Liaising and consulting with ratepayers and other stakeholders is an integral part of being an effective councillor. Such consultation can be either formal or informal, for example:

• Formal consultation includes attending public meetings and listening to ratepayers' views and receiving written submissions to various proposals which are invited by council.
• Informal consultation includes receiving representations from individuals and proactively asking ratepayers for their views on various council services.

The form of consultation undertaken depends on the nature and complexity of the issue, the budget for consultation and how many ratepayers and other stakeholders are potentially affected by the issue.

The need for councillors to effectively consult and liaise with their constituents is reinforced by their statutory role in the Local Government Act 2009. The Act states that councillors performing a responsibility under this Act do so in accordance with the local government principles.

In respect to networking by councillors, this may include:

• meeting/liaising with constituents or opinion leaders (e.g. industry group leaders)
• attending public meetings
• attending annual or quarterly meetings of interest groups, professional bodies or related functions
• attending local government conferences and other forums, such as those hosted by the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) and Local Government Managers Australia (LGMA)
• attending training programs, such as those conducted by the Queensland Department of Local Government and Planning or the LGAQ.

This list is indicative only and is not intended to be an exhaustive list of networking opportunities for councillors.