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Information and communication technology

Digital community engagement policy

Document type:
Policy
Version:
v2.0.0
Status:
Current
Owner:
Smart Service Queensland
Effective:
April 2024–current
Security classification:
OFFICIAL-Public

Purpose

The Digital community engagement policy directs Queensland Government departments when using technology for community engagement activities.

Engagement technology continues to change and evolve, and this policy is designed to help departments understand the core requirements to advance their digital community engagement practices regardless of the tools used.

The policy reaffirms the Queensland Government’s commitment to delivering digital services that meet customer needs. It ensures that the community can more easily access and participate in government decision-making processes that may affect them.

Scope

The policy applies to digital community engagement activities where there is a genuine opportunity for citizens to participate in the development, implementation, evaluation or review of public policies, programs and services.

The following are outside the scope of this policy:

  • consultation exercises being run internal to government
  • where the input of the general public will not be sought or where the activity is confidential
  • market research
  • the selection and management of social media (refer to the Principles for the use of social media).

Policy statement

The Queensland Government values community feedback and participation in government decision making.

Departments are advised to take a digital first approach to community engagement and to use technology to make engagement processes more transparent, inclusive, and effective. However, it is expected that departments use a variety of methods to cater for people's preferences for engagement and accessibility needs.

Why do we engage?

The Queensland Government supports community engagement as an integral part of developing and evaluating policies, programs and services. It is best practice to get a representative view from those who will be affected (before a decision is made) and allow them to be part of the process.

Meaningful engagement ensures the diversity of the Queensland community is reflected in government decision making, as well as building trust, developing relationships, and forming mutual understandings.

As Queensland Government employees we must:

When do we engage?

The timing of engagement is critical, with activities ideally woven into every phase of a project, program or decision. Given its critical role, engagement should be the first consideration of any policy, project, decision, or program.

Engagement should be embedded at the conception stage and continued throughout strategy, planning, into delivery and after project completion (to evaluate the outcome). The delivery of effective engagement activities is a shared responsibility across communication, policy and program teams.

Policy requirements

Policy requirement 1: Departments must inform the public about the engagement objectives and how feedback will be used

Departments must clearly define and inform the public about the objectives of each community engagement process.

This means publishing information detailing:

  • who will be engaged
  • what they will be engaged about
  • when they are being engaged throughout the policy-making process and why
  • how people can participate
  • how people can provide feedback and how will it be used
  • what personal information is being collected, why it is being collected, how it will be used and to whom it may be disclosed

Policy requirement 2: Departments must use technology to ensure community engagement is inclusive and accessible

To ensure online community engagement opportunities are easy for people to find, departments must list their engagement on the central listing on qld.gov.au, as well as on departmental websites.

The Queensland Government aims to make community engagement as inclusive as possible. When using technology departments must meet:

As digital engagement will not reach all people in Queensland, it is important to recognise that using online engagement by itself is not sufficient to meet this requirement. Departments should use a variety of methods and technologies to engage online, offline, and virtually so that people can choose how they engage with government based on their engagement needs and preferences.

This requirement supports the Human Rights Act 2019 by ensuring people are not discriminated against due to their level of digital literacy or other limitation.

Policy requirement 3: Departments must effectively manage and acknowledge feedback received through community engagement activities

Queensland Government values feedback from the community as a source of information for policy and decision-making.

Departments must ensure feedback collected through digital community engagement processes is recorded in accordance with:

Participants in community engagement processes must be informed:

  • when and how feedback is being collected
  • how the department will use and store it.

When a department receives feedback, it must acknowledge receipt. Where possible, feedback should be acknowledged at the time of receipt online, and directly after offline engagements.

This includes all digital forms of feedback including:

  • submissions
  • feedback collected through online and virtual engagement technologies
  • feedback recorded during online or offline community engagement activities.

Policy requirement 4: Departments must publish engagement findings

To demonstrate the Government’s commitment to transparent, effective and inclusive engagement, it is expected departments publish findings and outcomes at the completion of an engagement process.

Publication of engagement findings must also be in accordance with the principles of the Queensland Government Open data policy statement.

Departments must publish the engagement findings and make them available through their website and the central listing on qld.gov.au.

The report should summarise:

  • engagement objectives and outcomes
  • findings of the community engagement
  • effectiveness of the community engagement processes.

Policy requirement 5: Departments must protect the integrity of the community engagement process and the privacy, confidentiality, and safety of participants

Departments are responsible for managing their digital community engagement activities and the information collected through them. This includes:

  • taking all reasonable steps to reduce the risks of inappropriate influence on the outcome of the engagement process
  • publishing conditions for participating in an engagement activity such as an acceptable use policy (terms of use, privacy statement or login requirements)
  • ensuring the risks of gaming the process, hacking and other cyber security attacks are reduced
  • selection and use of technologies for online, offline, and virtual engagement
  • undertaking information security, privacy and online safety assessments of the technologies
  • planning and managing risks and controls associated with the collection, analysis, use, storage and disclosure of information
  • testing all technologies selected and configuring them to ensure the integrity of the engagement process
  • obtaining consent to use or disclose a person’s personal information (where required).

If departments have concerns about risks to their digital community engagement process, they should contact the Queensland Government Cyber Security Unit at CyberSecurityUnit@qld.gov.au.

Data collected through community engagement must be managed in accordance with:

Departments must consider whether a privacy impact assessment is required before commencing an engagement, or sharing data collected through engagement with a third party.  If the department has any concern about meeting this requirement, they should contact the Office of the Information Commissioner at enquiries@oic.qld.gov.au.

Departments must also ensure that technologies used during community engagement meet the Procurement and disposal of ICT products and services policy.

Advice

This policy should be read in conjunction with the:

Applicability

Unless excepted, this policy applies to all Queensland Government departments (as defined by the Public Sector Act 2022). Accountable officers (not already in scope of the Public Sector Act 2022) and) and statutory bodies under the Financial and Performance Management Standard 2019, must have regard to this policy.

Implementation

This policy comes into effect from the effective date.

Reporting requirements

This policy has specific reporting requirements.

No.

Reporting requirement

Date

1

Departments must notify Queensland Online about new engagements and engagement findings reports to ensure publishing on the central listing and to close the engagement loop.

Email getinvolved@smartservice.qld.gov.au about new engagements and findings.

As known

Policy benefits

The Digital community engagement policy will:

  • enhance the inclusivity of community engagement processes by making them more accessible to people who want to understand and participate
  • ensure that government policy and decision making is informed by community feedback and that this information is managed appropriately
  • align Queensland Government digital community engagement practices with best practice
  • improve the experience that people have when engaging with Queensland Government
  • increase transparency, confidence and trust in government policy and decision-making processes.
Last updated:
10 June 2024