Safety & Wellbeing Steering Committee annual workshops
Alternate energy solutions for aquaculture: A Seafood Industry Australia + Blue Economy CRC Collaboration
This project will provide a wholistic decarbonisation decision platform as the aquaculture industry builds its climate resilience. This will directly continue the work from existing projects (Climate Resilient Wild Catch Fisheries FRDC - Project Number: 2021-089) and offers both a ‘one stop shop’ approach for viable available options, as well as emerging solutions that are forecast.
The key activities are:
1 | Develop an aquaculture emissions operational framework
2 | Undertake a technical readiness assessment - challenge and
advantages, viability and scalability working with micro-project partners
3 | Undertake a suite of early mover pilot projects
4| Develop a Decarbonisation e-decision map
5 | Develop policy and funding reports to inform governance + policy makers + potential investors
6| Develop and deliver supporting outreach & communications assets
We are confident that our funding proposal offers a unique whole of industry pathway for decarbonisation, can leverage from BECRC technical experiences and programs and SIA membership networks, but also importantly take into account opportunities available to accelerate action around company readiness.
Association micro project partners:
PRAWNS BARRAMUNDI
OYSTERS TUNA
KINGFISH ABALONE
SALMON SEAWEED
Early mover pilot project partners + NEW*
Tassal Group
Huon Salmon
Yumbah Aquaculture
Ocean Road
*NEW This project will also accommodate an additional commercial partner looking for ocean energy focused solutions. This pilot will be subcontracted to AOEG through FRDC.
Mapping the aquaculture engagement and aquaculture literacy landscape
Aquaculture is ultimately a complex concept. Presently the aquaculture industry sectors are experiencing challenges to communicating a collective narrative to support and educate external stakeholders and defend its activities when required. This position is due to a range of factors, including the absence of coordinated government outreach programs, policies and platforms (like provided to dairy and other sectors), a lack of stakeholder awareness on industry priorities and contribution to society, and the absence of effective structures to support knowledge sharing and low aquaculture literacy. Furthermore, there has been no platform to bring the industry sectors together for united outreach or to collectively communicate the value proposition of aquaculture and the key messages in a way that resonates, or results in a change of behaviour (trust) with key stakeholders.
While there are many individual voices in the industry with a multitude of state and species-based advocacy organizations, committees and special interest groups, this makes it difficult to lead a coordinated and consistent internal message within the industry, as well as to coordinate responses to issues and topics important to external stakeholders. The impact can mean there are mixed or incoherent messages going to seafood consumers, local community groups living or operating adjacent to farms, supply chain partners, NGO’s, researchers, policy makers, international agencies, and local, state and federal government agencies.
To build a strong and ensuring cross-sectoral communications and outreach program, there is a need to map the internal and external stakeholder landscape and capture current outreach and communications efforts, priorities, message banks, and scale of influence of these groups.
Final report
Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing agrifood areas globally and is key to ensure food security for a growing world population. Australia’s aquaculture industry has a critical role to play in realising this ambition, having surpassed wild catch levels and expected to reached A$2.29B GVP (2022-23). The industry is also poised to expand, drawing on innovation, a highly skilled workforce, research and growing consumer demand. It is also increasingly responsive to global trends, like investor and retailer sustainability expectations, decarbonisation roadmaps, zero harm welfare frameworks, and the increased community and interest group scrutiny on local impact of food systems.
However, communicating the potential of the industry and its products is often challenging, as key stakeholder groups sometimes have limited understanding of Australian aquaculture operations, the industry’s direction, and its benefits. This is compounded by the diversity of the industry and its stakeholders and regulators, and the absence of effective structures to educate and support knowledge sharing. Hence, understanding the current stakeholder and engagement landscape of the Australian aquaculture industry is seen as an essential step in developing effective industry outreach and communication initiatives to build aquaculture literacy across the stakeholder spectrum.
This project was undertaken by Seafood Industry Australia (SIA) with the support of the P2P Business Solutions, an independent consultancy, and the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre (CRC). The project was also supported by a Project Review Group comprised of representatives from across the industry.
As a starting point, desktop research was undertaken to map the current stakeholder and engagement landscape of the Australian aquaculture industry. This provided insight into how organisations in different sectors of the industry from across Australia currently communicate with their stakeholders, who their key stakeholders are, and the main topics being communicated. Initiatives of other international aquaculture sectors and Australian primary industries were also investigated to understand the approaches they have adopted for their industry outreach, communication and engagement programs.
Safety in Seafood - Saving lives through a culture of safety
The primary objective of this program is to measurably improve personal safety culture and outcomes in the Australian Seafood Industry through an industry led behavioural change approach underpinned by a national engagement process. Engagement will occur at all levels of industry to ensure that sustainable culture change is driven through shifts in core beliefs from leadership (top down) as well as grassroots and peer to peer (bottom up). Every person from owner to junior and even volunteers have a responsibility to keep themselves and each other safe. By leveraging and deepening existing relationships at all levels of industry, behaviours at every level will shift as a result of educational, experiential and peer to peer learning and influence.
