National Landholder + Community Engagement Training - Dubbo 2025

Name: National Landholder + Community Engagement Training - Dubbo 2025
Start: 2025-10-21T14:00:00+1100
End: 2025-10-23T15:30:00+1100
Location: The Exchange Orana - Coworking | Meeting Rooms | Private Offices | Community

Tue, 21 Oct, 2pm - 23 Oct, 3:30pm AEDT

The Exchange Orana - Coworking | Meeting Rooms | Private Offices | Community

Dubbo NSW, Australia

The Energy Charter

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Event description

Discover the power of shared value in the energy transition!

True collaboration and collective action can unlock incredible opportunities—for landholders, communities, and industry alike. At the Landholder + Community Engagement Training, you’ll learn how to put Collaboration in Action into practice, creating shared value and fostering stronger relationships in the Australian energy transition.

Why attend?
Impactful skills program

This isn’t just training—it’s a game-changer. Join Kirsty O’Connell and Dr Richard Parsons, two of Australia’s top experts, for this unmissable Landholder + Community Engagement Training designed to supercharge your skills in stakeholder engagement and land access.

Meet Your Trainers: Experts in Landholder and Community Engagement

🌱 Kirsty O’Connell
As Co-Founder of the Australian National University’s Next Generation Engagement program and its Industry Director, Kirsty brings rare expertise in navigating high-stakes infrastructure projects. With leadership in communication and engagement across more than $20B in complex and often contentious developments, Kirsty is known for her depth in early-stage project planning, meaningful community consultation, and land acquisition strategy. She played a pivotal role in the NSW Government’s landmark 2017 Land Acquisition Reform, serving as the lead trainer for the NSW Centre for Property Acquisitions. Her pragmatic insights and hands-on experience make her a dynamic facilitator and trusted advisor across sectors.

🌍 Dr Richard Parsons
A visionary practitioner and I2S Industry Fellow, Richard specialises in aligning social impact with project delivery. With a passion for improving community wellbeing, Richard bridges research and practice—guiding collaborative initiatives among governments, industries, and stakeholders. He’s the first person globally to be certified in Social Impact Assessment (CEnvP), and led the development and rollout of NSW’s SIA guidelines from 2016 to 2022. With experience across energy, mining, infrastructure, tourism, education, and more, Richard offers a rich, cross-sectoral perspective on engagement, social licence, ethics, and participatory processes. His depth of knowledge ensures participants leave empowered to lead equitable and sustainable outcomes.

🌟 Why you need to be in Dubbo this October:

✅ Social value – Understand what it means, why it matters, and how to identify, communicate, and deliver social benefits that resonate with host communities, including perceived benefit sharing and managing social risks.

✅ Better practice engagement – Discover the trust-building strategies that create strong, lasting relationships with landholders and stakeholders. Apply proven engagement principles that ensure project teams consistently deliver impactful, community-focused outcomes.

This will be highly interactive training using rich scenarios, peer learning and practical examples from the trainers and our industry panel. It's also an opportunity to hear about what's working and opportunities for improvement from community voices.

This is more than training—it’s a chance to step up your expertise, engage meaningfully with communities, and drive positive change.

Learn about what is happening in Australia’s first declared REZ. The Central-West Orana REZ is paving the way for future renewable energy zones, showcasing how collaboration within the energy sector and with community can support thriving regional communities as part of the energy transition.

Who is it for?
Whether you're a land agent, community engagement professional, work in energy distribution, renewable development or transmission infrastructure, this training delivers invaluable insights. Explore better practices in collaboration, empowering partnerships, and fostering dialogue—all essential for navigating social licence responsibilities and driving meaningful change.