Collaborative Consulting Co

Connecting Research, Policy and Practice

What we do

Work with you to deliver

Work with you to deliver

Whether you require independent facilitation or review, specialist capability or additional analytical capacity, we work with you to deliver the outcomes you require. We understand the public sector context, challenges and the implications of ever-increasing community expectations. At Collaborative Consulting Co, we offer expertise in strategy development, public policy, knowledge management and governance design and review, stakeholder and community engagement, program reviews and engaging with diverse and multi-disciplinary stakeholders in complex and dynamic environments.

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Keep public value outcomes front of mind

Keep public value outcomes front of mind

Strengthening community resilience and enabling safer communities are two key outcomes that unite stakeholders from differing organisational cultures and priorities. Clarifying project outcomes up front is critical for clear thoughtful stakeholder engagement that enables the successful implementation of public policy through workable, practicable solutions. Connecting evidence-based research with strong public outcome thinking and with the lived experience of those responsible for its practice is what we do best.

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Engage effectively

Engage effectively

With strong experience delivering national, sector-wide and statewide projects, we are familiar with what it takes to engage closely and collaborate with diverse stakeholders in person as well as remotely. Together we can determine what makes most sense for engaging with your stakeholders, appreciating that organisational cultures, levels of digital literacy and access to technology and bandwidth varies.

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Our thinking

Disaster recovery is personal for each community

While there are common themes of how the 2019-20 bushfires impacted the communities of the Omeo Region, the way the challenges impacted each local area and their capacity to manage those challenges was, and always will be, different. The benefits of agencies enabling a community-led strengths-based approach to preparedness planning with communities are many. Communities are best-placed to know what they need to do and how they need to work with agencies to prepare and respond differently for next time.

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1 min read

Planned burns rather than expensive aircraft will lower the cost of bushfires

The NSW Government committed $38 million to four large air tankers in preparation for one of the state’s most dangerous fire seasons. Available for service this November 2019, the aircraft can unleash 11,300 litres of water or fire retardant in a single flight. The effects of bushfires are devastating, so it’s important to invest in disaster response services. But what if I told you we could save $228 million by investing that $38 million in planned burns?

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2 min read

Public policy and systems thinking

Good public policy reflects learnings and lived-experience, including that of other jurisdictions, and is grounded in evidence. While systems thinking provides the framework for addressing the most complex and continuing challenges that face society, the role of good public policy is to operationalise that systems thinking.

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1 min read

How we work

How we work image
Collaborative Consulting Co is a management consultancy with specialist and experienced capability in the emergency management sector delivering social impact to communities and government at all levels.  

To deliver strongly, Collaborative Consulting Co brings together teams of highly talented, experienced skilled people, who have deep expertise with achieving public value outcomes, applying systems thinking, understand what it means to place community at the centre, and know how to address the contemporary challenges that face public sector organisations.

The ethos of Collaborative Consulting Co requires every project to achieve remarkable results and strengthen community outcomes. Whether it be at the early stages of policy development, providing information for or responding to the recommendations of an inquiry, or conducting a program review, all work builds on evidence and is informed by insights from practice.

Liza Gelt, Principal and founder of Collaborative Consulting Co, ensures all work takes a collaborative approach and is based on co-design principles. An exceptional communicator, sound planner and accomplished facilitator who has a rare ability to bring together and unite a broad range of distinct stakeholder groups to align to a common goal. Thriving in environments that require defining complex problems, developing solutions for multi-faceted issues or using her unique breadth of experience across the sector to balance stakeholder interests with stakeholder demands.

Who we are

Liza Gelt

Principal

Liza is passionate about bringing a diversity of experience and skills to each opportunity or challenge to enable amazing outcomes. She is an exceptional communicator, sound planner and accomplished facilitator who has a rare ability to bring together and unite a broad range of distinct stakeholder groups to align to a common goal. As Principal and founder of Collaborative Consulting Co, she offers expertise in strategic planning, public policy, governance, stakeholder and community engagement.

Rosie Tran

Senior Associate

Rosie is a self-professed policy nerd with deep expertise in policy design and implementation, stakeholder engagement, strategy and legal analysis. Rosie enjoys working with communities, businesses and government to create practical solutions to complex problems. She’s especially passionate about ensuring systems and services are accessible, equitable and culturally appropriate for diverse and vulnerable communities.

Dr Michael Rumsewicz

Strategic Advisor

Dr Michael Rumsewicz has a strong appreciation of the interface between research institutions and fire and land management services, or end-users of the research. Michael's passion is for enabling research utilisation and ensuring that research has a clear path to enables the realisation of research findings through operations.

Phil Harbutt

Strategic Advisor

Phil has deep experience in strategic planning, facilitation, conceptualisation of complex programs, multi-party projects and initiatives, and executive level advice. His sector and work experience spans family and social services, emergency and disaster management, public safety, health and wellbeing, transport and infrastructure, local government and more. Phil is an experienced consultation and engagement practitioner who creates sustainable outcomes for organisations and teams.

Contact us

  • Melbourne Victoria, Australia