Sunshine Coast Citizens' Panel
Sunshine Coast Council is establishing a new Citizens’ Panel, in partnership with Sortition Foundation, to hear from a wide range of perspectives and voices in our community. If you’ve received a lucky invitation in the mail, register your interest to take part.
Council is seeking more input from everyday people in our community, especially the voices we haven’t always been able to hear.
To do this, we are establishing a Citizens’ Panel: a group of community members who come together to learn, deliberate and advise, to make sure community perspectives are heard on key issues.
This Citizens’ Panel will share ideas and experiences to help inform Council’s decisions on big challenges for our region.
Establishing the panel
Council is working with Sortition, a trusted independent specialist, to assemble the Citizens’ Panel.
To find a true cross section of our community, 10,000 households, selected by lottery, will receive an invitation letter to register for the panel.
Once registrations close, Sortition will then choose 50 people by lottery who represent the different backgrounds and characteristics of our community, according to data.
This means we can gain a wide range of perspectives and voices from our community.
Received an invitation in the mail?
If your household has received this letter, you are the right person to take part. Don’t miss this opportunity to shape the place where you live!
Follow the instructions on the letter to register your interest before midnight, 17 August 2025.
Didn’t receive a letter but interested in opportunities to provide feedback? Visit Council’s Have your Say Sunshine Coast website and sign up to receive email notifications on topics that matter to you.
Why are only 10,000 households invited to take part?
Why are only 10,000 households invited to take part?
Citizens’ panels are formed through a lottery system to ensure the panel includes a wide range of voices that represent our community. Only people who live in the household that received a letter can apply.
Does this impact other community engagement activities?
Does this impact other community engagement activities?
Council runs regular community engagement activities on a wide range of projects, using tools such as the Have your Say Sunshine Coast website and community pop-ups. These activities will continue to provide important information to shape plans and projects.
Information from the Citizens’ Panel will build on and complement this feedback, investigating complex problems and key issues for our region.
How will the final 50 panel members be chosen?
How will the final 50 panel members be chosen?
The final panel members will be selected so they represent our region’s demographic makeup.
For example, 2021 Census data reports 26.4 per cent of Sunshine Coast households were renting their home. Therefore, Sortition will aim to include the same proportion of panel members who are renters.
Other characteristics Sortition will consider include suburb in which you live, age, gender and highest level of education.