Community Group Slams Council's Feedback Approach
A heated dispute has erupted between Newcastle City Council and community advocates over planned changes to public consultation methods, with the Friends of Newcastle Ocean Baths accusing council of attempting to dismiss legitimate community concerns.
The conflict emerged after the council revealed plans to overhaul its community feedback processes in response to the independent Davidson review, which found many residents described council engagement as "tokenistic" and "superficial" with a "decide and defend" approach.
Educational Campaign Sparks Backlash
Nick Kaiser, City of Newcastle's executive manager for media engagement, economy and corporate affairs, announced on November 10 that the council would launch an "educational campaign" to improve public understanding of community engagement processes.
The proposed campaign would focus on explaining "why it's important to reach beyond the loudest voices" and address the concept of "opt-in bias," where feedback predominantly comes from those with strong opinions at either end of the spectrum.
However, the Friends of Newcastle Ocean Baths, which opposes council's plan to cover the open-air changerooms at the historic baths, has strongly criticised these proposed changes.
"Proposing an 'educational campaign' for the public... shifts the focus from council accountability to community misunderstanding," the group stated. "Phrases such as 'reaching beyond the loudest voices' and 'opt-in bias' portray engaged residents as unrepresentative outliers."
Council Defends Engagement Strategy
A City of Newcastle spokesperson responded that genuine engagement "ensures that everyone in our community has the opportunity to be heard."
"Engaged residents provide valuable insights, but feedback tends to be by the most passionate voices either for or against," the spokesperson explained. "This is known as 'opt-in bias'. To address this, we are actively working to ensure that we also hear from the broader community, including underrepresented groups."
The council emphasised that it has been consulting with the community on the Newcastle Ocean Baths upgrade project for more than a decade and acknowledged the "diversity of views, including strong opinions both for and against the inclusion of a roof over the amenities."
According to council, technical advice indicated that "a facility without a roof would not be viable under modern design requirements," making feedback on an unfeasible design option "disingenuous."
The baths group maintains that the council's approach overlooks the Davidson Review's central message that "genuine engagement requires trust, transparency, and early collaboration" and argues that "true engagement starts before decisions are made, not after."
The dispute highlights ongoing tensions between the council and community groups over major development projects in the Newcastle area, with both sides presenting contrasting views on what constitutes meaningful public consultation.
