Australian Public Sector Leadership Summit Stakeholder engagement – managing and meeting diverse expectations 16 April 2015

Responsibilities and functions of the NTC: Develop uniform or nationally consistent regulatory and operational arrangements for road, rail and intermodal transport Develop road use charging principles for heavy vehicles and reforms based on these principles Monitor implementation of agreed national reforms and regularly report to the Council Maintain and review agreed reforms. This includes proposing amendments to relevant model and national legislation when necessary. Fulfil any other responsibilities and functions determined by the Council.

NTC - the external environment Many different stakeholders Following best practice policy development or legislative reform processes do not guarantee success Balancing variable stakeholder expectations is a challenge Effective stakeholder engagement is essential to achieving consensus amongst the key government decision makers Many non-government stakeholders are highly skilled and influential lobbyists

Scope What does effective stakeholder engagement look like? Hurdles to effective stakeholder engagement Strategies for success Managing and meeting diverse expectations

What Does Good Stakeholder Engagement Look Like?

Key elements of effective stakeholder engagement Involve the right people Use a ‘fit for purpose’ approach Manage expectations Use the information

Involve the Right People Categorize your Stakeholders in terms of importance/influence Be clear about who your organisation wants to target, engage and why Continually review key stakeholder profiles and provide updates on the health of stakeholder relationships

NTC Tier One Stakeholders Government Departments, agencies and their ministers with responsibility for transport and logistics related policy, legislation and compliance & enforcement National Regulators (NHVR and ONRSR) Industry Associations or Organizations such as ATA, ALRTA, NRTA, ALC, BIC, RISSB, ARTC, ARA ANZPAA TCA Austroads

Use a Fit for Purpose Approach Engagement must be tailored for each stakeholder Can include: routine information sharing issue/project based discussion trust building activities Review and evaluate engagement approaches regularly formal (annual or bi-annual) regular “pulse checks” (monthly or quarterly) Address any concerns proactively

Manage Expectations Stakeholders expectations can be highly variable Do not assume all stakeholders understand issues of process or how their input will be used. Be clear about: the purpose of engagement the role of participants how their input will be used

Use the information Not just about information collection How you respond to information provided will be critical if you are to avoid cynicism and/or a loss of trust Sharing information collected with others across your organisation

Hurdles to effective stakeholder engagement Unclear purpose Differing capability of stakeholders Insufficient skills in the implementation team Unfocussed dialogue Failure to review and evaluate

Strategies for successful stakeholder engagement Map your stakeholders Plan the engagement Use a mixed approach to engagement Learn from others

Managing and meeting diverse expectations Explore key stakeholders through various lenses through which a problem and a potential solution set are viewed Be clear about how varying stakeholder’s input will be used and the degree of influence their input will have Ensure key decision makers are aware of other stakeholders’ views and expectations Treat all stakeholders in an open, transparent and inclusive manner

Conclusion