Dog management panel – call for expressions of interest

Purpose
The purpose of the Independent Submissions Review Panel (the Panel) is to support the City of
Clarence in the next phase of its Dog Management Policy review by:

• Reviewing submissions received during the preliminary public consultation period
• Identifying key and common themes, areas of consensus and tension points
• Considering practical options and potential areas for compromise
• Providing community-informed insights to assist Council in developing a balanced, evidence-based draft Dog Management Policy
• Strengthen community trust and confidence in Council’s engagement and decision making process.

The Panel is advisory only and does not make formal decisions on policy.

Objectives

The Panel will:

• Ensure all community feedback is considered by panel representatives transparently
  and meaningfully
• Reflect the diversity of community views (dog owners, non-dog owners, environmental,
  accessibility and shared-use perspectives)
• Help identify:
  • Common ground across differing viewpoints
  • Areas where clarity, communication or enforcement improvements are needed
  • Identify potential practical and implementable solutions
• Strengthen community trust and confidence in Council’s decision-making process.

Scope of work
The Panel will:

• Review:
  • Survey responses
  • Written submissions
  • Stakeholder engagement findings
  • Information pop-up feedback.
• Council will apply standard privacy protections and therefore some data and submissions may
• be anonymised or summarised.

• Consider key issues including (but not limited to):
  • Off-lead and on-lead access
  • Shared use and safety
  • Environmental and wildlife protection
  • Definition and expectations of ‘effective control’
  • Education, signage and communication
  • Enforcement and compliance.

Identify:

• Key themes and trends
• Areas of strong support or concern
• Opportunities for balanced, place-based solutions.

Rules of engagement

Panel members will be expected to:

• Approach the role with an open mind in the public interest, not solely as advocates
  for a single issue or group
• Approach discussions with respect, openness and good faith
• Be data-informed, considering both community feedback and practical implications
• Support balanced outcomes recognising competing but legitimate interests
• Maintain confidentiality of submissions and deliberations where required.

Membership

Composition

The Panel will include:

• Independent facilitator (recommended to support neutrality and credibility).
• 10-12 community representatives, selected to reflect a balance of perspectives,
  including:
  o Dog owners
  o Non-dog owners / general community members
  o Environmental / wildlife / conservation interests
  o Accessibility / inclusion perspectives (e.g. disability, older residents)
  o Shared use / recreation users (e.g. walkers, cyclists).

There may also be Council officers present as subject matter experts to inform discussion.

Selection criteria

Panel members will be selected based on:

• Demonstrated participation in their respective community group or cohort
• Ability and willingness to consider multiple perspectives
• Commitment to listening and contributing respectful, constructive dialogue
• Availability to attend panel sessions in person
• Ability and commitment to assess information objectively
• Adherence to panel confidentiality
• Commitment to positive representation of the panel.

Roles and responsibilities

Panel members will:

• Attend and actively participate in all sessions
• Review provided materials in advance (if required)
• Engage constructively with differing viewpoints
• Contribute to identifying themes and potential solutions.

Council will:

• Provide all relevant materials in an accessible format
• Ensure transparency of process (including providing agendas and meeting minutes)
• Provide technical input where appropriate
• Consider Panel insights in policy development.

Governance and process

• The Panel will operate over a defined period from July – October 2026 (likely three to four
  2-hour monthly panel meetings)
• Meetings may be in-person and/or online (in-person preferred)
• Outcomes will be documented in a Panel Summary Report, which will:
  • Meetings and attendance of representatives
  • Capture key themes
  • Document areas of agreement and disagreement
  • Outline potential policy directions or considerations.

Confidentiality

• Meetings will be recorded, but recordings will not made public
• Individual submissions will remain confidential (unless otherwise agreed)
• Panel discussions will not be publicly attributed to individuals
• A high-level summary of Panel outcomes will be made public to support transparency.

Timeline

• EOI period opens: 22 June
• EOI closes: 10 July
• Panel sessions: TBC (pending representative availability). First meeting to be held in
  July then possibly monthly until end October.
• Panel report finalised: Early November.