1A Work towards the vision and mission of the community development work plan

Community development is a term used to describe a particular type of community work that empowers people in to take action to achieve shared goals. Although the terms social action and community organising are also used, the goals are similar. Community development has been the most commonly-used term in Australia since the 1970s, although this type of work has a longer history.

The 1970s in Australia saw a wide range of community activities based on community development and social action strategies. These included green bans to prevent unwanted urban development; Aboriginal, women and gay rights movements; and anti-war demonstrations. Today, community development activities are more likely to focus on improving services and conditions in communities and advocating for specific groups, such as disability groups.