8Collaboration and Partnership

8 Collaboration and Partnership

8.1 Agency staff should work collaboratively with stakeholders, including other government entities, grant recipients and grant beneficiaries[58]. It is important to consider the needs and interests of grant recipients and beneficiaries. It should not be assumed that the same approach will suit all grants activities and circumstances. Through effective collaboration, shared understanding of expectations and positive working relationships, government policy outcomes can be achieved.

8.2 Agency staff are encouraged to seek input from potential grant applicants, beneficiaries, relevant industry and community sectors, and other key stakeholders when developing or modifying granting activities. Agency staff, working together with stakeholders, will:

 improve the design and delivery of granting activities;

 help identify and reduce fragmentation and unnecessary overlaps in granting activities;

 improve the responsiveness, flexibility and relevance of granting activities;

 reduce administration and compliance costs for potential applicants and government;

 aid in the development of appropriate outputs, outcomes, impact measures, accountability, governance and grants documentation; and

 encourage potential grant applicants to understand their legal rights and obligations.

8.3 Consultation and co-operation with other stakeholders can help reduce fragmentation and unnecessary overlaps, improving outcomes for grant recipients, beneficiaries, the Commonwealth and other funding organisations. Agency staff should consider what interaction a particular granting activity may have on other government or non-government funded activities, particularly where there are similar policy outcomes.

 Granting activities could be funded by Commonwealth, State or Territory and local government bodies, private trusts and foundations or national or state coordinating organisations.

 Agency staff should develop effective liaison with other funding organisations, particularly where policy responsibility or grants administration is shared between different agencies or levels of government, or where an agency or third party is responsible for the grants administration of another agency.

8.4 Agency staff should choose methods that will promote open, transparent and equitable access to grants.

 Agency staff should ensure that publicly available grant opportunities are notified in ways that provide all potential grant applicants with reasonable opportunity to apply.[59]

 Careful consideration should be given to the use of appropriate and effective promotion, to increase awareness of grant opportunities in key target groups. Appropriate and effective promotion of grant opportunities can include print and broadcast media, news features and editorials, newsletters and direct mail, workshops or other special events, public launches or announcements, the internet, social media and the use of outposted officers.