Sydney Water: Inclusive Communications Partnership.

Background

Sydney Water partnered with The LOTE Agency to address critical water challenges through a multi-phase, ongoing partnership aimed at fostering trust and engagement with Sydney's diverse communities. This collaboration so far includes two key projects: the Issues Relating to Customer Cultures Report, which provided in-depth cultural insights into water consumption patterns and barriers to sustainable practices across CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) communities, and the ongoing PRW (Purified Recycled Water) Community Engagement Project, designed to build understanding and acceptance of Purified Recycled Water. Together, these projects form a foundation for Sydney Water's inclusive and sustainable community engagement profiling and decision-making.

Our services

• Cultural Insights and Research: Delivered a comprehensive

cultural assessment identifying key CALD communities and their water-related behaviours, barriers, and knowledge gaps.

• Co-Designed Engagement Strategy: Worked with community leaders

and stakeholders to create an inclusive engagement model addressing sensitivities and fostering cultural relevance.

• Community Activations and Workshops: Conducted multilingual

listening sessions, webinars, and interactive activities to engage directly with Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Hindi, and Greek-speaking communities.

• Data Analysis and Reporting: Delivered actionable insights and

recommendations for long-term community engagement and policy improvements.

Impact

The Sydney Water projects have demonstrated significant progress toward fostering culturally inclusive and community-led solutions for water sustainability. Key achievements include:

• Delivering comprehensive research through the \"Issues Relating to

Customer Cultures Report,\" which identified cultural behaviours and barriers to sustainable water practices, enabling Sydney Water to tailor its communications and strategies effectively.

• Establishing an innovative co-designed engagement framework that

incorporates continuous feedback from community leaders, fostering trust and transparency.

• Engaging six key CALD communities---Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese,

Vietnamese, Hindi, and Greek---in targeted, culturally informed activities that address water sustainability and Purified Recycled Water.

Demonstrated experience

• Cultural Research and Insights: Providing actionable data to

inform policy and engagement strategies.

• Co-Design and Collaboration: Partnering with community leaders

to create culturally appropriate engagement approaches.

• Multilingual Communication: Engaging CALD communities with

tailored, linguistically appropriate messaging.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Building trust and long-term

partnerships with community representatives.

Conclusion

The LOTE Agency's collaboration with Sydney Water exemplifies the power of culturally inclusive and community-led engagement. By centring community voices and addressing unique cultural sensitivities, this partnership has laid the groundwork for an informed and sustainable water future for Sydney.