No flooding council's social media with flood study feedback
Flood Studies
Douglas Shire Council has moved swiftly to put the brakes on social media feedback on its Port Douglas and Craiglie Flood Study, directing comment to its Have your Say online platform and community meetings.
Douglas Shire Council is undertaking the Port Douglas and Craiglie Flood Study and Wonga Beach Flood Study to build a clearer picture of how water moves through the catchments and where flooding affects people, property and roads.
Encouraging people to give their views, a council social media post says: “We would like to hear from residents, business owners, property managers and visitors who experienced flooding in Port Douglas, Craiglie or the surrounding area”.
The post directs readers to learn more about the project by visiting the Have Your Say online link.
On the Facebook page, Simon Salvage bluntly asks: “How do you not already know this?”, while Liza Stewart provides her tips to the council crews.
“How about starting with getting your crew to regularly check the stormwater infrastructure passing through Hutchings Park?” she asked.
“It has been a disgrace the way this lazy council have never managed the forever clogged stormwater drains.”
The harsh social media critique prompted a swift response from Douglas Shire Council:
“Facebook comments will not be collected as part of the study. If you want your feedback included, please complete the survey or attend the community drop in session.”
The move raised further response from poster Liza Stewart, telling council to “take feedback where you can get it”.
“Douglas Shire Council, this is part of your study. It’s local feedback. Some of us haven’t got time to go to your stupid meetings.”
On another post issued on social media by Douglas Shire Council, restrictions on who can comment were applied around the time of the heated exchange.
Newsport asked questions of Douglas Shire Council late on Friday with regards to the social media policy and how it might consider it as a tool for getting feedback.
“At this stage, Douglas Shire Council will not be incorporating social media comments into the formal consultation process for the Flood Studies,’’ the response said.
“Formal consultation submissions provide a more structured and equitable way to collect, assess and document community input. This approach helps ensure feedback is considered consistently and can be accurately attributed to the study area and forms part of the official project record.
“Attendance at the drop-in session is not required for community members to contribute to the study. Feedback can also be provided through the online survey, which allows participants to submit photos and share detailed information. This information can then be reviewed and considered by technical experts and the project team as part of the assessment process.
“The key objective is to gather meaningful local knowledge and feedback to help inform the study.”
The online survey and drop-in session provide two important avenues for capturing local knowledge, the council response added.
“Even a small number of well-informed contributions can provide valuable insights into flood behaviour, historical events and community concerns that may otherwise not be captured through technical data alone.’’
The community sessions are as follows:
Wonga Beach State School, Tuesday October 13 from 4.30pm to 6pm;
Port Douglas Community Hall, Wednesday October 14 from 4pm to 6pm.
