Public Relations Institute of Australia Golden Target Awards and State Awards for Excellence 2007 Gold Coast Desalination Project Climate Change =

Transcription

1 Public Relations Institute of Australia Golden Target Awards and State Awards for Excellence 2007 Gold Coast Desalination Project

2 Contents 1. Executive summary 1 2. Situation Analysis 2 3. Goals and objectives 4 4. Research 5 5. Target publics 7 6. Communication strategy 8 7. Implementation 9 8. Budget Results Evaluation 13 Appendix A Supporting material 14 A1 Legislation A2 Media clips A3 Community involvement A4 Indicative project materials A5 Gold Coast Desalination Project organisations Appendix B Confidential material 16 B1 - Budget PAGE i

3 1. Executive summary Climate change, drought, population pressures and unparalleled water restrictions converged on the Gold Coast to force the fast-tracking of a desalination plant, originally forecast for completion in the year While Gold Coast City Council (GCCC) understood the requirement for this additional water source, local opposition, environmental agitations, compressed timeframes and insufficient legislative mandates presented tremendous barriers. A significant volume of drinking water was (and still is) required by December The Stakeholder Engagement Team successfully implemented a strategic public affairs campaign designed to engage and assess community perceptions, secure appropriate support and change government legislation within six months. PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 1

4 2. Situation Analysis Climate change and drought forced the fast-tracking of the Gold Coast desalination plant. These compressed timeframes triggered local opposition, environmental agitations and highlighted insufficient legislative mandates to proceed. This created the opportunity for the development and implementation of a communication strategy that would precipitate legislative change and encourage community acceptance of that change. It was calculated that if the dams supplying south east Queensland were not replenished then they would run dry by It was imperative that the desalination plant come on line prior to this event and hence the target date for the commissioning of the plant was, and still is, November By September 2005, Sydney s proposed desalination plant at Kernel was facing intense scrutiny from environmental groups, scientists, the opposition and wider community. Political support for desalination as a bulk water supply option was rapidly diminishing in NSW. Delivery of the Queensland project within the required timeframe was also constrained by the statutory framework that existed in At the time, State legislation required that approvals for this project fall under the Integrated Planning Act 1997 (IPA). The IPA requires a proponent to complete an environmental assessment prior to construction and operation. Typically, this would take nine to 12 months to complete. A 12-month delay was out of the question. To meet this challenge the Alliance explored utilising provisions under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 (SDPWO) (see Appendix A1 Legislation) to expedite the approval process. Amending the SDPWO Act would effectively cut 12 months off the process without sacrificing an environmental assessment. While this strategy was extremely innovative, it presented two particular challenges. First, GCD Alliance the consortium of organisations appointed to deliver the project (see Appendix A5 Gold Coast Desalination Project organisations) would have to facilitate a process with government departments, members of Parliament, and Parliament itself to achieve legislative change. Secondly, the Alliance was faced with the potential negative public backlash experienced in Sydney. PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 2

5 These challenges were met by an effective public relations and communication strategy that ensured stakeholders accepted the water crisis, enabled changes in legislation and assured the community that the project would still meet the statutory environmental guidelines. PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 3

6 3. Goals and objectives The objectives of GCD Alliance s public affairs strategy were to: Achieve the necessary legislative change to enable the desalination plant to be fasttracked; Achieve public acceptance of the necessity for desalination and to amend the necessary legislation; and Assure the public that the community would be consulted and that appropriate environmental management would not be sacrificed. The goals of the Public Relations and Communication strategy were to: Engage the appropriate government departments, Members of Parliament and legislators to facilitate the process of legislative change; and Maintain transparency at all times and seek interaction with the community in the decision making process wherever possible. PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 4

