These are some of our favourite projects that we’ve been involved in, either as a consultant or as a staff member in local government. Get in touch if you’d like to know more.

Emily has designed and delivered five Community Advisory Panel (CAP) deliberations with the engagement team from Moonee Valley City Council, ranging from 2.5  to 4.5 days for each of the 40-member panels. Each topic has used a number of engaging methods to draw out knowledge and thinking from the Panel, including small group conversations, homework bingo cards, a bus tour, lego and craft materials for building communities, specially-prepared reports and expert guest speakers. Emily supports the panels to develop their recommendations in response to the remit each time, which are based on panel discussions on the information provided, their own experiences and those of others in the community.

Emily co-facilitates the sessions with a Moonee Valley staff member, each playing multiple roles in delivery, observing group dynamics, assisting with questions and preparing for the next activity to provide a seamless experience for participants.

• MV2040 Priority Outcomes – February 2025

• MV2040 Community Vision Statement Review – November 2024

• Housing in Moonee Valley – April - May 2024

• Customer Service Charter – November 2023

• Biodiversity in Open Spaces – May - June 2023

Emily designed and facilitated a 3.5 day, 20-member community panel in partnership with consultant Jacinta Cubis, on behalf of Monash City Council. The deliberative panel responded to the remit ‘Our vision is for Monash to be the most liveable city in Victoria. Thinking about Monash in 2034, what does Council need to prioritise to work towards this?’

Using engaging presentations, community engagement reports and many conversations, the panel were able to identify priorities, record their reasoning for the importance of each, and come to agreement in their recommendations to Council.

Emily designed and delivered this 3.5 day deliberative community taskforce with the team from Moonee Valley City Council. Over several weeks, the 45-member taskforce responded to the question ‘How should Council reduce community carbon emissions?’ after exploring a number of challenges and ideas. Emily supported the group to develop a list of recommendations that had the support of at least 80% of the Taskforce.

Support and advice was provided to the staff for logistics, to develop the handbook and information pack, select and brief guest speakers and respond to information requests.

Emily co-facilitated the sessions with a Moonee Valley staff member, each playing multiple roles in delivery, observing group dynamics, assisting with questions and preparing for the next activity to provide a seamless experience for participants.

Video: https://mvcc.vic.gov.au/thats-a-wrap-community-emissions-taskforce/

The Vibrant Brunswick project looked at ways that the planning scheme can support growth in businesses and employment in the Brunswick Activity Centre so that the community’s aspirations for local jobs, services, entertainment and shopping can be met into the future.

Emily, in partnership with Wayfarer Consulting, developed and delivered a community engagement program across three years and three phases of engagement, to support a review of the Brunswick Activity Centre structure plan and planning controls, from visioning and connection with the area to understanding and engaging with planning requirements and their impacts. Engagement included design of the online engagement presence, online survey design and analysis at each stage, translating planning language to lay person understanding, a community workshop with 20 key community members and analysis of written submissions and reports at each stage of engagement.

Merri-bek City Council’s Climate Risk Strategy aims to prepare Merri-bek for hotter and more extreme weather into the future. As the draft strategy was developed using community engagement from a variety of previous council projects, council required a robust and considered approach to the draft strategy engagement to ensure community members did not feel as though it was developed without their input or as though they were deliberately excluded from the process.

Emily provided a full community engagement service for the draft Climate Risk Strategy, including strategic engagement advice, simplifying the language used to make it more accessible for the community to understand without losing its meaning and impact, online engagement design, survey development and analysis of results, design and delivery of community stakeholder meetings both online and in person and an engagement outcomes report with recommendations.

Yarra Ranges Partnership Program offers funds over a four-year period to community groups, organisations and service providers to deliver projects and programs which facilitate positive social change and celebrate the diversity and cultural uniqueness of the region. 

Emily provided a half-day online workshop to explore, in depth, several underpinning elements of the Partnerships Program with key partners who represented a variety of funding streams in the program. The workshop used individual reflection, small group discussions and sharing in plenary to explore roles, evaluation, celebration, and flexibility. Emily also provided an outcomes report with recommendations. 

Emily designed and delivered the deliberative community panel process for the Hume Community Vision, including advice to council staff on preparatory material, invitations and protocols. Over four all-day sessions online, Emily facilitated a group of 40 community members to have a number of conversations that led to the group writing the Community Vision for the Hume community together. This diverse group were supported to build relationships with one another, have open, honest and respectful conversations and to work together for a common goal. 

The Panel’s challenge to respond to was : What is the vision for Hume in the future, and what do we need to prioritise to achieve this?

They produced a draft community vision and recommendations for the major themes and strategic objectives to support the Vision and Council Plan, supported by at least 80% of the Panel.

Emily worked in partnership with Wayfarer Consulting to help Moonee Valley City Council improve their relationship with local sports clubs. Emily designed and delivered an engagement program including two rounds of online workshops and an online survey to gather feedback from clubs, build understanding of challenges from both Council and club perspectives and help participants develop actions to improve relationships between Council and local sporting clubs.

Before consultancy life, as Nillumbik Council’s Community Engagement Advisor Emily designed and facilitated a program of community engagement activities for the high profile, politically sensitive and controversial Green Wedge Management Plan.

The key task of a Green Wedge Management Plan is to articulate the type, scale and form of change in the green wedge area and how those changes will be managed and facilitated. Topics that were explored include agriculture, biodiversity, bushfire management, economic development and sustainability, landscape and open space, rural living, population and demographics, settlements, local infrastructure, diverse communities, social and community needs, recreation and cultural heritage.

The engagement strategy saw over 2,000 residents participate and included stakeholder and community workshops, a survey (both online and hard-copy), coffee and chat drop in sessions, an art project and a deliberative community panel.