Fostering real connections

We are leaders in communication and engagement services, designing and delivering innovative approaches across a range of sectors. We have extensive experience working with communities and stakeholders in contested and sensitive areas.

We offer the following expertise:

  • Community and market insights
  • Innovative community engagement
  • Stakeholder analysis and engagement
  • Media relations
  • Copywriting
  • Indigenous engagement

Recent work in engagement and communications

Community values engagement

Port of Newcastle

The Port of Newcastle is the world’s largest coal port. As the world moves towards a low carbon future, the Port is developing a diversification strategy to reposition the organisation’s commercial orientation. A priority for the Port is ensuring the values and vision of the community are reflected in the Port’s plans.

The Institute was commissioned to design and implement a community engagement process. This brought together a diverse group of community members including First Nations representatives. The team encouraged them to think outside the square. Their input informs the development of a vision and strategy.

Engagement on building community resilience

Bellingen Shire Council

Increasingly, governments, industry and communities  are looking for ways to enable, empower and support resilience.

Bellingen Shire Council engaged the team to ascertain views about locally-led ways to strengthen community resilience.  The team used a deliberative panel approach. This method brings together a broadly representative group to ‘deliberate on key initiatives, and provide advice and options for the way forward. The team provided Council with an understanding of the issues related to community resilience for the Shire. They also advised on the community's views on the role of Council and others in building capacity

Review of community engagement practices

Lake Macquarie City Council

Lake Macquarie City Council hosts an extensive community engagement program. The program supports Council to develop and implement initiatives and activities, and ensure it meets its legislative requirements.

The team was commissioned to review Council’s approach to community engagement to ensure optimum design and delivery. The team found that Council’s community engagement overall compared well to others in the sector. To optimise Council’s community engagement, the team made 14 recommendations for improvements across policy, planning, implementation, and review and evaluation.

Community survey

Orica Kooragang Island

Orica Kooragang Island supplies products to the mining and infrastructure, agriculture, water supply, food, dairy and medical sectors.  The facility includes an ammonia plant, three nitric acid plants, two ammonium nitrate plants and a product dispatch facility. Every four years, Orica Kooragang Island surveys Newcastle residents close to its site. The purpose of the survey is to understand perceptions and attitudes towards Orica.

The team was engaged to conduct the 2020 community survey. At the time of the survey, there was heightened interest from the community towards environmental issues. Through a resident’s survey, the team collated and analysed trending information. Orica Kooragang Island used this to support its engagement activities.

Engagement for Hunter Global

Hunter Joint Organisation

An international airport for the Hunter will open 2023 and is projected to generate 4,400 full time jobs and deliver $12.7 billion into the regional economy. With greater access to global markets, the region is poised to capitalise on unprecedented opportunities in freight and tourism.

The team was engaged by the Hunter's 10 local councils through the Hunter Joint Organisation to help ready the region for the opening of the new international airport. The team designed and delivered two major engagement exercises:

  • a round table of industry leaders to determine priorities
  • a summit for the region's government, industry and community stakeholders.

The outcomes of these exercises are supporting councils’ advocacy within and beyond the region.

Hunter identity and positioning strategy

Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation (HCCDC)

The Metropolitan Plan for Greater Newcastle 2036 put forward a vision for Greater Newcastle as Australia’s newest example of an emerging economic and lifestyle city.

To support this aspiration, HCCDC engaged the team to help develop the Hunter’s identity and positioning strategy. The team examined with stakeholders the importance of a whole-of-region identity. They also explored the region’s competitive assets. It also highlighted the barriers to establishing a whole-of-region identity and proposed recommendations to take the initiative forward.