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OUTCOMES
- 1Establish a world-first ethical framework for blue economy operations, setting global standards for responsible ocean development and providing industry with clear guidelines for sustainable practices.
- 2Advance Indigenous engagement and Sea Country stewardship models, ensuring cultural values and traditional knowledge are integrated into ocean governance and blue economy developments.
- 3Influence major regulatory reforms for Australia’s ocean estate, including streamlined approval processes, integrated planning frameworks, and adaptive management approaches that support innovation while protecting marine environments.
- 4Build social licence for offshore industries through comprehensive stakeholder engagement, community consultation frameworks, and transparent decision-making processes that address public concerns and build trust.
- 5Enhance governance productivity through integrated digital platforms, coordinated inter-agency and inter-jurisdictional assessment tools, and pathways that reduce regulatory burden, eliminate duplication, and accelerate time to market for sustainable blue economy developments.
Our efforts under Impact Pillar 5 will contribute to the following Sustainable Development Goals:
CASE STUDY
SOCIAL LISTENING & ETHICAL DILEMMAS: STAKEHOLDER ATTITUDES TO OFFSHORE WIND
Australia’s offshore wind projects face polarised local opposition, highlighting the challenge of building social licence without reducing diverse perspectives to ‘for or against.’ Legitimacy requires more than one-way consultation; it demands genuine engagement with the ethical complexity of stakeholder concerns.
The research team designed an experiment using social listening to map the diversity of community perspectives on offshore wind. The aim was not to persuade communities to accept projects, but to understand the plurality of values shaping local responses and test whether differences could be navigated toward areas of consensus.
Through analysis of social media and submissions, we developed eight personas: Community Guardian, Environmental Sceptic, Eco-Advocate, Pragmatic Optimist, Economic Realist, Energy Visionary, Ocean Enthusiast and Cultural Steward. These personas distilled recurring values and concerns. In workshops, participants ‘stepped into’ different personas, which encouraged empathy, reduced defensiveness, and revealed overlaps and tensions.