7 4. Research By September 2005, Sydney s proposed desalination plant at Kernel was facing intense scrutiny from environmental groups, scientists, the opposition and wider community. Political support for the bulk water supply option was rapidly diminishing. The Alliance embraced this unique opportunity to understand the political and public catalysts driving the desalination debate. An immediate understanding of both the local political landscape and social environment (both attitudinal and legislative) was required. Analysis of the project s key stakeholders and community groups was undertaken to determine those most likely to influence project communication. Stakeholders ranged from elected representatives and government agencies to active local community organisations and potentially affected local residents. This list was refined throughout implementation and as issues arose. A risk assessment matrix, which considered likelihood and consequences of stakeholder involvement in the engagement process, was applied to determine the level of risk associated with each group. Political attitudes were obtained via face-to-face meetings with local, state and federal elected representatives. The legislative framework (i.e. primarily the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act, Environmental Protection Act, The Local Government Act, the Integrated Planning Act and the Environmental Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act) were rigorously reviewed in partnership with legal counsel. Social acceptance was gauged via a combination of proactive and retrospective quantitative measures and qualitative interpretations of enquiries, submissions and Community Reference Group meetings. Residents were invited to provide feedback on a range of social, technical and environmental factors. Feedback was sought and obtained using a number of feedback mechanisms and then incorporated into the triple bottom line assessment of short-listed options for the project. Research techniques and targets included: Desktop - Sydney Desalination secondary research; Benchmarking Western Australian Desalination Plant; Review of relevant legislation; Briefings with: o Members of Parliament PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 5

8 o Qld Law Reform Commission o Government Departments o Departmental Officers o Legal Counsel o Legal Drafters Surveys; Written submissions from the public; and Quantitative market research. The conclusions drawn from this data identified the elements of the plan that would need to be addressed to effect legislative change. These were: 1. Direct intervention and facilitation of the legislative reform required; 2. Heightened awareness of the water crisis; 3. Deconstruction of the technological myths and environmental concerns associated with desalination. PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 6

9 5. Target publics The target publics were categorised within a legal and social framework. The stakeholders within the legal framework included: Members of Parliament Departmental Officers Legal counsel Statutory bodies Legislators These particular stakeholders were integral to the process of law reform and without whom the amendments to the SDPWO Act would not have occurred. Stakeholders within the social framework included: Gold Coast ratepayers Wider South East Queensland community Environmental Groups Fishing operators Local residents Public opinion had the potential to delay/derail the project. As bulk water supply affected a significant proportion of the population, a broad cross-section of the local and regional community was engaged. PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 7

10 6. Communication strategy A simple four-phase public affairs strategy was devised and implemented to coincide with the 2006 Queensland State election. Communications highlighted the importance of the project to secure the City s next bulk water source and reflected Gold Coast residents level of awareness and support for long-term consultative planning. The four phases were: 1) Gauge public opinion and target key drivers; 2) Facilitation with government; 3) Raise public awareness of water crisis and demystify technology and environment; and 4) Progress legislative changes and continue to position water as a critical issue. Communications highlighted the importance of the project to secure the region s next bulk water source and reflected an increasing level of awareness and support. The strategy was underpinned by a number of guiding principles, including: Positive discrimination towards engagement and stakeholder communication by all areas (Communication, Engineering, Approvals and Management); and Communication must be consistent and coordinated throughout the life of the project. PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 8

11 7. Implementation The project was implemented over a 12-month period (August 2005 to August 2006), with the majority of work within the first three to six months, by: 1. Gauging public opinion and targeting key drivers; 2. Liaising with legal counsel and legislative bodies; 3. Producing media releases about water shortage issues, the technology involved in desalination and environmental mitigation options; and 4. Progressing the relevant legislative changes and continuing to position water shortage as a key issue. PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 9

12 State Government lobbying and liaison facilitated the development of an agreed approvals pathway and strategic positioning program (see process diagram above). The team proposed that the project be awarded authorised works status under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act. The team subsequently submitted an overview of the social and environmental aspects of the project to the State Government. The State then considered, processed and passed the amendments required for such status under the Act. Water shortage concerns were broadcast to ensure prominent media attention in the months leading up to project approval. PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 10

13 8. Budget The total budget for the Gold Coast Desalination Project is $1.2 billion. The budget for the approval and financing component the communication and public affairs strategy was $240,000 (see Appendix B Confidential Information, B1 Budget). PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 11

