This modified version of a QSSC 2012 conference presentation removes some images and elements of style that may involve copyright held by third parties. In order to make information more freely available while also reducing risks of copyright offence infringement, Dr John S Cook is now publishing this 15 October 2012 version through the QUT ePrints website under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence. Summarising briefly, you are free to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work: to make derivative works: and to make commercial use of the work 2012 John S Cook This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License.Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License. A suitable form of attribution for this presentation is as follows: John S Cook, ‘Learning how to be responsive to public policy issues affecting SSSI members’, presentation prepared for Queensland Surveying and Spatial Conference 2012, The future of surveying and spatial science is Open: Open collaboration, open data, open standards and open opportunities, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, September 2012, accessible at URL

Learning how to be responsive to public policy issues affecting SSSI members – John S Cook 15 October 2012 Version

INTRODUCTION What is happening? A trial in collective learning to improve the Queensland’s surveying and mapping industry responsiveness to its various challenges. What prompted this action? What are immediate issues? What are longer term issues? What are reasonable expectations of what we could achieve in the next 12 months? Slide 1 of 7 slides

A TRIAL IN COLLECTIVE LEARNING A blog site to complement other efforts at communication within the industryblog site Online access 24/7 to avoid loss of prime-time for geographically dispersed practitioners Aimed at informing - and being informed through feedback - on public policy issues affecting the surveying and mapping industry in Queensland Aimed at providing the best information within short time frames available for decision making Hyperlinking short blog articles of current interest to authoritative background material Slide 2 of 7 slides

WHAT PROMPTED THE ACTION Failure of SSSI’s LinkedIn to allow proper debate on matters affecting land surveyors The clogging of the medium with ill-considered comments that do not leave a positive legacy No archive of things said previously and limited capacity to arrive at understandings and agreements on some issues Inability to support opinions with readily accessible corroborating evidence. Slide 3 of 7 slides

IMMEDIATE ISSUES Difficulties in ‘community engagement’ to reach well-considered understandings, agreements and presentation of defensible policy proposals that are truly representative The immediate invitation for industry bodies to make submissions to Queensland Parliamentary Committee inquiries on matters of land tenure and regulation of land development Slide 4 of 7 slides

LONGER TERM ISSUES The shared nature of sovereignty in Australia Problems in Federal Financial Relations The inadequacy of financial accounting and ‘coming in on budget’ as a means of ensuring performance Significant issues of method and evidence to assess performance and effectiveness – and its role in ensuring continued funding Slide 5 of 7 slides

REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS Improve the human and organisational capital in the minds and general wellbeing of individuals and groups in their responses to collective learning of things of enduring value Improve the repository of informative material of enduring value about all aspects of surveying and mapping as it affects development in Queensland Free information exchange and no calls on funds from members or other interested persons Slide 6 of 7 slides

MEMORABLE MAXIMS The more things change, the more they remain the same He who controls the present controls the past, and he who controls the past controls the future Opportunity is where you find it – not where it finds you Chance favours the prepared mind Slide 7 of 7 slides