--- title: "Creating a consultation on Have your say" canonical: "https://nsw-gov-au-help-hub.refined.site/space/HHK/604144359/Creating%20a%20consultation%20on%20Have%20your%20say" format: markdown --- The Have your say website provides access to information about public consultations being run by the NSW Government. In 2012, a [Premier's Memorandum](https://arp.nsw.gov.au/m2012-13-community-consultation-have-your-say) directed all NSW Government agencies to list their public consultations on the website. In 2024, the Department of Customer service released an updated [circular on Have your say](https://arp.nsw.gov.au/dcs-2024-03-community-consultation-have-your-say/) reinforcing the requirement for all NSW Government agencies to publish their consultations on Have your say. --- ## Creating a Have your say consultation ### Do - Follow the [http://nsw.gov.au](http://nsw.gov.au) [editorial style guide](https://nsw-gov-au-help-hub.refined.site/space/HHK/603751878). This includes the time, date and address format. - Use a high-quality, natural looking images that reflect the consultation. - Include up-to-date contact information for the public if they need to contact the consultation team. - Provide consultation methods for the public to provide their feedback. ### Don't - Use images that have graphics and text in them. This includes aerial maps, document covers, icons and logos. - Don’t use complex jargon, including legalese. Write in plain English. --- ## How to create a Have Your Say consultation 1. Select **Content > Add content > Consultation**. The ‘Add Consultation’ screen will open. 2. In the **Content** tab: - Enter the address of the consultation location. If there isn't a location, leave it blank. - Enter the date the consultation is to be published. ### Step 1: Introduction #### **Consultation title** - Enter the consultation title, with a maximum of 40 characters. - This title will be part of your unique URL. Avoid using special characters such as commas, dashes, exclamation marks, parentheses or periods. Use only letters. - The title will be shown at the top of your consultation page and with your listing on the [Have your say page](https://www.nsw.gov.au/have-your-say). #### **Consultation summary** - Provide a summary of the consultation, up to 160 characters. - Include which agency is running the consultation and a short description. For example, ‘The Department of Customer Service is seeking feedback on the Digital ID strategy’. #### **Consultation topic** Use the drop-down menu to select a topic that relates to your consultation. Topics to select from: - Community Services - Economy - Education - Environment - Health - Infrastructure - Planning - Policy - Regulation - Technology - Emergencies - Police and Justice - Transport. ![image](media://92765de0-55f3-45b8-a4e9-b2a20d086325)   ### Step 2: What’s this about #### **What’s this about** In this section, provide detailed information about the consultation, including: - background information - reasons for the consultation - benefit to the public - overview of the consultation process.   ![image](media://48e77686-4a1c-46bb-abab-7b08e36b44aa)   #### **Image** Add an image that represents the consultation. Ensure that the image is 760x440px and follows the [http://nsw.gov.au](http://nsw.gov.au) [image guidelines](https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/onecx-program/content-guidance/cms-components-guide/media/images/file-names-titles-and-alt-text). The image should be high-res and natural looking. Do not include images that have graphics on them - this includes aerial maps, document covers, icons and logos.  To upload the image, follow the [How to upload an image to the CMS guide.](https://nsw-gov-au-help-hub.refined.site/space/HHK/602538565/Uploading+an+image+to+the+CMS#How-to-upload-an-image-to-the-CMS) #### **Documents** Upload any supporting documents for the consultation. Accepted file types are PDF, DOC and DOCX with a maximum file size of 5MB per file. When uploading a file, follow our [file naming guidelines](https://nsw-gov-au-help-hub.refined.site/space/HHK/604080011). #### **Affected regions** Choose the region or regions in NSW that will be affected by your consultation. If it covers the entire state, select 'Statewide Consultation'.    ![image](media://81150110-c848-4024-b24d-81b5ce1cb7bf)   ### Step 3: Have your say Clearly explain the consultation process in the **Have your say** section. Include the following: - The end date of the consultation period. This should be formatted as ‘Have your say by day, date,’ for example **‘Have your say by Sunday 13 July 2025’**. This sentence should be in bold as it’s important. - The number and types of consultation methods available. This should be added to the bottom of this section and follow this format: **‘You can provide feedback in 3 ways'**. This text will display above the ‘Consultation methods’ section. - Any other relevant information the public needs to know. For example, will all submissions be made public. - If you have a privacy statement or guidelines, you can include a link to it in this section. ![image](media://d22b98c7-7428-4ea7-8cec-d33d88e92475) #### **Add consultation methods** Select ‘Add method’ and then choose ‘Consultation Method’ to specify the various methods being used for the consultation. Consultation methods to select from: - Online - Survey - Postal submission - Information submission - Mailout - Exhibition - Town Hall - Phone - Email - Community meeting - Webinar. ![image](media://7775f075-ad32-4ae2-8ed7-db6d4ed4b244) ### Step 4: More information In this section, provide agency contact details for people who have questions about the consultation. #### **Agency contact name** Add in the name of the person or team responsible for running the consultation. For privacy concerns, you can use something generic such as ‘Project team’. #### **Contact phone** Provide a phone number for public enquiries. Leave blank if there is no phone number. #### **Contact email address** Enter the email address for the person or team overseeing the consultation. #### **Agency website** Include the URL to the agency conducting the consultation. #### **Consultation website** Include the URL for the consultation page on the agency website. ![image](media://e0be77f6-50c1-46d4-8355-0ff8912814a8) ### Step 5: Tags Navigate to the Tags tab in the consultation form. ![image](media://7cb449f0-23e6-44a5-95c6-39bdcccb5ef8)   #### **Tag the agency** Choose the agency associated with your consultation from the dropdown list. #### **Choose the target audience** Select the appropriate audience for your consultation. Options include: - Business - Citizen - Public servants - Visitors - All. #### **Select relevant topics** Select topics that best match your consultation. For example: - If the consultation is about a new construction project, select ‘Infrastructure’. - If the consultation is about a health policy review, select ‘Health’. - You must select at least 1 of the 20 main Topic tags that is relevant to your content. The list of main topics can be found on the [http://nsw.gov.au](http://nsw.gov.au) [homepage](https://www.nsw.gov.au/). - Tags are only used to group related content together and do not play a part in SEO. ### Step 6: Save your consultation Once you have completed all the steps, select ‘Save’. ### Step 7: Editing your consultation before submitting Follow these steps if you need to edit your consultation before submitting it for review. 1. Select Content and then enter the name of your consultation title and click Filter to find your consultation. Click on your consultation to edit it. 2. On your consultation page select Draft in the top right workbench menu. 3. From the drop-down menu, select ‘Edit draft’. 4. Once you’ve made your edits, select **Save.** ![image](media://faca7a5d-6ffd-41c6-96e4-d8df6825cb22) ![image](media://0352fea5-fd0e-4bc9-a2df-473f5fb0b034) ### Step 8: Submitting your consultation for review Before a consultation can be published, it must be submitted for review by the Government Technology Platforms Content team. All consultations require review and approval by the Government Technology Platforms Content team, regardless of your CMS permissions. This ensures consistency, quality and compliance with these guidelines and the [http://nsw.gov.au](http://nsw.gov.au) [editorial style guide](https://nsw-gov-au-help-hub.refined.site/space/HHK/603751878). To submit your consultation for review: 1. Select draft from the top right of your workbench. 2. From the drop-down menu, select ‘Needs review’. 3. The status will now change from ‘Draft’ to ‘Needs review’. ![image](media://1e37b7af-61c9-49a1-a95a-8da7c67abe5d) ![image](media://2eddf5fb-7b9f-4cbd-bbc1-f30f4927dc21) Your consultation has now been submitted for inclusion on the Have Your Say portal. You will be contacted if further details are required. The team will review your consultation within 2 working days. > ℹ️ ### Have your say support > ℹ️ > ℹ️ Submit a request [via the webform](https://nsw-gov-au-help-hub.refined.site/page/submit-a-request) if you: > ℹ️ > ℹ️ - have a question about the Have your say consultation process > ℹ️ - need changes made to a consultation after it has been published > ℹ️ - need a consultation archived or redirected. > ℹ️ > ℹ️ Please note: Regardless of your CMS permissions, all changes must be submitted to the Government Technology Platforms Content team for review and publishing.