28 recommendations. One message: Engagement practice across the Victorian Government sector isn't consistently good enough. The findings are not suprising - and we think, on balance, they are are fair. A framework already existed - it wasn't applied. So what will make things different this time? We’re exploring what this might mean in reality, what it would take to see a shift, and how the broader landscape across other sectors and states is shifting.
As we wrap up 2025, we’ve been thinking about the people we’ve had the privilege of working with and the conversations we’ve been honoured to support over the last twelve months. We’re also looking forward, and we expect to see continual shifts in engagement practice in 2026. From AI becoming BAU for enabling more effective conversations to new ways to increase representativeness, shifts are underway. In this post, we share our standout stats for 2025, and a video previewing three of the big trends we think organisations should be thinking about for their engagement programs in the new year.
Improving access to primary health care for multicultural communities was the focus of the North West Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) community panel. Supported by an innovative AI tool, the panel developed practical recommendations and funding ideas for NWMPHN’s federal submission. This process highlighted the importance of genuine community involvement and continues to inform NWMPHN’s place-based health initiatives, showing that addressing barriers to care requires more than policy.
MosaicLab and Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation co-designed a Code of Conduct training that brought values to life. Over a day and a half, staff explored ethics and workplace behaviour through real-life scenarios, cultural storytelling, and hands-on activities - then shaped the Code in their own words, images, and symbols. The process built clarity, connection, and confidence - and ensured the team has a Code that’s lived, not just learned.
We don’t just facilitate conversations - we design them with purpose, strategy, and care. In under three minutes, our new video lifts the lid on what really happens behind the scenes at MosaicLab. It’s not just about what we do, but how and why we do it - and what makes our work different. Come take a look - this time, we’re the story.
The United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) recently ran a leadership learning session on environmental governance to provide policymakers with a better understanding of policy-making approaches to deal with the challenges of sustainable development. Our Managing Director, Nicole Hunter, spoke at the session.
As Victorian local councils face a local government election on October 24th and the induction of a new Council they are also implementing a new Local Government Act. Amongst the myriad of changes in the 2020 Act are new provisions for community engagement. This is a major step change in seeking to put communities at the centre of local government decision making.
Many councils would be wondering what they need to do meet these requirements, particularly the one about deliberative practices.
In recent months, we delivered a series of internal engagement programs for Monash City Council, Greater Shepparton City Council and Melton City Council to help build the momentum for engagement internally. Councils have been working on Community Engagement Policies, Council Plans, Frameworks and capacity building programs and have seen the value of engaging a diverse range of staff in this work.
In this blog, some of our council colleagues and facilitators provide their learnings from the internal engagement processes.
To help local councils in Victoria navigate the deliberative engagement requirements in the new Local Government Act, MosaicLab has launched a free, short guide.
This e-book is specifically for local government staff and decision makers, and aims to provide assistance and information to help councils better understand deliberative engagement, its principles and how it can be implemented into council processes to meet the new requirements of the Act.
Looking to up-skill your team or build internal community engagement capacity? Searching for an online option during the COVID-19 pandemic? We might be able to help.
We’re excited to announce that our recently relaunched, interactive training modules can be mixed + matched, so you can build the perfect training experience for your team or group. PLUS almost all are available online and can be delivered to remotely based participants.
Many of the engagement processes MosaicLab delivers are built around big, complex or strategic issues or decisions. These processes can result in outcomes that affect large cohorts of staff across an organisation.
Not only will some of these staff be required to implement the decision, but involving and informing them from the start of the process will contribute to the overall success of your project.
We wanted to delve deeper into this topic, so we sat down with two internal communication and change specialists with backgrounds in the public sector. They’ve shared easy-to-implement internal communications tips and ideas that you could apply to any big project, engagement process or change.
The United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) has appointed the newDemocracy Foundation to undertake a pioneer project centred around doing democracy differently. It’s an announcement that has us excited. Today we’re shining a spotlight on this project, which has potential to inspire democratic change and the adaption of deliberative engagement principles across the globe.
newDemocracy’s Executive Director Iain Walker provided us with some insights into what we can expect from what is shaping up to be an innovative and impactful project.
A new Local Government Act is on the way in Victoria, with submissions on the the Exposure Draft of the Local Government Bill to close this Friday. The draft signals some changes to expectations around community engagement - a shift that is set to impact how councils engage in a number of ways.
In this post, we're summarising the key changes proposed in relation to engagement and highlighting what this might mean for councils and how they engage in the future.
As 2017 draws to a close, we've rounded up some interesting people who work in the world of public participation, community engagement and deliberative democracy. Our interviewees, who hail from as far as the UK and New Zealand, have shared their reflections on the year that was 2017, and their hopes and predictions for what might be in 2018.
From a researcher to facilitator and digital engagement expert to local government employee - these interviews offer a diverse collection of perspectives and ideas.
Thank you to the six individuals who have taken the time to share their candid, insightful and inspiring thoughts. Here's to a 2018 that shines bright for the engagement and deliberative democracy space.
