Civic provided strategic advice and support to a municipal council considering the future of its residential aged care facilities.

Failing to appropriately communicate with aged care residents and their loved-ones, staff and the community had the potential to undermine the sale process and cause significant, long-term reputational damage to council.

The Royal Commission and COVID coinciding with the consideration of a sale added an extra level of complexity – and union and media interest. A transparent approach to communications saw all questions answered and all requests for meetings accepted and reflected the commitment council had made to the community and helped neutralise opposition to council’s plans.

Over the past decade, social cohesion, community resilience and preventing violent extremism have been priorities for governments around the world.

When one of Australia’s largest state governments wanted to develop a campaign to respond to these issues, it turned to Civic. From conception to completion, Civic developed a campaign that brought together research, communications, media, stakeholder and community relations, web, social and digital, events, public relations, TV, radio and print advertising and issues management in to one integrated strategy built around the concepts of belonging and contribution.

Tracking research showed that following campaign implementation, there was a significant increase in the proportion of people who considered the contribution of multiculturalism and diversity. Pleasingly, there had also been a significant increase in respondents indicating they felt a sense of belonging.

Since 2017, Civic has acted as public affairs adviser of record for a major Federal Government owned not-for-profit organisation.

Operating in a contentious area of public policy, the client works with a national stakeholder network that includes all levels of government around Australia.

As an embedded public affairs adviser, Civic has advised on communications, stakeholder engagement and media relations during a period of extraordinary change and growth in the organisation and its work.

Civic provides communications risk management advice on major national communications campaigns and has developed and implemented national stakeholder engagement programs to support multi-million-dollar funding programs.

Working together with the client’s executive and board, Civic provides advice on all aspects of communications, from speechwriting and copywriting, to issues and reputation management, creative campaigns, government and stakeholder engagement and internal communications.

Civic was the driving force behind a national advocacy campaign to secure increased funding for the treatments of one of the nation’s most common life-threatening diseases in the lead-up to the 2019 federal election.

The relentless advocacy of medical practitioners, patient advocates and local communities, supported by Civic, helped secure tens of millions of dollars to build treatment centres in locations across regional Australia.

Following the re-election of the Government, ongoing engagement with communities, doctors and members of parliament continued to help raise awareness of the benefits of therapy and reinforce the essential role it plays.

Australia’s first and only large-scale manufacturer of customised 3D printed medical and healthcare devices was founded in Melbourne in 2016. As an industry first-mover, the company faced the difficulties associated with navigating Australia’s complex regulatory environment.

Civic has provided media relations, industry engagement and regulatory affairs support to the company since its opening, regularly securing speaking engagements at industry events and appearances in industry and national media.

Our strategic engagement and communications advice and guidance helped the company secure regulatory approval for a range of devices, including a 3D-printed swab which was deployed as part of a COVID testing kit.

Civic worked with the owner of a landmark CBD site, for three years to secure approval for its proposal to replace the 60m building with a 130m tower – 100 metres higher than the preferred maximum height for the site.

With approval unlikely to be obtained through a standard planning process, a communications and government relations strategy was developed and implemented to generate support among stakeholders, decision-makers and influencers to best position the project to secure planning approval.

A collaborative design process that would consider the project in its broader strategic context – as opposed to the narrow parameters of the site’s planning controls – was proposed to the council and state government planning department. A Victorian-first, the planning process led to approval of a 130m mixed-use redevelopment being granted for the site by the Minister for Planning with the amendment gazetted in 2021.

When two of Australia’s largest public sector superannuation funds considered a merger, they turned to Civic for communications advice and support.

Civic worked with the funds’ management teams, boards and commercial advisers as they planned to announce the potential merger. Identifying, prioritising and mitigating risks was central to this work.

Creating a shared voice and ensuring all communications aligned with both funds’ brands, values, and protocols was a challenge that required significant consideration.

The impact on staff had the potential to incite union action, negative media coverage and an onslaught of resignations. As such, sensitivity was required. A staff engagement program developed by Civic and fronted by both funds’ CEOs helped prevent these events from occurring.

Ongoing communications with staff and unions as the merger negotiations continued was a priority. So too was the implementation of the communication strategy, ensuring internal and external stakeholders were informed of merger discussions at the right time, and in the right way.

For more than 30 years, the council had been at the forefront of managing rapid population growth. Its road network and limited public transport options were at breaking point, affecting the community’s quality of life and limiting access to jobs, education and services.

With an evidence base that supported the need for road upgrades and a rail extension, Civic was retained to develop an advocacy campaign that called on major parties to commit to major infrastructure projects in the region in advance of the November 2018 state election.

Activated community members showed their support for the campaign to ministers, members of parliament and election candidates online, in person, through the media and at events.

As a result of the campaign, major roadworks were funded in the 2018 Victorian Budget, with commitments to more works announced during the election campaign. The Labor Party, Liberal Nationals and Greens all went to the 2018 election with a commitment to deliver on the council’s ask.

In 2020, Civic was engaged by the prime contractor in a consortium bidding for the design and construction of the largest road transport projects in Victoria’s history. The goal was to strengthen the Milan-based contractor’s brand and reputation in the Victorian market in support of the consortium’s bid.

Civic designed and delivered Building Value for Victoria, a campaign that focused on highlighting the contractor’s commitment to hyper-local content and procurement, corporate social responsibility and workplace safety.

Campaign activity also included media relations, digital and social media, advertising and video and podcast production. Advertising directed people to a purpose-built website that housed campaign content. Media coverage highlighted the contractor’s investment in Victorian infrastructure and the establishment of its Melbourne office.

In October 2021, the Victorian Government awarded the $11.1 billion primary package to the contractor’s consortium.

As the Australian agency of record for the world’s largest defence technology company, Civic provides the full-spectrum of corporate communications support including strategic counsel, media relations and content creation.

Civic supports the client engage with their audiences through the development and ongoing implementation of a sustained, integrated communications programme. The client’s capabilities stretch from undersea to space, supported by a presence in every Australian state and territory, creating a complex stakeholder environment that requires a multifaceted communications approach.

At the forefront of our communications strategies to raise awareness of their innovative all-domain technologies and commitment to supporting Australia’s national interests are the company’s Australian leadership and world-class subject matter experts, as well as their key industry and research partners.