Blacktown City Council celebrates plain language use as a core principle

As one of the nation’s fastest growing and most diverse local government areas, Blacktown City is home to around 450,000 residents and is forecast to grow to 600,000 over the next 25 years. With more than 180 languages spoken across the local government area (LGA), clear and accessible communication is essential for residents to effectively navigate services, participate in community consultation processes and engage with local initiatives and decision-making.

Now, Plain English Foundation is celebrating 13 years of partnership with Blacktown City Council, highlighting its commitment to embedding accessible communication.

“Blacktown City Councillors represent an incredibly diverse cross-section of the community. Offering information in clear, simple formats across multiple channels is essential for good governance and public trust,” said Kerry Robinson, CEO at Blacktown City Council. “A key priority for us is a focus on informing and consulting residents, particularly on major project proposals and community initiatives, and ensuring there are clear, practical avenues for people to provide feedback and have their voices heard.

“Our partnership with Plain English Foundation has helped us achieve that consistently for more than a decade. We have embedded clear communication as a core capability across the entire organisation, shaping how complex material is transformed into clearly written information, and shared with the community.”

Plain English Foundation works closely with council stakeholders to ensure a unified communication framework across all five Blacktown directorates through tailored workshops, structured templates and ongoing guidance.

“This has significantly improved community consultation processes and the flow of information with stakeholders,” Robinson continued.

Just as clear communication is essential for engaging the community, it is equally critical within the organisation itself. Blacktown City Council has 15 elected Councillors, supported by over 2000 administrative staff.

Before adopting an organisation-wide plain language approach, the Council faced communication challenges common in large government organisations. This included inconsistent writing styles, complex planning and strategy documents, duplication of effort and delays caused by unclear reporting.

Since embedding plain language principles, the Council has reported fewer complaints, improved document turnaround times and provided clearer information for councillors, supporting more efficient and informed decision-making.

Key outcomes associated with the partnership include:

• Fairer access to services, with clearer community communications
• Improved operational efficiency, reducing rework and delays
• Stronger governance, with more consistent and accessible reporting
• Greater community trust, driven by clarity and transparency.
   

As councils across Australia respond to population growth, rising service demand and increasing complexity, Blacktown City Council demonstrates how clear communication is critical to inclusion, operational efficiency and community engagement.

“Blacktown City Council’s strides in community engagement show that clarity is a hallmark of good governance,” said Yusuf Pingar, General Manager of Plain English Foundation.

“We are proud to serve as a trusted partner to Council, building on our partnership over the last 10 years, to help make communication clear, accessible and impactful.”

Plain language principles developed through the partnership are now embedded in a wide range of documents. These include resident mail-outs and mayoral newsletters, community project updates, formal notices and letters, website content, social media channels, staff communications and internal reports.

Image: Blacktown City Council and Plain English Foundation representatives. Courtesy of Blacktown City Council.