Relevance

This project demonstrates the Agency’s ability to manage high-level projects with many stakeholders. It also demonstrates an ability to work collaboratively with established teams and to provide marketing communications services within a highly regulated environment.

Background

The Primary Agency was engaged by DSE to assist in managing the communications requirements for the public phase of the Green Paper/White Paper water policy review. (This required close collaboration with the DSE Communications Team).

This paper represented a generational opportunity for the Victorian Government to address an extensive range of water related issues. These issues impacted on urban, rural and agricultural communities as well as incorporating other national water issues, eg. Living Murray. The results from the Green Paper/White Paper process would form the basis of significant Government policy and legislative responses that would impact Victoria for several decades.

Previous experience in large-scale community consultation projects meant that the Agency was well positioned to provide large scale, comprehensive communications and project management services.

These services included:

• Assisting in developing a comprehensive communications plan for the Green Paper/White Paper process that included defining key messages, tactics and logistics for all identified stakeholders

• Providing design and production facilities for all campaign materials including media advertising, launch, Green paper/White Paper hardcopy and meeting materials
• Project managing the communications component which includes almost two dozen public forums and a similar number of private meetings
• Facilitating meetings between key Government people and rural industry gatekeepers for key agricultural industries
• Providing advice on the evaluation and grading of submissions received as part of the public consultation phase and
• Implementing an issues management strategy to monitor the consultation process and ensure that developing issues were detected early and managed appropriately

Outputs

• 13,000 copies of the Green Paper for public consultation purposes. The publication totalled over 150 pages which included 80 plus policy options.
• 5,000 copies of a water technical paper to support the green paper
• Media advertising for public forums
• Issues management framework updated progressively throughout the campaign
• The writing and dispatch of several media releases to a range of media outlets
• Management of the media launch with the Premier and Water Minister

• The provision of feedback forms for public consultation (web, hardcopy and email)
• Production of a briefing kit distributed to a variety of stakeholders; and
• Evaluation framework for reviewing feedback received as part of the consultation
• Production and promotional support of the ensuing White Paper including fact sheets, presentation folders, advertising and banners.

The Victorian Government’s Subsequent White Paper sets out 110 initiatives to secure Victoria’s future water supply for homes, farms, environment and industry.

The Primary Agency designed and produced a large-scale communication suite, including a large-scale print advertising campaign, and a kit comprising the policy document, brochure, and 15 fact sheets in support of the release of the white paper.

Outcomes

• Major water policy reform across Victoria
• The Primary Agency, through its management of this project, played a key role in providing extensive community input into the Green and White Paper process leading to significant policy changes for the way Government manages water in Victoria.