Project objective
To evaluate the effectiveness of Council’s current range of communications channels in keeping the community informed on how Council is contributing to the liveability of Bayside and identify potential improvements/opportunities.
Project impacts
- Environmental impact of producing print publications
- Potential improved/reduced access to information about Council programs, decisions, events, projects
- Financial cost of production of Let’s Talk Bayside magazine – currently every 2 months
- Resourcing support for production and management of the various communication channels
What information do we need from the community?
- Feedback on existing communications channels including Let’s Talk Bayside magazine, social media, newsletters including This Week in Bayside, What’s On, Friendly Librarian, Gallery enews etc
- How do they find out about local news other than via Council channels?
- How do they prefer to hear about Council news, events and programs?
- Whether they are receiving Let’s Talk Bayside magazine to assess our distribution process
- Is Let’s Talk Bayside magazine’s format, content, regularity and content mix right or do we need to revise it and/or use some of the magazine’s funding for other channels?
- Do they use screen readers or other assistive technology to access Council’s communications?
What can the community influence?
- Council’s communication mix and whether new channels are needed to effectively reach the community.
- How we distribute Let’s Talk Bayside – currently letterboxed.
- Frequency of communications.
- How we use non-Council channels to reach our community.
- Content for communication channels including Let’s Talk Bayside.
What can’t the community influence?
- Staffing and resourcing constraints
- Budget constraints
- Need for a communication mix to meet diverse needs.
Stakeholders and community
This stakeholder assessment is a generalised understanding of sections of the community that have a connection to the project or matter. This information is used to understand the types of tools and techniques that will achieve the strongest and most effective outcomes for engagement and communication.
- Impact: What level of change the stakeholder / community segment may experience as a result of the project / matter
- Interest: What level of interest has been expressed or is anticipated
- Influence: Reference to the IAP2 Spectrum
Stakeholder / community | Impact | Interest | Influence |
| Bayside residents | L | L | L |
| Councillors | L | L | M |
| Community groups | L | L | L |
| Bayside businesses | L | L | L |
Selected tools and techniques
The tools and techniques selected for this project are informed by the project content, stakeholders and type of feedback sought.
Key tools for communicating the project
- Let’s Talk Bayside magazine
- Have Your Say website
- Council website enews
- This Week in Bayside enewsletter
- What’s On magazine
- Friendly Librarian, Gallery enews, Healthy Ageing, Sustainable Living and Youth Service enewsletters.
- Council’s social media.
Key methods for gathering feedback
- Printed survey in Let’s Talk Bayside magazine
- Online survey on Have Your Say
Project timelines
Community consultation to gather feedback about the effectivness of Bayside's communication methods and channels | Active | 1 October - 30 November 2025 |
Collate and consider feedback | Incomplete | December 2025 |
Develop recomendations | Incomplete | January - February 2026 |
Update External Communications Strategy | Incomplete | April - May 2026 |
Implement changes to communications channels | Incomplete | Ongoing |
Decision-making process
Council’s Communications, Engagement and Customer Experience Department will consider feedback gathered from the community to implement possible improvements to be incorporated into an updated External Communications Strategy to better meet community needs and interests.
More information
Andrew Maclean
External Communications & Media Coordinator
03 9599 4430
