Workshops
22nd & 25th February 2010

How to better integrate community engagement into policy development Pre-conference Workshop A Monday 22nd February 2010 9.00 am – 4.00 pm
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This workshop focuses on what we are doing well as policy development or community engagement practitioners, and how we can improve processes, tools and techniques to achieve better implementation and enhance policy outcomes.  In this session you will take a participative approach to understanding the opportunities that exist for better engagement, and discuss how to translate this into better project delivery practices around policy development. Examine the many forms community engagement now takes for policy development and identify gaps where greater definition and alignment are required to gain the full benefits within your organisation. You will walk away from this workshop with a context to assist your focus in the two day main conference. Key topics include:

  • Appreciating different views of the link between community engagement and policy development 
  • Sharing ideas on how the two processes can be better aligned 
  • Exploring the use of old and new tools
  • Drafting a framework for how community engagement and policy development processes could work better together
  • Brainstorming the roles and responsibilities of community engagement and policy makers - and the questions that need to be asked of each other to get the best possible outcomes
  • Identifying areas for future knowledge and learning development 
About Your Workshop leader
Mirella Di Genua, Stakeholder Engagement Professional and Facilitator Mirella has extensive experience in federal, state and local government sectors, plus the private and non-government sectors. She is passionate about promoting the value and benefits that effective stakeholder engagement can have in policy development, customer service, project scoping and delivery, product research and development and program evaluation. She has worked across a number of industries including, utilities, infrastructure development, workers compensation, manufacturing, health, children’s services and disabilities sectors. 
Tool selection & innovation in community engagement for policy development Pre-conference Workshop B Thursday 25th February 2010 9.00 am – 4.00 pm
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Have you ever wondered how tools like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and blogs can be effectively integrated into a community engagement process in a way that gives meaningful results? And, how these results can then be fed into the policy making process to create policies that are reflective of the communities they are designed for?  This workshop focuses on the latest initiatives enabling you to increase your reach and integrate new technologies into your community engagement processes. By attending you will take away a clear understanding of new technologies being used in community engagement, how they sit with existing approaches and how their results can be meaningfully analysed and integrated within the policy development processes. Key issues to be addresses include:

  • Interpretation of results for effective and useful integration into policy development
  • Tool selection for your policy development process
  • A critical assessment of the effectiveness of different methodologies for engagement
The interactive format allows participants to share experiences and to work with the session facilitators to design, implement and critique engagement processes including a mix of both traditional and new approaches to community engagement for policy development.

About your Workshop leaders:

Matthew Crozier, Director & Founder,
Bang The Table;

Dr Crispin Butteriss, Director & Founder,
Bang The Table

Matthew and Crispin are the founders of Bang the Table Pty Ltd, a company that hosts and moderates online community engagement for clients in both the public and private sector. In the 18 months since launching their platform they have hosted over 100 consultations in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Both come from a public sector background having worked in the NSW Department of Planning and the NSW Premier’s Department. Prior to founding Bang the Table Matt and Crispin collaborated in Duo Consulting. Matt is also Chair of Compass Housing Services a major regional community housing provider. Crispin is the coordinator for the International Association of Public Participation in Victoria.