Australian homeowners feel unheard by councils

Over half (54%) of Australian homeowners feel engaged with their local council, but only 35% feel their feedback is being heard and only 37% feel it is valued, according to research released by Datacom.

A survey of 2000 homeowners commissioned by the company found that 57% of respondents feel that they would be more likely to engage with their local council if they were able to do so digitally. Meanwhile two-thirds (67%) would use an app for communication with their council if one were available.

Key areas of opportunities for providing digital channels identified by respondents include making payments (50%), submitting and processing permit and licence applications (41%) and making facility bookings (34%).

But respondents are generally satisfied with the information provided by councils to homeowners, with 73% finding communications from their local council useful, and 60% feeling their council communicates well during times of crisis such as natural disasters.

Datacom Director of Local Government and MD SaaS Products Peter Nelson said the findings generally show positive levels of engagement between local councils and the communities they represent. “The notable gap is the ability for people to share and receive information from their council in a more immediate way, and for this to be a two-way channel that enables feedback,” he said.

“Small changes can make a big difference in whether people feel they are being listened to. Working with our council partners, we’ve seen the positive impact that digital tools are having in terms of enabling staff and customers to interact and access information digitally in more practical ways.”

Image credit: iStock.com/Jirsak