Research Note
Local
1 September 2025 Community consultation is unrepresentative and biased
Community consultation models used by local governments tend to favour the time-rich (property owners and older residents) over the time-poor (renters and younger residents).
Executive summary
- We analysed a sample of 17 community consultation demographics from across seven metropolitan Melbourne local councils.
- In 94% of the sample, older residents were overrepresented compared to the actual demographics of the local government area.
- In 100% of the sample, homeowners were overrepresented compared to the actual demographics of the local government area.
- On average, only 0.2% of the community opted in to local consultation processes.
- This underlines the biased and unrepresentative nature of opt-in community consultation practices
- Future consultation should be more representative, using methods such as broad-based polling and deliberative bodies chosen by sortition
Key chart
Related
Research Note
No, Councils don't approve 98% of permits for new housing
New findings show that metropolitan Melbourne councils approve on average less than three-quarters of permits for new dwellings.
Policy Submission
Vibrant Brunswick
Research Note
Correcting The Age on Activity Centres
The Age’s 3D renders of the Activity Centres have more in common with Minecraft than reality. Here, we use Thornbury’s High Street to show how the planning controls actually work.