Global Community Engagement Day | 28 January 2026

Wednesday 28 January is Global Community Engagement Day and provides a moment to reflect on how decisions that affect communities are made. 

Strength in numbers – What it means for engagement in regional areas 

This year the theme, “Strength in numbers”, is timely. Not because more voices automatically make things easier, but because complex decisions are rarely improved by being made in isolation.

What strength in numbers really means 

In engagement, strength in numbers isn’t about volume or consensus. It’s about diversity of perspective. Strong outcomes are built when:

• different lived experiences are brought into the conversation 

• local knowledge is treated as evidence, not anecdote 

• communities are engaged early enough to influence direction, not just respond to it.

  
  

When this happens, decisions are more robust, risks are better understood and implementation is smoother.

When it doesn’t, communities feel spoken at rather than listened to, and confidence in decision-making quickly erodes.

Why this matters in regional communities

In regional Australia, the effects of major decisions are often more concentrated and longer-lasting. Infrastructure, energy, housing and economic development decisions shape towns and regions for generations.

Strength in numbers matter because no single organisation, sector or viewpoint holds the full picture. Governments, industry, communities and local leaders all see different parts of the impact.

Good engagement brings those perspectives together. It doesn’t eliminate disagreement, but it does create better-informed decisions and clearer trade-offs.

A regional conversation on collective voices 

To mark Global Community Engagement Day 2026, we’ve chatted to 3 leaders from the Hunter region who work at the intersection of policy, evidence and community:

• Dan Repacholi MP, on representation and accountability

• Dr Mark Sargent, on social impact, evidence and planning participation

• Bob Hawes, on business collaboration, economic resilience and regional confidence.

  
  

The focus isn’t engagement theory. It is how collective voices strengthen decisions, improve outcomes and build long-term trust.

Beyond a single day

Global Community Engagement Day isn’t about celebration for its own sake. It’s a reminder that engagement is most powerful when it’s continuous, inclusive and taken seriously.

Strength in numbers only exists when people are invited in early, listened to properly and can see how their input influences outcomes.

Global Community Engagement Day is a reminder that engagement is a collective effort. On 28 January, we invite you to reflect on whose voices shape decisions in your world and how strength in numbers can be put into practice, not just talked about. 

Author.

Kelly Lofberg is an engagement and communications professional, who specialises in complex and issues rich environments. Bringing innovative ways to solve problems is her jam. Sometimes Kel brings LEGO® too.