A community panel is a ‘deliberative’ community engagement process that puts the community affected by a decision at the centre of that decision. The panel brings citizens closer to decision makers and affairs of government.

A community panel is built around a number of principles. These principles include:

• A random sample of everyday citizens affected by the decision is selected to participate.
• Participants are provided with detailed, in-depth information from a range of sources that helps them to understand the issues and options associated with the final recommendations.
• Participants are given the time and support they need to consider and discuss information and ideas, weigh up issues and options and agree on recommendations.
• Participants write their own report, which is then presented directly to decision makers: in this case the leadership teams of Western Water and Melbourne Water. The recommendations in their report have a high level of influence over outcomes or decisions.

Selection was undertaken independently of Melbourne Water and Western Water, via a specialist recruitment company called Deliberately Engaging.

Invitations to register an expression of interest were initially sent by mail to 10,000 randomly selected Western Water customers. Due to a low response rate from these mailed invitations, the invitation was also sent via email to 11,744 Western Water customers living in Sunbury and nearby towns.

Demographic data and key filters were then used to stratify the people who expressed an interest in participating. This was done to ensure that the final, selected group of 30 panel members is representative of the broader demographics of the Sunbury community and nearby towns that may be impacted by decisions made for Sunbury’s Water Future.

Melbourne Water and Western Water and the facilitators supporting the deliberations have no influence over the selection process and will not know who is participating in the panel before deliberations commence.

Before the panel was formed, Melbourne Water and Western Water held a series of community talks and workshops in which everyone was invited to participate. The results of these engagements were collated into a report and shared with the panel for consideration. During the panel deliberations, there will also be an opportunity for community members to sit in and observe

The panel will meet for five days outside of business hours in May and June and make a significant commitment in representing their community. Each participant will receive $500 in recognition of their time and to cover any costs associated with participating, such as travel and childcare

The panel will be asked to consider the following question:

‘What water management options are best for our community and the environment?’
The panel will work together (with the support of professional facilitators) to consider a wide range of information, ideas and evidence – including from reports and speakers – discuss the question and agree on their final recommendations. The panel will write its own report and present this report directly to leadership representatives of Melbourne Water and Western Water. The deliberative panel process is a genuine, open process where all participants are valued and heard.

The panel’s recommendations will be:

* presented directly to Melbourne Water and Western Water leadership representatives

* published, unedited, on both organisations’ websites

* used to the greatest extent possible to develop an IWM plan for Sunbury

Melbourne Water and Western Water have engaged MosaicLab, a team of experienced facilitators specialising in stakeholder engagement and deliberative democracy, to facilitate the discussions. MosaicLab’s role is to support the participants in their discussions. MosaicLab works on a range of facilitation principles including promoting informed discussion, enabling everyone to have a chance to participate and contribute, remaining neutral and responding and adapting to the group’s needs, and guiding the process in a way that helps participants work as effectively as possible.

As water moves between the land, ocean, rivers and atmosphere, it changes from solid to liquid to gas – this is our planet’s way of recycling water and is called the ‘natural water cycle’.

When water moves through urban environments, we call this the ‘urban water cycle’. It includes the ways in which drinking water, stormwater and wastewater are all managed.

Rainfall that runs off roofs, roads and other hard surfaces into gutters, drains, creeks and rivers, and eventually into the sea is called ‘stormwater’.

Water that’s been used in the home, in a business or an industrial process is called ‘wastewater’. It’s captured in different pipes to stormwater.

When wastewater goes through a treatment process, it becomes ‘recycled water’ that can be reused for other purposes. The Sunbury Recycled Water Plant is one of seven recycled water plants operated by Western Water.

Find out more: Western Water’s recycled water approach

Sunbury has been identified as an area of growth by the Victorian State Government. The population is planned to more than double over the next 20 years.

The Victorian Planning Authority has set out a plan for Sunbury that outlines a clear vision for housing, transport, employment, open space, shopping and community services to support growth.

Western Water and Melbourne Water have provided input to the growth plan related to water services.

Integrated Water Management (IWM) involves looking at ways we can manage different elements of the urban water cycle such as rainfall in the catchments, wastewater from households, stormwater that runs off roofs and roads and water recycled from wastewater.

Looking at all of these sources and how they’re managed may help to reduce the impacts of both climate change and the additional urban areas planned for Sunbury.

Drinking water traditionally comes from rainfall in water catchments which is stored in reservoirs and treated to health standards before being supplied.

The Sunbury region sources its drinking water locally from the Rosslynne Reservoir and from the Melbourne Water supply system. The local supply from Rosslynne Reservoir is limited and has reduced over time due to lower flows into the reservoir.

Melbourne has over 24,000 km of waterways - about 98 times the length of the Great Ocean Road, from end to end. Ensuring waterways are healthy, liveable and accessible for future generations is a complex task.

The Healthy Waterways Strategy is a celebration of the catchments and community of the Port Phillip and Westernport region. It’s the result of almost two years of collaboration between waterway managers, scientific teams, communities, Traditional Owners, interest groups and government agencies.

The Healthy Waterways Strategy includes goals for the Maribyrnong catchment, including the sub-catchments of Jacksons Creek and Emu Creek that flow through the Sunbury region.

This project is being jointly undertaken by Western Water and Melbourne Water, which manage different aspects of the urban water cycle and need to work together to ensure planning is well coordinated.

Western Water provides water, sewerage and recycled water services for Sunbury, Melton, Bacchus Marsh, the Macedon Ranges and surrounds. Melbourne Water has the responsibility to manage local waterways, Jacksons Creek and Emu Creek, and provide drainage and flood management services for the area.

Our waterways need flow at the right times, at the right quality and the right flow rate. Unfortunately, stormwater flows don’t meet those needs.

The Melbourne Waterways and Drainage Charge funds a range of programs to protect and improve the health of more than 8400 kilometres of rivers and creeks, including Jacksons and Emu Creeks.

It also provides regional drainage services, flood protection and flood warning systems throughout the Port Phillip and Westernport region. The charge applies to all serviced properties located within Melbourne Water’s management district.

The amount paid by customers via the Waterways and Drainage Charge is determined as part of Melbourne Water’s pricing submission to the Essential Services Commission (ESC).