Great Ocean Road communities at heart of new strategy
Published on 22 November 2022
The Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority has launched a new strategy, outlining how it will engage the community to protect, improve and promote the region.
The Community Engagement Strategy makes clear the Authority’s commitment to engaging, listening, respecting and reflecting community and stakeholder views in everything it does - and how this will be achieved.
The strategy was developed in line with best practice community engagement principles and informed by feedback and input from many in-person and on-line sessions with Great Ocean Road communities and stakeholders.
The strategy is supported by an action plan that includes, but is not limited to, a biennial Great Ocean Road Summit, a series of placed-based community events each year across the region and various channels of communication (including website, social media and Our Coast newsletter).
The Authority, established in December 2020 to deliver better protection of the Great Ocean Road’s iconic coasts and parks, is keenly aware of the significant community interest in its work.
This interest has been evidenced in recent projects such as the Fishos Carpark Upgrade, which attracted 250 survey responses and more than 900 comments, and the Apollo Bay Masterplan, which has worked with 28 organisations and 200 community members, and attracted 125 surveys and 2500 comments.
The strategy builds on this foundation and commits the Authority to best-practice community engagement and monitoring and reporting on engagement activity.
Quotes attributable to Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority CEO, Jodie Sizer
“We are in an incredibly privileged position to be tasked with protecting and enhancing the Great Ocean Road’s coast and parks on behalf of the community.
“It is a great responsibility, and we are acutely aware of the region’s significance to millions of people, each of whom value the Great Ocean Road in their own way.
“We embrace this challenge, and are committed to engaging, listening, respecting and reflecting community views in everything we do.”