What is community development?

Community development in local government involves individuals, families with children, youth, seniors, groups and clubs, alliances, businesses, community services and organisations, non-government and government (State and Federal) organisations, ratepayers and residents, seasonal visitors and tourists. Community development aims to generate outcomes that enable the community to come together to be active, to participate, to engage and to be supportive and sustainable; to develop active environments in which people live, work, play and invest.

Community development is concerned with taking the journey from a private concern from the collective community to public action with the community to build a locally led, innovative and lived-experience informed solution.

The Bundaberg Regional Council Community Development team will work with community to:

• Maintain an open and transparent interest in all things community by listening quietly for the groundswell of community need.
• Identifying gaps, barriers and challenges.
• Promote a planned approach to building inclusive and connected communities.
• Strengthen community by better connecting people, building unity, reduce inequity and disadvantage.
• Connect services and people to focus on place-based solutions to local challenges.
• Link, form alliances, collaborate in informal and formal settings to advocate collective action.
• Build strategic partnerships by connecting with others.
• Keep up to date, address and respond to local, state and national trends across a range of issues including, but not limited to, social recreation and health.
• Build capacity of community to support their own and others active citizenship to participate in changing the issues that affect their lives.

This work is guided by our Community Development Strategy 2024-28, which incorporates a number of priorities, actions and measures that were developed in consultation with community.

If you, your organisation, or committee would like to meet with a member of our team feel free to email comdev@bundaberg.qld.gov.au or phone 1300 883 699.