Access I2S’ Reports Library
Food for thought
If we’re to solve the challenges and opportunities posed for community engagement we need perspectives from a wide range of experts. These research publications are living documents, brought to life by the conversations they spark. We aim to challenge current thinking and to look at engagement from different perspectives. We invite you to visit this page regularly and to read these articles with critical curiosity.
2023 Situation Analysis: Infrastructure for Sustainable Futures
Our second Situation Analysis details the six emerging themes I2S’ research shows to be critical to the infrastructure sector’s ability to create and support sustainable futures. The Analysis marks an inflection point in our efforts to propel world-leading social practice for major infrastructure projects. Here, we again highlight the key challenges, opportunities and questions for major infrastructure, from a societal perspective. The provocations this time reflect our deeper insights derived from I2S’ research, our strongly integrated relationships with sector practitioners and industry partners, and a substantially changed infrastructure context, honed by natural disasters, the pandemic, geopolitical unrest and international financial uncertainties.
ANU I2S 2023 Situation Analysis_Infrastructure for Sustainable Futures
Annual Reports
I2S’ 2023 Annual Report: In our third year of operation, I2S’ award-winning efforts continued to grow our domestic partner network while expanding our international influence through research collaborations and advice to multilateral development banks, including the AIIB, World Bank and ADB. Our research and knowledge translation efforts informed infrastructure policy and practice throughout the year in several important areas:
- Contracting and tendering: Evidence-based advice to better integrate community concerns and social risk management into major project design
- Setting standards: Application of I2S’ Infrastructure Engagement Excellence (IEE) Standards Post-Project Self-Assessment Tool to over $10 billion in domestic projects
- Social risk management: Establishment of I2S’ Social Risk Maturity Model and Social Risk Scanner, along with identification of the most common social risk factors for major projects
- Social licence to operate: Capacity building for the renewables sector and continued work with our transport and water partners to model how they earn and maintain a social licence
- Socio-economic inclusion: Research-derived advice to major investors, including MDBs and UBS Investment Bank, on how major infrastructure can improve the ability of all members of a society to participate more safely and equally.
Our 2022 Annual Report details our research and event highlights and provides a helpful introduction to the Institute, our partners and Research Advisory Board member.
Visit our interactive 2021 Annual Report for research highlights, event and webinar videos, publications and more or download our pdf version here: I2S 2021 Annual Report
Research Reports and Presentations
Visit our handy Reports Library for our most recent publications and reports.
The library includes access to:
State of Infrastructure and Engagement Survey: Key Highlights Reports and Deep Dive findings on topics from social risk to digital engagement, project politicisation to cumulative impacts and consultation fatigue. View our full findings of the latest, 6th Annual Survey, here. Or watch the Results Presentation, here. (Zoom: KP7@W3^X )
Australian Perspectives on Infrastrucutre: National and Local Community reports, including the drivers of trust in major infrastructure projects, the connections between project engagement and resilience and social risk and project accpetance.
Infrastructure Engagement Excellence Standards: Access the Standards, indicators and tool kits, alongside data to demonstrate why high quality engagement is essential to project delivery.
Social Risk Management: Check out our Working Paper series which defines social risk for major infrastructure and sets our our Social Risk Maturity Model, demonstrating how best practice social risk management can support sustainable development, social inclusion and social value creation.
Older Reports
Research brief: ANU I2S Cumulative Impacts Research Briefing 2022.
Open Access Journal Article: Next generation engagement: Setting a research agenda for community engagement in Australia’s infrastructure sector by Sara Bice, Kate Neeley and Colette Einfeld.
Our starting point: The Next Generation Engagement Program Situation Analysis
Pilot phase results: The Research Priorities Summary and Full Research Report
Scene setter: Associate Professor Sara Bice, the Crawford School of Public Policy: ‘Australia’s infrastructure future needs planning and people‘.
Expert Commentary Series Edition 1: Melbourne Business School’s Dr Jodi York on ‘Including social outcomes and risk in economic evaluations’.
Expert Commentary Series Edition 2: Dr Kate Raynor, Architecture Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne on ‘Infrastructure planning is political’ .
Expert Commentary Series Edition 3: Dr Dominique Hes, THRIVE Research Hub Director, Melbourne School of Design on ‘Impact of community engagement on sustainability outcomes’.
Expert Commentary Series Edition 4: Professor Dianne Vella-Brodrick, Centre for Positive Psychology, explains how community engagement in infrastructure can foster well-being and resilience