Melbourne Water supports the world’s first comprehensive infrastructure and engagement case centre
Participants in the 2017 Next Generation Engagement Pilot Study said the greatest barrier to understanding the value of best practice engagement is the lack of a robust, shared industry evidence base. Now the Australian National University’s Next Generation Engagement Program and Melbourne Water are working with industry to tackle this challenge through the International Infrastructure and Engagement Case Centre.
Program leader, Associate Professor Sara Bice, said:
“In 2017, we worked with the infrastructure sector to identify its most pressing challenges, knowledge gaps and opportunities around engagement, social risk management and social license. We’re thrilled in 2018 to be working with Melbourne Water and other industry partners to bring this research agenda to life.”
“The International Infrastructure and Engagement Case Centre will be the first of its kind and will provide us with the pool of data that will answer many of industry’s most burning questions around the value of engagement, the pricing of social risk and the most effective timings and approaches for engagement to build enduring social license.”
Over the coming 12 months a senior researcher will be embedded with the Melbourne Water Team to develop a prototype case study template and sample cases, using Melbourne Water’s own internal research outcomes as a starting point.
Melbourne Water’s Community Engagement Manager Greg Bain is looking forward to supporting ANU’s Next Generation Engagement team, stating:
“Over the past two years, Melbourne Water has undertaken a transformation to build an engagement culture where community is at the core of our decision making.”
“We are in a great position to be able to work in partnership with Dr Sara Bice and the team to provide data and insights into our community engagement processes which will assist in developing case studies that can be shared with the broader industry.”
With the template complete, the team will then work with industry to populate the case centre with Australian and international case studies. The final phase of work will be to build a portal and associated support programs to maximise uptake of the Case Centre.
Dr Bice said:
“Having the data is one thing, and it is hugely important to many of the other research questions that we want to answer, but the way in which we make this information available to industry and the strategy to maximise industry uptake is every bit as important.”
“We’re looking to deliver a Case Centre that is truly user friendly in helping industry specialists to find the information and best practice examples that are relevant to their needs.”