With nine deliberative processes currently planned or underway, plus two standing panels in operation, it's a true panel 'palooza' at MosaicLab! We're excited to collaborate with leaders and decision-makers across three Australian states who are committed to addressing complex challenges. And we're honoured to support our diverse participants. Let’s dive into some of the exciting deliberative adventures ahead! Sneak peek incoming...
CASE STUDY: THE TALE OF TWO ENERGY SECTOR CUSTOMER PANELS
How should we plan for the new energy future while providing affordable services that meet changing customer and community needs? Two representative ‘Voice of the Customer’ panels in Queensland answered this question. Randomly selected, everyday customers deliberated and agreed on recommendations that electricity distributors Ergon Energy Network and Energex used to prepare Regulatory Proposals for the Australian Energy Regulator (AER). Delve into a tale of two deliberative customer panels, and gain ideas and insights you can draw on for your next project.
CASE STUDY: Jemena
Jemena Electricity Network has been implementing a comprehensive engagement program for the organisation's 2026-2031 Regulatory Proposal, employing a multi-dimensional approach to allow customers direct influence over proposed future pricing and services. MosaicLab codesigned and lead the facilitation of the process, that included a deliberative panel and brings diverse customer, stakeholder, and industry perspectives into the decision-making process.
CASE STUDY: AUSGRID VOICE OF COMMUNITY PANEL
As part of the development of Ausgrid's 2024-2029 regulatory submission, two randomly selected customer panels deliberated over a collective 10 full days. The panels, facilitated by MosaicLab and Gauge Consulting, considered how Ausgrid should look to the future while remaining fair to customers today. Ausgrid's three-year engagement process allowed customers to influence what Ausgrid spends customers money on, giving them a rare insight and influence over the cost of electricity, an issue that directly impacts the lives of everyday people.
STANDING PANELS: A DIFFERENT FORM OF DELIBERATION
Have you heard about standing panels? They’re a form of deliberative engagement that can be super effective, particularly if you have a lot of different issues and topics you need to engage your community around. They’re also a really cool way of embedding deliberative practice in decision-making. Plus, they’re already happening in Australia. We’ve got the lowdown on what they are, the key considerations in planning for them and some snapshots of the two ongoing standing panels we’re facilitating in the local government realm.
CASE STUDY: TACKLING TOBACCO HARM IN PUBLIC HOUSING
Four language interpreters. Child-minding. Recruitment challenges. Birthday cake and a lot of laughs. These are just some of the unique highlights of our work with Quit Victoria and VicHealth in 2022 on a project to reduce tobacco-related harm in public housing. This case study takes a detailed look at how MosaicLab supported this process with a residents’ panel and sense-making workshops. All to drive improved, long-term outcomes for community and public health.
CASE STUDY: WATER WORKS ACROSS 2021 - 23
The past three years have seen a tremendous amount of water works under the bridge in the deliberative engagement catchment (oh yes, puns galore!). It has provided us with such a great opportunity to design and facilitate a range of interesting processes from community co-designing long-term strategies, through to community deciding pricing and servicing levels across the water industry. Let’s take a closer look.
CASE STUDY: GLEN EIRA CITY COUNCIL ASSET PLAN
In 2022, council worked with MosaicLab to deliver an engagement process to gather community feedback about its assets. The process included a survey and the creation of a citizens’ panel, one of the first we hosted fully face-to-face post-pandemic. Participants enjoyed not only being ‘back in the room’ but also the strong sense of achievement at the end of the process as they saw their recommendations reflected in the final Asset Plan adopted by council.
CASE STUDY: MORNINGTON PENINSULA SHIRE STANDING CITIZENS’ PANEL
#MONTHLYMYTH: ACCESSIBILITY IS EASIER IN-PERSON THAN ONLINE
Making processes accessible for everyone is something we all strive for in the engagement sector. Most people naturally think that this accessibility is most easily achieved in face-to-face sessions where you can see or hear the interpreters. However, in this blog Q&A, we hear directly from two interpreters and two participants about the many accessibility advantages (and some disadvantages) to online workshops that are worth considering.