Conversations Merri-bek is our online community where you can join the conversation about important matters shaping our city.

Here you can learn about upcoming decisions we'll be making that impact you and your communities. We welcome your ideas and feedback becasue they help us make decisions that serve the Merri-bek community as best we can.

How to join the conversation

We invite you to join the online community and join the conversations we are having on this site. Create a profile for yourself by hitting the 'Log In /Join' button at the top of the page.

When you sign up we will ask you some questions about yourself. The more we know about you the more we can understand who we are hearing from and ensure that we are getting feedback from all the diverse kinds of people who make up Merri-bek.

We will occasionally send out newsletters about upcoming engagements and you will receive notifications when new projects are published on topics and locations that interest you.

We try to remove barriers for people to participate in our engagement projects so we strive to have many ways you can participate. You can participate online, by phone or email and in person at our Customer Service Centres. You might also see our friendly staff out and about in your neighbourhood - we'd love to meet you!

What is community engagement?

We define community engagement as involving our community in decisions that impact and interest them.

We like to think of Community Engagement as a conversation between Council and the people who live, work or play in Merri-bek. It can be as simple as us sharing information and inviting you to respond. Or it can be as complex as Council working directly with community members to design the solutions to problems we face.

Under the Local Government Act 2020 Community Engagement is a statutory requirement for all Council projects where a decision will be made that will impact or interest the Merri-bek community.

Our Community Engagement Policy

This Community Engagement Policy outlines our commitment to genuinely involving our community in decision making so we can deliver better quality outcomes. The policy:

  • States the principles and commitment that guide our community engagement practice.
  • Outlines our approach to community engagement. This includes when, who and how we will engage our community for different matters.
  • Gives a complete process for community engagement. This includes reporting back to those who have participated in our community engagement processes about final decisions and evaluating our practices.
  • Explains how we will implement and evaluate this policy. This includes how we will ensure that we provide a consistent approach to community engagement across Council’s organisation.

Our Community Engagement Policy was adopted on 20 June 2023. It supports Council’s integrated planning and reporting framework required under the Local Government Act 2020 (the Act) and meets Council’s legislative requirements for community engagement which is a key focus for local government.