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RESEARCH ARTICLE (Non peer reviewed)
Contents Vol 52 (Conference Proceedings)

Using social media to navigate land access issues

J. Samuel A and K. Teh-White A
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Futureye.

The APPEA Journal 52(2) 669-669 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ11083
Published: 2012

Abstract

Activist groups and others opposed to drilling operations have used social media with great effect to influence community perceptions of CSG and other mining operations. When faced with the reality of the level of community outrage apparent in social media, many industry executives throw their hands up in despair and conclude they cannot influence the discussion. Others decide that the best approach is to run broad-based advertising and PR campaigns that present only the industry’s case — after all, this approach worked well for the mining industry in opposing the mining tax. Neither of these approaches actually addresses or mitigates the outrage that exists in the community or provides a hope of resolving the underlying issues. This extended abstract presents a staged approach to social media engagement using land access as an exemplar, which builds on more than a decade of risk communications experience and applies this to creating engagement and influence in the social media sphere. The approach has five stages. These stages involve:

  1. Listening — to key issues and influencers;

  2. Understanding — the expectations and outrage factors that emerge;

  3. Following — tracking how the conversations are evolving;

  4. Engaging — starting to participate in the conversations and only then;

  5. Influencing — having built a presence and a community you may start to shape the conversations.

You may not always like what you read and hear in social media, but if you participate in a considered way you will get an accurate picture of community expectations and earn the right to help shape the conversations.

Jeremy Samuel has broad experience in marketing and social media.

He has a strong background in corporate and business development and has advised a wide range of businesses about strategy, branding, marketing, and social media.

He is passionate about the power of social media to create engagement and dialogue.

He helps organisations use social media to build deep links with their communities and key stakeholders to understand how issues and expectations are evolving and to crowd-source key ideas and insights.

Katherine Teh-White’s pioneering social licence to operate methodology and problem-solving approach can make organisations more successful in this current era of fast-changing community expectations. Her approach integrates public policy, public affairs, risk communication, foresight, a strong grounding in change management and an appreciation of science.

Katherine has led projects that have resulted in organisations recovering their regulatory or social licence to operate. She has successfully created a social licence for projects ranging from $40 million to $40 billion dollars eliminating regulatory and political threats through effective planning, engagement, and capacity-building. Having worked on complex outrage issues from climate change to leukaemia clusters and uranium mining, she has developed strategies that enable the issues to be resolved with company, government, and community support. She has also guided organisations on how to navigate new policy environments such as corporate responsibility, business and human rights, the impact of air emissions on health, climate change, transparency, and accountability.

With an established track record of highly successful solutions for corporations, communities, and governments alike, Katherine is a proven agent of change who benefits her clients and the affiliated stakeholders of the organisations she assists. The sectors that she has worked in include minerals and manufacturing, natural resources, energy, banking, telecommunications, and media. Clients include: Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, OneSteel, Boral, and the Australian Banking Association.

Prior to being a consultant, Katherine was public policy and government relations project manager for WMC Resources (formerly known as Western Mining Corporation) and community issues adviser for North Limited (formerly known as North Broken Hill Peko). During her time as an executive in resource development she worked on a series of industry-wide initiatives such as the development of a minerals industry code for environmental management as well as input into the development of the EPBC Act, NEPM for air quality and the Basel Convention. She also either ran the public affairs for major projects or reviewed the socio-political risks. Other functions included: reputation turnarounds, annual report, sponsorships, lobbying, and communications.

She started her career as a journalist at ‘The Age’ newspaper as an 18-year-old cadet. She spent most of her reporting career in business journalism including a stint at ‘The Australian’ newspaper. Highlights of her career include: Tiananmen Square massacre, Bougainville, Woody Allen, Michael Caine, and Luc Besson.

Katherine is the chairman of the Academic Advisory Board for the Bachelor of International Studies in the Arts Faculty of Deakin University. She is the former chairman of the project approval sub-committee of the Earth Resources Development Council advising the Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources. She has been a director on a series of boards including: environmental purchasing specialists, Eco-Buy, independent private school, Ruyton Girls’ School, public school centre, Alpine School for Leadership, and women’s enterprise-development, Business Matrix.