Meet MosaicLab
Nicole Hunter
FUNNY, UNUSUAL, MYSTERIOUS: MOMENTS FROM 2024

As 2024 wraps up, our facilitation team is sharing their standout moments. From mysteriously missing catering and questionable gong skills to a surprise bush trek under the stars, 2024 had its fair share of laughs, twists, and unforgettable memories.

FUNNY, UNUSUAL, MYSTERIOUS: MOMENTS FROM 2024
Case studies
Nicole Hunter
CASE STUDY: CITY OF MELBOURNE AFFORDABLE ...

The City of Melbourne views affordable housing as crucial infrastructure for maintaining a liveable, inclusive, and prosperous city. With a projected shortfall of 23,200 affordable homes by 2036, immediate action is needed to address this long-standing issue. While there is broad community support for affordable housing, acceptance often wanes at the neighbourhood level. To tackle this, a People’s Panel of 39 diverse community members was established to represent local perspectives.

CASE STUDY: CITY OF MELBOURNE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PANEL
Meet MosaicLab
Nicole Hunter
TEAM SPOTLIGHT: POLO, POLLY & GUS

A support facilitator studying psychology, our first team member based in NSW and a brand new participant recruitment coordinator... meet the newest additions to the MosaicLab team: Polo, Polly and Gus! Learn more about this trio of terrific team members and gain some insights into who they REALLY are through their answers to our fast five questions!

TEAM SPOTLIGHT: POLO, POLLY & GUS
Case studies
Nicole Hunter
CASE STUDY: THE TALE OF TWO ENERGY SECTOR ...

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: THE TALE OF TWO ENERGY SECTOR CUSTOMER PANELS
Meet MosaicLab, ML Giving
Nicole Hunter
SUPPORTING CONVERSATIONS WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED ...

We believe in supporting emerging and underserved people and communities to have deeper conversations that lead to stronger democracies. ML Giving is the new name of the not-for-profit part of MosaicLab - a banner for the work we do that gives back. We’re focussing on furthering community inclusion and action beyond just getting input and instead moving into enabling local decision-making. Explore the principles ML Giving will operate under, and the kind of projects and conversations we’re supporting.

SUPPORTING CONVERSATIONS WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED MOST

monthly myth

#MONTHLYMYTH: PLANNING CAN BE DONE IN THE DARK

#MONTHLYMYTH: PLANNING CAN BE DONE IN THE DARK

Are you strategising secretly? A lot of strategic planning gets done in the dark, which causes plenty of prickly problems. One of the biggest issues with this approach is you get a final plan that doesn’t tackle what’s hard, lacks support and possibly ends up sitting on the shelf. We’re here to help you get your next planning process out into the light. There’s lots of ways to get there, and it doesn’t have to be hard. We’ve got tips to help you develop a plan that has more meaning and impact - something everyone can stand behind.

#MONTHLYMYTH: NO CONSEQUENCES FOR CUTTING ASSET PLAN CORNERS

#MONTHLYMYTH: NO CONSEQUENCES FOR CUTTING ASSET PLAN CORNERS

Victorian councils - don't delay your Asset Plan engagement! Thinking you might rush it through after council elections? If so, it could be time to reconsider. Want to meet Local Government Act requirements, build a plan your decision-makers can stand behind and avoid risks? Then it's almost time to start planning your engagement process. This monthly myth explores the risks of cutting corners, ways to make the most of this golden opportunity, a solution for working around council elections and how to determine the right scale for your deliberative engagement process.  

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#MONTHLYMYTH: DELIBERATION IS ONE TIME, ONE GROUP, ONE ISSUE

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#MONTHLYMYTH: DELIBERATION IS ONE TIME, ONE GROUP, ONE ISSUE

We’re seeing plenty of examples of deliberative engagement that involve one randomly selected group working on one issue over a few days together. That approach can be super effective and powerful when done right. There are lots of other exciting possibilities to explore though. Perhaps, an alternative model might be a better fit for your organisation and community or a more effective way to tackle the problem you’re trying to solve.

#MONTHLYMYTH: ENGAGEMENT AND DELIBERATION ARE SIMILAR TO MARKET RESEARCH

#MONTHLYMYTH: ENGAGEMENT AND DELIBERATION ARE SIMILAR TO MARKET RESEARCH

We’re sometimes asked if we provide market research services, or if deliberation is a bit like market research. While both areas involve people and information, they involve them in very different ways. The two concepts differ in terms of intent, design and process. This myth post drills down into the key differences between the two, how they might sometimes intersect and why they’re separate, specialised fields.

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#MONTHLYMYTH: BELIEFS ARE UNCHANGEABLE

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#MONTHLYMYTH: BELIEFS ARE UNCHANGEABLE

Our beliefs are shaped by our reality and impact how we show up in the world. In this #MonthlyMyth, we explore how we develop our beliefs, and have the ability to change them. It also discusses why being aware of your personal beliefs is important in community engagement work.

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#MONTHLYMYTH: DELIBERATION IS FOR THE COUNCILLORS NOT FOR THE PEOPLE!

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#MONTHLYMYTH: DELIBERATION IS FOR THE COUNCILLORS NOT FOR THE PEOPLE!

We often hear councillors and staff saying they don’t need to involve the community in deliberation as it is the role of councillors, or any elected official, to deliberate on an issue and make decisions. It is important to note that deliberative engagement does not supersede or dismiss the role of councillors in making decisions.

In this #MonthlyMyth, we discuss the five main ways that deliberation can help decision-makers and add value, rather than take away their decision-making powers.

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#MONTHLYMYTH: CALL IT DELIBERATION & IT WILL BE

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#MONTHLYMYTH: CALL IT DELIBERATION & IT WILL BE

Deliberative democracy isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ type of deal.  Deliberative processes can come in multiple packages, and deliberative elements can be integrated into a range of different engagement approaches.  However, a truly deliberative process is built around some simple core principles, and it’s risky to call a process ‘deliberation’ if it doesn’t truly hit the mark. 

So, what are the principles of deliberative democracy, and how would we know if a process wasn’t truly deliberative?

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#MONTHLYMYTH: FACILITATORS NEED TO BE CONTENT EXPERTS

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#MONTHLYMYTH: FACILITATORS NEED TO BE CONTENT EXPERTS

Facilitators work across many industries, audiences and topics, and sometimes the issues or information being considered are complex or technical.  We’re often asked how we manage to move across so many broad ranging issues and projects, and whether we need to become ‘experts’ in each topic before we facilitate.

This #MonthlyMyth explores some of the misunderstandings that sit behind this myth, highlights the true role of a facilitator, and uncovers how facilitators really work with information and content.

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#MONTHLYMYTH: DELIBERATION IS ALWAYS THE ANSWER

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#MONTHLYMYTH: DELIBERATION IS ALWAYS THE ANSWER

Deliberation can be refer to either a micro-process (something you can build into part of a session or engagement process) or a full deliberative democracy process (such as a citizens’ jury).   

Deliberative engagement has a lot of potential benefits - these processes can lead to new solutions to challenging problems, improve policy outcomes and engender trust between citizens and decision makers.

So, is deliberation always the right answer/process? The short answer is no.