By Victoria Stone-Meadows
SAFETY, inclusivity and thriving activity; these are what the people of Casey want according to the results of the massive Casey Next survey conducted by council.
In the largest community engagement survey undertaken by the City of Casey Council, Casey Next asked more than 3600 Casey residents ‘What’s next for the City of Casey?’
The survey, conducted between July and September this year, aimed to gauge what residents wanted for the rapidly expanding area and the results have been released.
According to the survey, the residents and people of Casey had a safer community at the top of their priorities.
The survey showed that all age groups had safety as the most important area of improvement across the municipality, with 29 to 58-year-olds the most concerned.
Results showed people want improvements to Casey that would see more police on the streets and harsher penalties for vandalism and graffiti.
People also called for more CCTV cameras in public spaces, more opportunities for work or learning for vulnerable groups in the community, cleaner streets, and more neighbourhood watch groups.
An inclusive place was the second highest recurring theme in the survey responses and showed to be particularly important to people aged 19 to 28 and 59 to 68.
Survey responses showed that people in Casey want to see more inclusivity across a range of diversity groups including age, sexuality, religion, race, ethnicity, income and ability.
Overall, people called for more social programs that would connect people of varying classes and groups to one another to make the communities of Casey more inclusive to everyone.
Just some of the suggestions made by survey respondents included community activities where people can meet their neighbours and interact with people from other religions and cultures and improving disability access across the municipality.
The other major recurring themes that were discussed by survey respondents touched on themes of government accountability, environment and connectedness within communities.
The top 10 recurring themes in the survey responses were:
* A safe place;
* An inclusive place;
* A thriving place;
* A place with a great natural environment;
* A family-friendly place;
* A well-connected place;
* A place with opportunities;
* A balanced approach to growth;
* A transparent and accountable council; and
* A healthy place.
The results from the Casey Next Survey will be used by City of Casey Council to inform their view of the local government policy they create and form the basis of their next four-year plan.
“Council is now better informed about the community’s priorities, their expectations of council and what their ideas and hopes are for the future of Casey,” Mayor Sam Aziz said.
Cr Aziz said thanks to the success of the survey, the community can expect more chances to directly engage with council vision and direction.
“Casey Next allowed council to test the principles of its refreshed Community Engagement Strategy,” he said.
“Residents can expect to have many more opportunities to get involved and have their say in the future on council matters.”
