Community Relations Consulting

Community relations is about maintaining your ‘social licence to operate’. This complex facet of a large-scale project can be successfully navigated with the advice of an experienced, qualified third party.

Graham A Brown & Associates can provide objective advice – either in response to a specific matter or as ongoing counsel – throughout the planning, implementation and completion stages of a project. We advise on matters such as:

• Management systems development
• Evaluating the social impact of your operations
• Creating social policy
• Keeping you up-to-date with regulatory requirements
• Developing social targets and objectives
• Development or review of community relations plans and programs
• Dealing with complaints or mitigating specific issues
• Disseminating of communication regarding your community relations performance
• Demonstrating due diligence in a court of law

Our process

The consulting process largely involves a combination of teleconferencing; worksite visits; communicating with representatives of your organisation, the host community and government; and providing written reports to senior management.

Our consultants work at grassroots level to help organisations sustain relationships with townspeople, near neighbours, graziers, traditional landowners and government agency personnel. Specific matters we have previously advised on include:

• Village resettlement
• Project impacts on water quality and supply
• Project impacts on food supplies
• Culture shifts arising from the amalgamation of host communities and project staff
• Economic issues such as maintenance of income and livelihood for host community members
• Commitments to economic and social infrastructure such as hospitals, roads and schools
• Employment programs
• Technical education and on-the-job training

Our experience

We’ve worked closely with senior management in private enterprise and government departments, advising on all aspects of community relations as well as assisting to mitigate particular issues.

Our advice has proven invaluable to organisations – particularly in industries such as mining and manufacturing – seeking to undertake major project planning or secure project finance.