The application is needed because current and traditional methods of improving safety are not working – people are still dying in our industry. Almost all effort in safety in our industry to date has been compliance driven and from the 'office' down. Compliance based activities, such as safety management systems remain an imperative part of a safe operation, but without the underlying values and behaviours that drive people’s desire to stay safe, to arrive home from work safely, systems and processes become checklists and box ticking. Other Industries and the Stay Afloat program have demonstrated that a culture-based approach to safety behaviour change is the most effective strategy - examples can be seen in high-risk settings such as construction through to linked industry bodies such as the South Australian Research and Development Institute. The Independent Evaluation of the Stay Afloat program indicated the potential strength of the peer-to-peer approach and also endorsed the centralised support and management structure that was utilised. A similar approach is being proposed for this project. Using peer-based education and intervention is key to facilitating and expediting this change.
This program will educate and engage industry members in exploring their beliefs and values and reflecting on how that relates to their work and their safety each day. The significance of the capacity and capability that will be built across our industry cannot be underestimated. The investment in the relationship with AMSA, through to the enormous impact of capacity building in local community over a 4-year period will change the game for our industry. Communities will have confidence that their families and friends will come home safely and that they will enjoy a workplace with vastly lower fears for their safety – physically and psychologically.
The collaborative approach will build capability, knowledge, confidence and resilience through a combination of activities based around minimising risk of incident and also risk of long-term physical and psychological harm.
The project will span 4 years and will be evaluated against a detailed program logic model. A program logic model enables the measurement or evaluation of qualitative and complex human behaviour related projects where quantitative measures may not be useful or achievable in terms of outcomes. The program logic model will measure short term, medium- and long-term indicators of the work being done to achieve outcomes as well as the outcomes themselves. We expect that by the end of Year 2, every industry member body and each of its members will have had initial exposure to the program with a goal of reaching 8,000 people in a meaningful way over the course of the program.
Year 1 – Establish and consolidate industry collaborators, partnerships and steering/advisory groups – set 4-year calendar for consultation and discussion to ensure best practice collaboration and consultation for life of project. Develop terms of reference for Steering Committee to ensure appropriate oversight, governance and contribution to project.
- Establish program logic and project evaluation models which will be core activities
- Finalise project plan ensuring alignments to program logic and evaluation framework
- Establish relevant program policies, guidelines and tools
- Establish program risk register (aligned with the FRDC online risk register) and stakeholder feedback mechanisms.
- Establish program performance and conflict management policy and procedure
Year 1 – Establishment of industry networks made up of two types of influencers
- Peak/industry leaders to act as ‘enablers’ to link us to and encourage forums for conversation, education and consultation. To assist in identification and introductions to grassroots industry members
- Grassroots Safety Advocates – Grass roots in this instance referring to all operational and hands on industry members from supervisors and skippers to deck hands and labourers. These people will be the centre of the peer-to-peer learning, storytelling and ultimately education and influence. They will also be key to the continuing identification of Safety Advocates in industry.
Year 1 – Collect information and extend education tools through online and face-to-face forums
Year 1 – Develop and continually refine a robust communications and extension plan
Year 1 – Launch first industry initiative (eg, Personal E-perb targets)
Year 2 – Full integration of Fish Safe Australia and SeSAFE activities into this program
Year 2 – Expand network of Safety Advocates
Year 2 – Expand and increase uptake of education, storytelling and example sharing
Year 2 – Complete first industry initiative (eg, Personal E-perb targets) and consult with industry on next initiative for greatest impact
Year 2 – Commence promoting short- and medium-term outcomes in early adopting communities
Year 3 – Continue narrative based and other behaviour change activities
Year 3 – Second industry initiative rolled out
Year 4 – Establish methods for continuation of culture of safety activities to be led by industry
Year 4 – Identify the role of potential sponsors for ongoing leadership
Year 4 - Consultation with AMSA and other industry bodies to refine and set strategic safety direction for industry
Industry members from managers to junior staff will influence one-another through narrative, stories and other means to effect behavioural change that reduces risk-taking behaviours - even when no-one is looking. The channels for sharing this narrative and gradual shift in beliefs will be twofold. Firstly, through day-to-day interaction and information sharing that is promoted through the various program elements including the Safety Advocates. These activities will be captured through monthly activity reporting to be designed as part of the program logic and evaluation planning on project kick off. Secondly through the use of the Sensemaker platform which collects narrative and sentiment in a way that also enables users to review the stories and experiences of others. In simple terms industry members will learn from the experience of peers.
As outlined in the project plan, quarterly meetings will be held for the duration of the program to report, review and collaborate with key partners and stakeholders ensuring that the program is maximising reach and impact as well as ensuring that the potential of partners and sponsors to maximise program communications and activities is leveraged. Reporting measures will be finalised with the assistance of expert consultant(s) familiar with program logic design and evaluation.
A robust communications and extension plan will ensure maximum program awareness and uptake of initiatives and training.