feedback received and provide it to Council, so they can make informed decisions.

We are committed to continuous improvement, reflecting on past projects to strengthen how we design and deliver future engagement activities.

Where can I view the State Government Charter?

You can view the State Charter here.