Local networks update July 2018
Upcoming Local Network Events
We invite everyone to become involved in the following upcoming local network activities. Save the date now, and watch out for further information coming your way very shortly.
Young professionals are invited to a networking session to discuss community and stakeholder engagement. A panel, made up of engagement practitioners from public and private sectors, will give their thoughts and experiences before we hold a Q&A session.
Have you been looking for inspiration for effective and manageable ways to evaluate your community engagement projects? Come and hear from two speakers with different approaches to evaluation.
The Northern Qld Community Engagement Network welcomes anyone who works in, or is interested in, community and stakeholder engagement and communications. Hear guest speakers every meeting along with an opportunity to discover more about projects, discuss challenges and celebrate success.
We invite you to join us for a relaxed evening of networking with the IAP2 Australasia Board of Directors. Come along to meet both new and experienced community engagement practitioners. This is the ideal opportunity to share your thoughts and discuss ideas around future plans for IAP2 and the Melbourne local network.
Save these dates in your diary now, with more info coming soon on the below events.
- Brisbane Thursday 26 July
- Sydney Wednesday 8 August
Time : 5:30pm – 7:30pm,
Venue : Hosted by Aurecon, 116 Military Road, Neutral Bay
Disclaimer: The local network events are correct at the time of publication. Please be advised that changes to these events may be required without notice.
Past Event Snapshot
Community Engagement in Infrastructure: Delivering Outcomes Across Disciplines
Community Engagement in Infrastructure: Delivering Outcomes Across Disciplines was held on Wednesday 20 June in Sydney.
A collaboration between RPS, IAP2 Australasia and the Next Generation Engagement Project, the event brought representatives from the infrastructure consulting industry together to discuss what community engagement means for the sector, and how discipline leads can work together to incorporate a more well-rounded engagement approach that benefits both projects and communities. Over 130 people attended to listen to six speakers from different disciplines share their perspectives on community engagement, and ask questions from their own experiences.
Industry Panellists
- Commercial: Sam Cook, Director at Infrasol
- Delivery: Fiona Christiansen, Senior Program Manager leading Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2
- Engagement: Rachel Fox, National Discipline Leader, Stakeholder & Community Engagement at RPS
- Legal: Nick Thomas, Partner at Clayton Utz
- Planning: Martin Reason, Executive Director, Infrastructure & Delivery at NSW Department of Planning and Environment
- Policy: Robert Montgomery, Chief Economist and Head of Policy at IPA
Community engagement has grown significantly as a profession over the past decade, and members of the panel were asked to consider the positive contributions this rise in engagement has made in their own disciplines.
Speaking from a legal perspective, Nick Thomas from Clayton Utz explained the importance of social engagement in the assessment process and the two key benefits it offers: a reduction in project timeframes and costs in the assessment and approval process, and a reduction in the legal risk and therefore regulator interference in a project.
Robert Montgomery from IPA noted that community engagement is no longer seen only as a tick-a-box method, but rather a tool that can be used to progress a project and incorporate new and innovative ideas. It allows for the movement away from engagement with only those with strong views, and toward conversations with the broader society. Fiona Christiansen emphasised this point further, highlighting the importance of a balanced approach to community consultation.
Transparency was identified as a key aspect of community engagement, and more specifically ensuring that the community understands where they play a part how they can be involved. Commercial specialist Sam Cook highlighted the need for a continual process of engagement within communities from early on until after the infrastructure delivery. His views were echoed by Martin Reason from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, who also highlighted the necessity of creating a different engagement approach for different stakeholders.
One question put to the panel raised how changing the conversation and dialogue around engagement might stimulate a greater focus on community engagement by the infrastructure industry. RPS Community and Stakeholder Engagement Discipline lead Rachel Fox spoke of the importance of speaking a language that resonates with non-engagement professionals, and of articulating the quantifiable and tangible benefits of community engagement.
Community engagement is a field that has experienced incredible growth over the past decade, and this was reflected in the conversation had this morning between 6 professionals from very different career backgrounds.