Sunshine Coast Citizens' Panel
Sunshine Coast Council has established a new Citizens’ Panel to hear from a wide range of perspectives and voices in our community.
Council is seeking more input from everyday people in our community, especially the voices we haven’t always been able to hear.
The purpose of the Citizens’ Panel is to bring together a group of community members 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.
The panel will gather for seven sessions over the next year.
Citizens' Panel meetings
Over the coming months, the panel will receive detailed briefings, consider evidence, discuss trade-offs and then provide advice for Council to consider.
That advice will be considered alongside feedback from other consultation activities, including Council’s Have your Say Sunshine Coast website and community pop-ups.
The panel's feedback is collated by independent facilitator MosaicLab and published as reports below.
Wednesday 17 September, 6pm to 9pm
Session 1: Meet and Greet - Altitude Nine (in person)
We held our first meet and greet at Altitude Nine in Council’s City Hall. It was a great chance for panel members to connect in person and learn about what’s ahead for the year. The Mayor welcomed everyone and shared why this public forum is so important. The evening also gave the panel time to talk about how they’ll work together and learn more about Council and other levels of government.
Wednesday 15 October, 6pm to 9pm
Session 2: Budget and Services (online session)
Our first online session focused on Budget and Services Prioritisation. Panel members shared ideas on what Council should think about when deciding which services to prioritise and invest in, to best support our growing and diverse community. The project team gave background on Council’s budget and services and answered questions during a Q&A.
Budget and Services Prioritisation - Panel Feedback Report
How can I get involved?
If you aren't a member of the Citizen's Panel, there are still a wide range of opportunities to provide feedback into Council projects and activities. Visit Council’s Have your Say Sunshine Coast website and sign up to receive email notifications on topics that matter to you.
How was the panel established?
How was the panel established?
Council worked 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, received an invitation letter to register for the panel. Registrations closed 17 August 2025.
Sortition then chose 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.
The registration pool required more young people (aged 16-25), so additional recruitment was done through Council’s Young Leaders program to increase the number of young people participating, bringing the final panel to 53 people.
View a visual snapshot of the confirmed panel participant demographics, matched against ABS census data for the Sunshine Coast region.
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 could 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 were the final panel members chosen?
How were the final panel members chosen?
The final panel members were selected to 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 aimed to include the same proportion of panel members who are renters.
Other characteristics Sortition considered included suburb in which you live, age, gender and highest level of education.