Local groups

A Better Streets Australia local group (or chapter) works with the council or shire for their locality, advocating for and working with local government to adopt and apply Better Streets’ Five Key Recommendations.

You are the expert in your place!

  • You experience your city or town every day.

  • You see the challenges your community faces.

  • You know what your community needs to thrive.

Local conversations turn observations into actions. Local conversations make the movement for Better Streets real at a neighbourhood level.

Better Streets provides support, resources, connection and training to help each local group start and grow. Existing local groups that support our Five Key Recommendations can also decide to affiliate with Better Streets.

Scroll down for information on existing Better Streets local groups - and on how to start or affiliate a new group!

Find a local group in your area

How to start a Better Streets Australia local group

Black star-shaped tattoo with bold outlines on person's skin.

Decide on your group’s location

If there is no local group near where you live you can choose to start a group for your suburb, city or local government area (LGA).

A black and white illustration of a person holding a large key upright, with stylized flames or decorative elements above their head, and geometric shapes in the background.

Name your group

Use the naming convention Better Streets [Your place] - for example, Better Streets Bathurst or Better Streets Redcliffe.

Black silhouette of a cat with an arched back and tail curled up, set against a white background.

Set up an email account

Highlight your communications to decision-makers by signing up for a free Gmail address using your new group’s name (as one word) - for example, betterstreetsredcliffe@gmail.com.

Black and white image of a figure walking, with a shadowy figure behind, in front of a cityscape with trees and a bridge.

Give your group a social media presence

Using your new email address, open social media accounts on Facebook, X, Instagram, etc. Create handles like @betterstreetsbathurst, using the Gmail account naming convention.

A black and white line drawing of a person crossing a street with traffic lights and cars, with a cityscape in the background.

Communicate with other advocates

Download Slack, the Better Streets Australia peer-to-peer communications platform. Join Better Streets Slack. Introduce yourself in Channel #1-intros. Then make an announcement on Channel #2-announcements.

Black and white illustration of a person with a large head, holding a book, surrounded by various symbols and objects, including a clock, arrows, and numbers.

Involve other people in your group

Introduce your local group to your community via social media, inviting people to follow, subscribe to your newsletter or meet up in person.

A black and white compass with directional labels.

Start local conversations

Open up discussions and arrange regular meetings with residents, businesses and councillors.

Multiple fish swimming in an aquarium with plants and decorative rocks.

Create an email distribution list

Maintain a simple email distribution list for your newsletter or other messages, using a spreadsheet or your Better Streets Gmail account.

Black silhouette of a chameleon against a white background.

Start a Better Streets Australia webpage

Fill out the online form to apply for your local group’s webpage on the Better Streets Australia site. Follow, like and share posts from Better Streets Australia and other Better Streets local groups. Need help? Contact us.

Wear the Better Streets message!

Get your own Better Streets T-shirts by downloading this image file, uploading it to your own free account on Canva, and then ordering T-shirts in any sizes.

Alternatively, use this Canva public view link to transfer the artwork into your existing Canva account.

If you prefer a white T-shirt, use this image or public view link.

Apply for a local group webpage

You will need to supply the following information in order for us to set up a webpage for your local group on the Better Streets Australia website.

Please contact us if you have any queries.

NB. Look at other Better Streets local group pages for inspiration and ideas!