14 9. Results The Gold Coast Desalination strategic public affairs campaign successfully identified key issues and stakeholders, mapped communication frameworks, heightened awareness of the water crisis, secured appropriate support and changed State legislation to ensure the first large-scale desalination project on Australia s eastern seaboard could proceed (see Appendix A2 Media clips). Based on the level of community support achieved (87%), the capacity of the plant was doubled to 125ML/day, residents supported the closure of a golf driving range, two local sports clubs agreed to be relocated and a number of primary and secondary schools introduced desalination education into their science and social science curriculum (see Appendix A3 Community involvement). In addition to the campaign s successful facilitation of the Queensland Government s decision to proceed with the project in October 2006, the changes in legislation also made it possible for nine other emergency water projects to begin in Queensland. The successful implementation of the public affairs strategy (August 2005 to September 2006), GCD Alliance was assured of a firm foundation on which to build its ongoing community and stakeholder relations program supporting the construction phases of the Gold Coast Desalination Project (see Appendices A3 Community involvement and A4 Indicative project materials). The project is currently on schedule to deliver desalinated water into the regional water supply network by the end of PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 12

15 10. Evaluation The following section lists each of the strategic objectives and how they were met. 1) Achieve the necessary legislative change to enable the desalination plant to be fast-tracked (100% success): Amendments to the SDPWO Act were passed in November 2005 which then allowed the early works construction to commence, while all other environmental assessments and operational approvals were being obtained. These amendments are reflected under Section 100 of the Act. This section allowed the Regulations under the Act to direct a local body (or bodies) to undertake recommended works. Further Section 12C (2) of the SDPWO Regulations specifically directs that all works for the Gold Coast desalination plant to be undertaken. 2) Achieve public acceptance of the necessity for desalination and to amend the necessary legislation (87% success): Survey of gold coast residents demonstrated 87% public acceptance and no objections were raised to the Amendments. 3) Assure the public that the community would be consulted and that environmental issues and concerns would not be sacrificed (81% success): Community Consultative Committee established and SDPWO Amendment effectively cut 12 months off the approval process without sacrificing any environmental considerations. Word count: 1,846 words PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 13

16 Appendix A Supporting material A1 Legislation A2 Media clips A3 Community involvement A4 Indicative project materials A5 Gold Coast Desalination Project organisations PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 14

17 A1 Legislation STATE DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS ORGANISATION ACT SECT Approval of certain works (1) A regulation may direct the local body or local bodies concerned or the other person mentioned in section 99 (an approved person) to undertake the works recommended. (2) If the undertaking of the works concerns more than 1 local body, the regulation may direct (a) that each local body undertake the part of the works stated in the regulation; or (b) that the stated local body undertake the works and that the costs thereof be apportioned among all the local bodies concerned in the shares stated in the regulation. STATE DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS ORGANISATION REGULATION SECT 12C 12C Local bodies directed to undertake particular works Act, s 100 Each of subsections (2) to (5) is a direction for section 100 of the Act. (1) The service provider for the time being mentioned in the Water Regulation 2002, schedule 10B, item 3, must undertake all parts of the south east Queensland (Gold Coast) desalination facility facilitation project works that are not reserved works. (2) Any local body that, under the desalination facility MOU, is to carry out the south east Queensland (Gold Coast) desalination facility construction project works, must undertake all parts of the project works that are not reserved works. (3) The service provider for the time being mentioned in the Water Regulation 2002, schedule 10B, item 4, must undertake all parts of the southern regional water pipeline project works that are not reserved works. (4) The service provider for the time being mentioned in the Water Regulation 2002, schedule 10B, item 10, must undertake all parts of the northern pipeline interconnector project works that are not reserved works. The photographs over the page illustrate the remediation works required on site. PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 15

18 Appendix B Confidential material B1 Budget PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 16

19 B1 Budget The total budget for the Gold Coast Desalination Project is $1.2 billion. The budget for the approval and financing component the communication and public affairs strategy was $240,000 and is outlined below: Line Item Human Resources Senior Communication Advisor Communication Consultant 1 Communication Consultant 2 Administration Support Budget Allocation 20, , , , Production Newsletters & Fact Sheets Media & Advertising 15, , Management Principal Consultant Legal Counsel 34, , Overheads Travel IT Petty Cash 2, , , Total $ 240, The budget was allocated primarily around consultants to undertake the research, design the strategic approach, implement the plan and facilitate the legislative negotiations. PRIA_SKM Award_Public Affairs_2007.doc PAGE 17