Strategy and Engagement

Strategy and Engagement leads strategic integrated communications, protocol, events, sponsorship and regional, community, and international engagement for the Queensland Government.

Strategy and Engagement performs a leadership and coordination role across government to inform the strategic direction of government and lead the government’s externally focused activities. This is achieved through the sharing of insights, targeted communications, research and engagement with the community, businesses and stakeholders.

The Strategy and Engagement Division is comprised of Events and Engagement, Protocol and International Engagement, Strategic Communications, External Relations and Services, and the Office for Regional and Rural Queensland. Its objectives include whole-of-government strategic media management and advertising, delivery of local events and international and regional engagement.

Key achievements for 2019–20

• Enhanced regional stakeholder engagement and delivered on the government's commitment to build strong regional economies and communities, including increasing the government's regional presence and establishing the Office for Rural and Regional Queensland headquartered in Rockhampton.
• Supported the delivery of the Regional Community Forums Initiative and progressed opportunities for the Queensland Government to continue to be responsive to rural and regional Queensland through the development of local action plans.
• Collaborated with key partners to attract globally significant and strategically aligned events to Queensland and lead best practice in event delivery and sponsorship strategy across government by:
• leading the Sponsorship and Events Advisory Group to provide a coordinated approach to assessment and attraction of outgoing sponsorships
• managing strategic and community outcomes through 22 active sponsorships such as INAS Global Games 2019 and MRO (Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul) 2020
• delivering a range of core events programs and delivering additional events supporting emerging priorities in the community including Women on Boards, Queensland Parliament Bushfire Appeal Reception, Mount Isa North West Minerals Summit and International Women’s Day Reception. 
• Celebrated outstanding Queenslanders through delivery of significant award programs, including the:
• 2019 Premier’s Awards for Excellence to recognise the Queensland public service
• 2020 Queensland Australian of the Year Awards on behalf of the National Australia Day Council
• 2020 Queensland Reconciliation Awards to recognise initiatives advancing reconciliation
• 2020 Queensland Greats Awards to recognise long-term achievement and dedication of service to Queensland.
• Leveraged the Year of Outback Tourism Events Program through the delivery of 21 funded events and experiences to drive economic and community benefit.
• Provided protocol advice and coordination of international engagement activities including:
• the Premier’s official overseas visit to Switzerland, the Deputy Premier’s official overseas visit to China and a Parliamentary Delegation official overseas visit to China
• official visits to Queensland and the renewal of three sister-state relationships with Central Java, Indonesia, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, and Shanghai, China
• coordination of eight Heads of Mission visits and 16 courtesy meetings with international officials based in Australia
• 18 official functions for visiting dignitaries, community events and annual functions supporting Queensland’s strong relationships with trading partners such as China, India and Japan.
• Developed best-practice communication approaches and capability development through ongoing leadership of the Heads of Communication Committee and associated specialist sub-committees including Heads of Media Group, Advertising Sub-committee, Social Media Sub-committee, Internal Communications Sub-committee and Crisis Communication Network.
• Achieved greater connectivity and leadership across government by guiding the planning and delivery of whole-of-government communication strategies, including stakeholder and community engagement programs, advertising direction and crisis communication, including the delivery of public information for disasters and critical incidents.
• Maintained whole-of-government strategic arrangements including master media advertising services and media monitoring to deliver strategic advice and value for money services.
• Provided ongoing leadership of the Government Advertising and Communication Committee process to ensure continued rigour around whole-of-government advertising.

Our performance

The following service standards in DPC’s 2019–20 Service Delivery Statement were used by the department and the government to assess overall performance of the Strategy and Engagement service area.

Notes:

1. This service standard informs on overall satisfaction of strategic engagement activities (delivered by Communication Services, Protocol Queensland and Events Coordination business units) and is derived from an annual client survey. Clients are Ministers, Chiefs of Staff, Directors-General and their departments’ Cabinet Legislation and Liaison Officers and senior policy officers.
2. This service standard informs on the overall cost of strategic engagement activities (delivered by Communication Services, Protocol Queensland and Events Coordination business units) as a percentage of the total departmental budget. The 2019–20 Actual is higher than the target due to savings identified in limited life projects across the department reflecting a higher percentage cost for base services provided by the service area relative to the total departmental budget.

Future directions for 2020–21  

• Drive greater connectivity and leadership across government by guiding the planning and delivery of whole-of-government communication strategies, as well as developing and managing advertising and corporate identity policies and procedures.
• Enhance media monitoring capability particularly to support crisis response and recovery.
• Provide leadership across government by delivering guidance and support for crisis communication including issues management and the public information function under the state disaster arrangements.
• Support the department and Director-General with effective communication advice and services, including major campaigns and internal communication.
• Enhance regional stakeholder engagement to deliver on the government's commitment to build strong regional economies and communities, including increasing the government's regional presence and supporting regional forums.
• Enhance the government’s international engagement program by leveraging existing relationships with our sister states and developing new engagements and opportunities, through strategically focused activities in virtual and COVID-19 safe event and engagement formats and working in partnership with other agencies.
• Lead and coordinate the Queensland Government’s Heads of Mission visits program through virtual and COVID-19 safe event and engagement formats to further Queensland’s international reputation.
• Lead and advise best practice in event delivery and sponsorship strategy across government and administer the Events Sponsorship Fund and Year of Outback Tourism Events Program in a COVID-19 environment to drive economic and community benefit through the attraction, leveraging and delivery of high-value events.
• Provide best practice event delivery advice across government in a COVID-19 environment and deliver events on behalf of the Premier to communicate key policies, initiatives and community engagement programs.

Criminal Justice Reform Framework Program Management Office

The Program Management Office (PMO) was established to work with agencies to consolidate and lead implementation of a cross-agency program of work to manage pressures on the Queensland criminal justice system.

This includes a whole-of-government focus on better ways of doing business across all elements of the Queensland criminal justice system. 

The PMO worked closely with criminal justice agencies to consolidate efforts to manage demand and progress cross-agency initiatives that impact on demand pressures. The program of work focused on:

• early intervention to prevent entry of offenders into the system
• effective and efficient operation of the justice system
• pre- and post-sentencing responses to reduce re-entry into the system
• comprehensive culturally informed initiatives to reduce disproportionate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ representation.

Delivery was overseen by a steering committee of Directors-General of central agencies and key criminal justice agencies. The Directors-General Steering Committee was chaired by the Director-General of DPC and provided advice to the government on the delivery of system-wide reform for Queensland’s criminal justice system. The PMO commenced in August 2018 and comprised of staff seconded from the key criminal justice agencies (Department of Justice and Attorney-General, Queensland Police Service, and Queensland Corrective Services). It concluded on 30 June 2020.

Key achievements for 2019–20

• Worked collaboratively across government to address demand pressures impacting on the criminal justice system.
• Focused activity across the spectrum of the system from early intervention/diversion, through to adequate legal representation and court support and a stronger remand/rehabilitation focus.
• Embedded a system-level approach to policy, service delivery and investment across related criminal justice and human service agencies.
• Developed a cross-agency demand model to allow for flows across the criminal justice system to be monitored and reported against.

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