Plain language principles at the heart of Blacktown City Council
We’re celebrating our 13-year partnership with Blacktown City Council (BCC), who is committed to embedding accessible communication.
As one of Australia’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. Residents speak more than 180 languages across this local government area. This means clear and accessible communication is essential for them to effectively navigate services, participate in community consultation processes and engage with local initiatives and decision-making.
‘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 OAM, CEO at BCC.
‘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.’
Hundreds of organisations and government agencies trust us. And we work closely with council stakeholders to ensure a unified communication framework across all 5 Blacktown directorates through tailored workshops, structured templates and ongoing advice.
‘This has significantly improved community consultation processes and the flow of information with stakeholders,’ continued Mr Robinson.
Just as clear communication is essential for engaging the community, it is equally critical for internal communication. BCC has 15 elected councillors, supported by over 2,000 administrative staff.
Before adopting an organisation-wide plain language approach, BCC 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 with our help, BCC has reported fewer complaints, improved document turnaround times and clearer information for councillors, supporting more efficient and informed decision-making. Our partnership has also resulted in:
- 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, BCC shows how clear communication is critical to inclusion, operational efficiency and community engagement.
‘BCC’s strides in community engagement show that clarity is a hallmark of good governance,’ said Yusuf Pingar, our General Manager.
‘We are proud to serve as a trusted partner to BCC, building on our partnership over the last 13 years, to help make communication clear, accessible and impactful.’
BCC has embedded the plain language principles developed through our partnership in a wide range of documents, including:
- resident mail-outs and mayoral newsletters
- community project updates
- formal notices and letters
- website and social media content
- staff communications
- internal reports.
Are you committed to embedding accessible communication too? Contact us for expert advice, plain language training and edits that transform your writing at work into writing that works.
Read Primary Comms Group’s media release about our ongoing partnership with BCC.
