As we wrap up 2025, we’ve been thinking about the people we’ve had the privilege of working with and the conversations we’ve been honoured to support over the last twelve months. We’re also looking forward, and we expect to see continual shifts in engagement practice in 2026. From AI becoming BAU for enabling more effective conversations to new ways to increase representativeness, shifts are underway. In this post, we share our standout stats for 2025, and a video previewing three of the big trends we think organisations should be thinking about for their engagement programs in the new year.
Improving access to primary health care for multicultural communities was the focus of the North West Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) community panel. Supported by an innovative AI tool, the panel developed practical recommendations and funding ideas for NWMPHN’s federal submission. This process highlighted the importance of genuine community involvement and continues to inform NWMPHN’s place-based health initiatives, showing that addressing barriers to care requires more than policy.
MosaicLab and Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation co-designed a Code of Conduct training that brought values to life. Over a day and a half, staff explored ethics and workplace behaviour through real-life scenarios, cultural storytelling, and hands-on activities - then shaped the Code in their own words, images, and symbols. The process built clarity, connection, and confidence - and ensured the team has a Code that’s lived, not just learned.
We don’t just facilitate conversations - we design them with purpose, strategy, and care. In under three minutes, our new video lifts the lid on what really happens behind the scenes at MosaicLab. It’s not just about what we do, but how and why we do it - and what makes our work different. Come take a look - this time, we’re the story.
Have a challenging issue to tackle but lack the resources for meaningful engagement? ML Giving is MosaicLab’s not-for-profit division and we’re here to help. We support emerging and under-served communities in fostering deeper conversations that drive real change. We believe everyone deserves a voice in shaping their communities. Learn how you can apply to work with us.
Each year through ML Giving, we donate our time and skills to those doing powerful work in their communities. In 2025, we partnered with three groups working tirelessly to make a positive difference. From food relief and local emergency support through to technology for social justice, discover more about these three wonderful organisations, the work they do and the strategic workshops we were honoured to facilitate for them.
To help local councils in Victoria navigate the deliberative engagement requirements in the new Local Government Act, MosaicLab has launched a free, short guide.
This e-book is specifically for local government staff and decision makers, and aims to provide assistance and information to help councils better understand deliberative engagement, its principles and how it can be implemented into council processes to meet the new requirements of the Act.
It takes time, effort and resources to achieve best practice engagement at the best of times. And right now it’s not the best of times. We’re hearing from many that engaging at all (let alone engaging well) is difficult.
Your organisation may be grappling with how to respond to the crisis, facing reduced revenue and budget cuts, responding to increased demand for community support and services, and wondering how to sustain it all long term. Local government bodies are also working to comply with the enhanced engagement requirements set out in the Local Government Act.
So we’ve announced two new service options designed to help you engage robustly, cost-effectively and appropriately.
Take a peek at some of the online training sessions and workshops MosaicLab has been facilitating over the past few weeks. From community bushfire inquiry meetings to online sessions for the development of wildlife plans and internal training courses - we’ve been very busy in the digital space this past month.
Is your team, department or organisation moving from a shared office to a remotely based workforce?
Because this is a difficult time for every team and workplace, we want to support your transition and help your team navigate the change process.
If you work in the public service, you could win one of two free, facilitated online workshops for your team, staff or department. Yep that’s right, there’s two free workshops up for grabs!
Many of the engagement processes MosaicLab delivers are built around big, complex or strategic issues or decisions. These processes can result in outcomes that affect large cohorts of staff across an organisation.
Not only will some of these staff be required to implement the decision, but involving and informing them from the start of the process will contribute to the overall success of your project.
We wanted to delve deeper into this topic, so we sat down with two internal communication and change specialists with backgrounds in the public sector. They’ve shared easy-to-implement internal communications tips and ideas that you could apply to any big project, engagement process or change.
From April-July 2017, 35 randomly selected, everyday citizens came together to help Yarra Valley Water shape future services and prices.
The jury deliberated for more than 40 hours over five days across three months to address the remit, working together together to consider complex options and trade-offs, and challenge both their own assumptions and those of Yarra Valley Water.
In this case study we explore challenges, learnings, insights and more that can be considered when planning for future deliberative engagement processes.
If you’re planning for engagement you need to consider how you engage one of your most critical stakeholder groups – decision makers. Involving them in an appropriate, effective way is a crucial step. We often see employees struggling to successfully navigate this part of their planning journey and, unfortunately, not only can it be tricky, it’s also one of the top reasons engagement processes fall over.
Get it wrong and you face a myriad of potential (unwanted) consequences. From lengthy delays to mid-process back tracking, community outrage to complete project cancellation –not only might your whole process fall over, you could cause irreparable damage to the reputation and relationships you’re attempting to build.
In today’s post, we’re highlighting the most common mistakes made in this space and providing 8 top tips for upping your decision maker engagement game.
In 2017, 27 everyday Barwon Water customers came together to deliberate over what they expect and value most when it comes to water and sewerage services. The group grappled with technical inputs, weighed up complex options, and considered diverse customer needs to determine how to balance prices and services.
The process was underpinned by Barwon Water’s commitment to listen to, respond to and collaborate with its customers. The project had a wide range of positive impacts, and, ultimately, a transformative effect on the organisation and its relationships.
When you think about the word ‘play’, what do you imagine?
We’re going to hazard a guess and assume what you don’t see is a group of adults considering important issues or strategic concepts. That’s because cultural norms suggest that play is more at home in a playground than a boardroom.
In this month’s myth buster, we’re going to ask you to put that limiting belief to one side for a moment. We’re exploring how play can be used to achieve positive outcomes and new possibilities in the professional world. Because, as it turns out, adults (even the suit-wearing ones) and organisations (even the big serious ones) might benefit from a little game now and then.
