Three examples of government and private sector collaboration delivering better environmental and social outcomes

Collaboration between public and private sector organisations is essential for addressing the complex challenges we face today because no single organisation is sufficiently influential or effective enough to drive the level of change and outcomes we need to see.

This post presents three examples of collaboration between government and private sector organisations that drive better social, environmental, and economic outcomes:

• ASIC’s Financial Wellbeing Network, which provides a cross-sector network for improving Australians’ financial wellbeing.
• Port Authority of NSW’s Sustainability Plan, which guides internal staff to engage with external partners and communities when designing and implementing sustainability initiatives.
• Building towards a more sustainable and energy-efficient future, which provides practical tools to increase the uptake of energy-efficient choices when building new homes.

Creating ASIC’s Financial Wellbeing Network

ASIC always recognised that its vision of ‘Australians in control of their financial lives’ was something that could not be achieved alone. ASIC engaged Meld Studios to facilitate a collaborative process with internal ASIC stakeholders plus prospective and existing member organisations to establish a new Financial Wellbeing Network.

This network brings together practitioners, educators, researchers, policy makers, academics and other professionals using a cross-sector platform that supports members to connect, collaborate, share knowledge and discover new evidence-based approaches to improving Australians’ financial wellbeing.

This collaboration resulted in:

• 40% growth in the three months to December 2018 with more than 100 new organisations joining; increasing diversity of members, participation and societal reach.
• A shift in mindset and language from financial ‘capability’ to financial ‘wellbeing’; setting the scene to elevate the connection between financial wellbeing and mental health for greater social impact.
• Investigation of the role of employers in actively supporting the financial wellbeing of their employees. In 2020, this empowered ASIC to be on the front foot in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; collaborating with the mental health sector on the intersection between financial wellbeing and mental health.

Detailed case study: Creating ASIC’s Financial Wellbeing Network

Port Authority of NSW’s Sustainability Plan

International shipping is a major contributor to global warming; and ports are often a source of frustration for local communities. The Port Authority of NSW saw the creation of its Sustainability Plan as an opportunity to shift ways of thinking and working across its organisation; helping to achieve its goal of being a robust and sustainable organisation with a culture that is honest, open, caring and accountable.

Port Authority engaged Meld Studios to design and facilitate an approach to sustainability planning that would get internal and external stakeholders involved, embed sustainability mindsets along the way, and motivate staff to act on the resultant plan.

This collaboration resulted in a Sustainability Plan that includes:

• 44 social, environmental, economic and organisational initiatives.
• An implementation framework to guide operational teams.
• An operating model for continuous planning, monitoring and reporting.

Port Authority's continued commitment to working openly and collaboratively will ensure all staff and stakeholder interests are considered beyond the planning process, right through into the design and implementation of each initiative in the Sustainability Plan.

Detailed case study: Port Authority of NSW’s Sustainability Plan

Building towards a more sustainable and energy-efficient future

Heating and cooling our homes is also a major contributor to global warming. While forward-thinking builders are designing energy-efficient homes to address this problem, they struggle to sell the benefits to homeowners and homebuyers.

We facilitated a collaborative process with builders, homebuyers and a NSW Government environmental organisation to co-design solutions to increase sales of energy-efficient homes.

This collaboration resulted in services and tools that:

• Reduce the life-time environmental footprint of tens of thousands of new homes across NSW by reassuring builders that there’s a market for energy-efficient homes, thereby encouraging them to build more of these homes, and giving builders the confidence and know-how to sell more energy efficient homes.
• Ensure more people benefit from living in an energy-efficient home that naturally stays warmer in winter and cooler in summer, with lots of natural lighting, and with lower long-term running costs, which frees up money for other purposes.

Detailed case study: Building towards a more sustainable and energy-efficient future.

Want to know more?

If you have a challenge that requires stronger collaboration to achieve the outcomes you’re after, connect via alison@meldstudios.com.au for tips on approach.