Advocacy, Policy & Government Relations Event Recap
How do you influence policy? How do you work effectively with government? And, how do you ensure your organisation has a voice in critical debates? This is a vital part of work in the Aid, Development & Humanitarian Sector and one that attracts much interest.
Our October events focused on learning more about working in Advocacy, Policy and Government Relations with speakers sharing their experience and knowledge and answering questions about working in this sector.
Events were held in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra with people joining us ONLINE as well. We are grateful to the incredible speakers in each city who were really helpful in answering attendees questions about working in advocacy, policy and government relations. Here is a recap from each city. Don’t worry if you missed it, you can also watch recordings of each event below!
Melbourne
For the final event block of 2024, Melbourne again led the way on the first Tuesday in October, hosting a ‘full house’ in the open lounge space at the OXFAM offices in West Melbourne.
Close to 30 people joined WiAD volunteers and two wonderful guest speakers, to explore the discussion topic of ‘Advocacy, Policy and Government Relations’, and spend the evening indulging in some eating, drinking, and the ever-enjoyable networking opportunities which emerge from like-minded people gathering in a relaxed, almost social setting, enabling exchanges of ideas, information and new contacts, with both speakers happily engaging amid various groups on this night.
Bridi Rice and Jennifer Peake were the invited guest speakers, bringing a wide range of both experience and expertise, as well as being able to approach the topic from different perspectives, with one leading the work on policy development co-operation and engagement, through the auspices of a well-regarded Australian think-tank, while the other is heavily focused and engaged in advocacy work.
A great night, arguably Melbourne’s best event yet (certainly post Covid), delivering an engaging discussion on the topic, as well as having both speakers unravel their diverse individual career journeys to this point.
Jill Scanlon - Melbourne City Leader
You can watch the full Melbourne event here.
Canberra
The Canberra group caught up for an insightful chat about working in policy, advocacy, and government relations. We were thrilled to hear from Sonia Palmieri, Head of the Pacific Research Program at ANU, and Lanni Hamblin, Policy and Advocacy Advisor at ACFID. Both shared great insights on the ups and downs of trying to drive change through policy. With 11 attendees, the vibe was relaxed and collaborative, and there were plenty of questions for our fantastic speakers. It was a great opportunity to learn from each other and connect with like-minded folks. Can't wait for the next one!
Emily Moreton - Canberra City Leader
Sydney
Although 'policy' sounds abstract, it's embedded in our lives and in our work, and shapes the parameters of what is possible. Being able to influence policy can contribute to making things better (which is why many of us do this kind of work!)
If we want to influence a specific policy document or decision, we need to know the what (the specific issue or process we're talking about), who (the people we need to reach, building a relationship with them and figuring out what to say) and when (is there a timeframe for a decision, and what are the moments we might be able to reach someone or grab their attention?).
Policy influencing is a co-operative process - working with allies and colleagues. It's also inherently political: you may have an 'opponent' in your struggle to win the battle of ideas, or it may just be a struggle against the status quo.
Michelle Imison - Sydney City Leader
You can watch the full Sydney event here.
Brisbane
There is no better person to provide insights on advocacy, Policy and Government relations than Michaela Sargent, our Speaker who has a 23 year career working in aid and development overseen programs in gender equality, economic development, social inclusion, climate change adaptation, governance, microfinance, education, health, and water sanitation, working across the Pacific, Asia, and Africa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Timor-Leste, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Myanmar, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. and who is now Community Liaison and Campaigns Manager for Greens MP Stephen Bates having been a Greens candidate herself in 2023-2024.
Michaela presented a fascinating insight into the challenges for advocating to governments and the shift in focus needed when government’s change and with it policy, change after structural change in Australian government aid and development administration and the fascinating work of liaising with a local community and working within government to solve problems and take their concerns to government of the day.
I shared about grassroots advocacy at Results Australia which advocates to the Australian government to increase funding for critical vaccination and health program addressing Tuberculosis, polio, HIV/AIDS, and childhood diseases. The work is done at two levels, first the policy experts prepare briefs, statistics, and proposals for government funding and secondly by everyday Australians who are trained and supported to talk to their local MP, visit parliament to meet Mp’s and Senators and to gain media attention with campaign activities in local communities.
Chris Franks - WiAD Chair
You can watch the full Brisbane event here.
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A massive thank you to all of our amazing speakers, all those who attended and of course, our city leaders, who so generously shared their time to ensure that all events were a success.
That is it for our events for 2024. We cannot wait to see you all at our events celebrating International Women’s Day 2025!