Newcastle City Council consults with the community on many subjects, using a range of tools as appropriate.

Join Newcastle Voice

Become part of the group of residents from all ages and walks of life who take part in consultations with Council. Join Newcastle Voice now. Participation is voluntary and can be withdrawn at any time.

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  For time to time there are online discussions. There is currently no discussions open, read previous discussions now.

What does being a member mean?

You will be invited to participate in consultations and engage with Council through some, or all, of the following:

• Community workshops
• Face to face meetings
• Quick polls
• Surveys
• Online discussions
• Other suggestions you would like to share with us.

You will also receive a monthly newsletter containing summary feedback from consultations and updates about city issues. Read full reports of all completed consultations.

Anyone over 16 years of age who is a resident or ratepayer of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Cessnock and Port Stephens councils can join Newcastle Voice.

Community consultation objectives

The goal of the Newcastle Voice community reference panel is to build and maintain community trust and support, as well as obtain public feedback on issues of importance for the elected Councillors, so that their decision-making may be more informed. 

Community consultation helps council:

• Plan services to meet the community's needs and expectations
• Find out what is important to the community
• Monitor the effectiveness of our services
• Improve services
• Create a greater feeling of community through building strong relationships with residents
• Create better governance through transparency for development and monitoring of policies, strategies and services.

On 17 May 2011, the two-year trial of in-house consultation services was completed, and Council determined that this service should continue as a permanent function within Council.

Read the booklet describing two years of community consultation.

Community Reference Panel - Quarterly Report (459 kb)

City Engagement Charter

The City of Newcastle is committed to being a leader in local government in Australia.  The City Engagement Charter outlines guiding principles to help us achieve this, improve our service delivery and respond to our community’s needs. Read more

Your privacy is protected

Newcastle Voice respects the privacy of its members. You can confident that your personal information will not be disclosed and individual responses will be kept confidential. Read more about privacy and Newcastle Voice.

Need more information?

For more information contact Newcastle Voice on 02 4974 2823.

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Join up now at: www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/myvoice