Deliberative engagement, sometimes referred to as deliberative democracy, puts customers and community members at the core of the decision-making process. At Tingwall, we design and deliver structured engagement programs that prioritise informed discussion and reasoned debate among representative groups of customers and/or community members. 

What we do

We design and facilitate deliberative processes that help utilities, government, and other organisations comply with regulatory obligations and embed community perspectives into decision-making. Our processes foster trust and collaboration between the decision-maker and the community, ensuring that all voices are heard and valued.

Our regulatory knowledge and our deliberative capability are both necessary for the tasks of addressing bias, maximising accessibility, investing in the community, and producing results that withstand the scrutiny of regulators, the media, and the public.

Our services include:

• Price submissions: End-to-end engagement that satisfies regulators and helps utilities forge deeper relationships with their customers. 

• Customer/community panels: Recruiting and facilitating representative groups that provide deep insight into values, priorities, and trade-offs. 

• Council plans and strategies: Supporting local government to meet legislated requirements through inclusive and credible deliberation. 

• Internal engagement: Facilitating workshops that unpack deliberative findings, helping executives, councillors, and decision-makers to shape plans and strategies with confidence. 

• Engagement evaluation: Helping organisations to measure effectiveness and continuously improve. 

• Stakeholder engagement: Ensuring planning and infrastructure projects incorporate stakeholder concerns and aspirations. 

• Integration with quantitative research: Combining deliberative insights with survey or modelling data to provide regulators with triangulated evidence. 

• Inclusive and accessible design: Structuring engagement so that every voice is heard, and participants are supported to contribute confidently. 

Our team of engagement experts includes strategic designers, IAP2-accredited facilitators, and sector specialists who understand regulatory frameworks and the expectations of oversight bodies.

Who it’s for

Deliberative engagement is becoming more widespread in local governments, utilities and other natural monopoly service providers in Australia. We partner with water corporations and local governments to inform their price submissions and key strategic documents including council, financial and asset plans.