INCLUSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE ENGAGEMENT HUB
Inclusive engagement strengthens decisions, builds trust and ensures communities are genuinely heard.
Across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, organisations are being called to engage with communities that are diverse in culture, language, ability, experience and access to information. Designing engagement that is inclusive and accessible is not optional, it is essential to fair decision-making, good governance and stronger community outcomes.
The Engagement Institute is here to support engagement professionals and organisations with the tools, knowledge and practical guidance needed to design engagement that works for everyone.
Explore insights, resources and training to help you build inclusive engagement practices — from planning accessible processes and working respectfully with diverse communities to embedding equity and inclusion into organisational engagement capability.
Toolkits and guidelines
First Nations
Featured insights and articles
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Inclusive Engagement: From Intention to Expectation. Inclusive engagement is moving from good intention to professional expectation, with policy and practice increasingly requiring engagement processes to be deliberately designed to remove barriers and enable meaningful participation.
- New Social Capital Measurement Framework Now Live. A national framework examining how trust, participation and community connection shape social capital and why they matter for stronger decision-making.
- Navigating Debate in the Age of New Hate Speech Laws.Explores how new legislation strengthens protections against vilification and what engagement professionals should consider when facilitating public dialogue.
- New Zealand Tops the 2025 Inclusiveness Index. Explores what New Zealand topping the global Inclusiveness Index reveals about trust, belonging and the conditions that enable meaningful participation in public decision-making.
Presentations
- Participation, Human Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals
- 2018 Conference: Shaky Ground Breakout session
First Nations
- Walking together: a journey of sharing, learning and building trust
- Cross cultural engagement – The Aboriginal males healing centre development
- Engaging with First Nations
Policy and submissions
- Inclusive and Accessible Engagement Policy – This policy supports inclusive, accessible and responsive engagement—enabling safer, more equitable participation for all.
External Links and resources
Guidance and Practice
- ACON – Practical guidance on terminology and respectful communication to support safe and inclusive engagement environments. Trans and gender diverse inclusion language guide.
- Rainbow Health Australia – A suite of evidence-based resources to support inclusive engagement, including language guidance and practice tools. LGBTIQ+ inclusive practice and language resources.
- Victorian Government – Clear, practical guidance for respectful communication in engagement, policy and service delivery contexts. LGBTIQA+ inclusive language guide.
- LGBTI Legal Service – A practical glossary and terminology guide to support respectful, inclusive engagement. LGBTIQ+ inclusive language guide.
- InsideOUT Kōaro – Practical guidance grounded in Aotearoa New Zealand context, supporting inclusive engagement across communities and organisations. Rainbow-inclusive workplaces and communities resources.
- RainbowYOUTH – Insights and tools to support safe, inclusive engagement with LGBTIQ+ young people and reduce barriers to participation. Resources for supporting rainbow young people.
Tools and Frameworks
- Rainbow Health Australia – A structured framework to assess and strengthen organisational capability, governance and inclusive engagement practice. Rainbow Tick: guide to LGBTI-inclusive practice.
- Victorian Government – A comprehensive toolkit with templates, case studies and practical steps to embed inclusive engagement across systems and services. Community health pride: LGBTIQ+ inclusive practice toolkit.
- Rainbow Network – A directory and resource hub connecting practitioners to LGBTIQ+ services, networks and support organisations across Victoria, alongside training and inclusive practice resources. LGBTIQ+ services directory and inclusive practice resources.
Inclusive and Accessible Engagement Toolkit
A practical members-only toolkit to help you plan, design and deliver engagement that is inclusive, accessible and responsive to diverse community needs.
Digital Tools Hub
Explore practical tools and platforms to support effective engagement in complex energy projects.
