ANZFA Community Involvement Policy and Protocol
September 2001
Note: This document is currently under review, some of the information may not reflect current protocols and procedures and practices. An amended document will be made available as soon as possible
Full version [ pdf ]Contents
ANZFA Community Involvement Policy Statement
Community Involvement Objectives
Community Involvement Principles
ANZFA Community Involvement Protocol
Foreword
Ensuring effective community involvement in food standards setting is a critical component of the work that the Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) undertakes in developing food standards for both Australia and New Zealand.
The necessity for consultation on food standards is reflected in ANZFA' s guiding legislation which prescribes consultation as a key facet of the standards development process itself. This protocol has been developed to provide guidance to both the community and ANZFA staff on how ANZFA will meet these requirements and consult effectively on food standards matters.
However, we see consultation processes as more than just a legal obligation. They also have the potential to contribute greatly to the effectiveness of the standards setting system and the appropriateness of the standards we develop. Community involvement enables:
- the views of the community to be presented and understood;
- sound decision making following review of all available information;
- a form of peer review for scientific and technical matters;
- increased accountability and transparency in decision making; and
- smooth implementation following decision making.
This protocol is therefore aimed at ensuring that all people interested in food standards matters know how to be involved, are involved and can see how issues that are important to them are considered.
I trust this document will provide you with an improved understanding of ANZFA's process and how you can be involved. Please contact ANZFA or browse our website should you require further clarification of information about our process and how you can be involved.
Ian Lindenmayer
Managing Director
Introduction
The Board of the Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) has identified improving community involvement in standards development as a key priority. ANZFA recognises that such involvement requires ongoing interaction rather than just one-way communication of issues and facts.
In September 1999, ANZFA released a paper entitled Improving Community Involvement in Food Standards Development with the aim of facilitating discussion on how ANZFA could better involve the community in its work. The paper asked organisations to identify:
- what aspects of community involvement does ANZFA currently do well;
- what aspects of community participation does ANZFA need to improve and what have been the difficulties; and
- what mechanisms or processes should ANZFA put in place to assist organisations to be involved in ANZFA' s activities.
Feedback was received from a broad range of interested organisation and individuals from Australia and New Zealand. The key themes emerging from the discussions and submissions provided were that ANZFA needs to improve:
- the way it listens and responds to issues raised by the community;
- transparency and accountability of processes and decision making;
- understanding in the community of the issues considered in food standards setting;
- strategies to ensure effective involvement of individuals and organisations in New Zealand;
- understanding of the issues faced by the different sectors;
- information provision and education; and
- use of information technology.
A Community Involvement Strategy was developed which outlined a number of strategies aimed at improving the way that ANZFA works with the community in developing food standards. The Strategy included, as a key element, the development of a Community Involvement Policy Statement and Protocol.
This document aims to establish a framework for how ANZFA consults. It recognises the statutory requirements for consultation under the Australia New Zealand Food Authority Act 1991, and outlines a broad framework for further consultative activities to ensure effective involvement by the community on standards issues
ANZFA Community Involvement Policy Statement
ANZFA recognises the importance of community involvement in ensuring that a diverse range of views are considered in the food standards development process.
ANZFA is committed to genuine community involvement in its processes and decisions. Community involvement is essential in providing ANZFA with diverse input in standards development in order to:
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Community Involvement Objectives
ANZFA is seeking to achieve a number of objectives from its Community Involvement processes. These are:
- To enhance the quality, balance and breadth of ANZFA' s processes and decisions through diverse and expert input from the community.
- To ensure opportunities for community participation in analysis of risks and in shaping food standards, and to build cooperative relationships with the community in these processes.
- To maximise understanding within ANZFA and by the community of the scientific, public health and safety issues, social, industry and foreign trade impacts of food standards issues.
- To maximise understanding by ANZFA of the various community needs and interests in food standards issues and the impact of food regulatory measures.
- To encourage a level of community ownership of food standards and food regulatory measures.
- To ensure accountability and transparency of ANZFA and the food standards system to the community.
- To maximise public confidence in the Australian and New Zealand food standards system.
Community Involvement Principles
ANZFA recognises that the community has a broad range of expectations concerning how community involvement should occur. In recognising these, ANZFA has agreed on the following principles to guide its community involvement processes:
1. Community involvement in food standards setting is a legislated right
ANZFA will meet or exceed its statutory obligations to consult with the community in relation to food regulatory measures. ANZFA will actively engage the community in public health and safety issues, the analysis, management and communication of risk and in other issues as appropriate.
ANZFA will adopt a planned approach to community involvement wherever possible, so that those involved can plan their input.
2. Community involvement must be carried out in a transparent and consistent manner
ANZFA will ensure that the community has access to information to enable understanding of:
- the process for decision making;
- the issues under consideration; and
- when and how to provide input.
ANZFA will give reasonable notice of issues for consultation and a reasonable time will be allowed for consultations, taking into account the requirements of government decision making, the nature and importance of the issues under consideration and the degree of urgency.
ANZFA will provide feedback to interested parties on:
- the progress of deliberations;
- the decisions reached and the reasons for these;
- the diversity of views considered and why particular positions or views were rejected; and
- the ultimate outcome of matters considered.
Makers of formal submissions to ANZFA on major matters will receive responses noting their submission and will be provided with feedback as to how and why their views were or were not reflected in the final outcome.
3. Community involvement processes must be flexible and varied to meet different needs and circumstances
ANZFA will adopt a flexible approach to community involvement by varying the scope and intensity of community involvement to suit the circumstances and importance of the issues under consideration.
ANZFA will utilise a variety of community involvement techniques to best suit the diverse needs of those being consulted and will encourage the use of a variety of methods for people and organisations to make their views known.
ANZFA recognises and will have regard to the differing resources of interested groups and individuals wishing to be involved in its processes. ANZFA will also pay particular regard to the needs and wishes of indigenous people in its community involvement processes.
4. Community involvement processes must be proportional to the potential impact of the issue under consideration and its significance to the community
ANZFA will ensure that, while the protection of public health and safety is always paramount, consultation will be managed at a cost which is proportional to the potential impact of the issue under consideration and its significance to the community. ANZFA will ensure that its processes are managed so as to avoid unnecessary cost or delay to consumers, industry, business or the broader community.
5. Community involvement requires ANZFA to provide accurate, accessible and adequate information
ANZFA will ensure that interested individuals and groups are given, or are advised where to obtain, accurate and sufficient information about issues to allow them to make reasoned input.
ANZFA will try to ensure that information it provides is in a form that is understandable and accessible to the audience for which it is intended.
6. Community involvement processes must be responsive
ANZFA will seek advice from the community about issues or its processes and will take account of such advice in its deliberations.
ANZFA will ensure that, when complaints are made about the process of consultation or the way issues are managed in the process, they will be considered and, where appropriate, identified problems will be addressed.
7. Community involvement processes must be continually evaluated, reviewed and improved
ANZFA will regularly evaluate the effectiveness of its community involvement processes.