Supporting staff throughout the policy process is front and centre for the City of Canterbury Bankstown (CBCity).

And this has led to the creation of a dedicated Policy Research and Development (PRD) Team, who works with leaders to develop effective and consistent policies.

CBCity’s Team Leader of Policy Research and Development Doctor Pota Forest-Lawrence said it’s important all councils are diligent in the policy space, as it has much broader impacts than just for internal use.

“Policy is complex and does not take place in a vacuum, making sure we have a good way to create and implement policy will ensure the best outcomes for our community, staff and Council,” Dr Forest-Lawrence said.

This industry-leading team has enabled CBCity to cement its commitment to setting best practice and achieving policy excellence, which has been evident through the creation of a new framework.

This is one of the first examples of a NSW council introducing a policy framework… highlighting the importance that CBCity places on developing consistent and effective policies for its staff and the community.

“We’re thrilled to introduce our new Policy Framework, it’s our commitment to not only supporting our staff, but also showing that CBCity is an industry leader across many levels of Council,” Dr Forest-Lawrence said.

“The framework demonstrates Council’s commitment to transparent policy development that instills a level of confidence in our processes from our elected Councillors, who can trust that we have undertaken thorough internal and external consultation for our policies.”

The Framework is Council’s commitment to comply with laws and regulations, consult widely, communicate effectively and undertake rigorous quality control to ensure a level consistency in the policy process.

To celebrate and explain this process, we have created a discussion paper to share our successes and set best practice in the local government space.

The discussion paper outlines:

• Why the PRD Team created a framework;

• What the Policy Framework means to CBCity; and

• What you can do to make good policy at your Council.

For more information and to read the Policy Insights discussion paper, visit cb.city/PolicyInsights