Cities Power Partnership (CPP) is a network of 186 Australian councils working together to scale up local climate action. Recognising the importance of national  alignment on climate policy, and the important contributions local government makes, CPP advocated for local government to have a seat at the table regarding federal policy that implicated the delivery of local climate action.

As a member of the Better Futures Australia (BFA)  Local Government Working Group, CPP helped spotlight a persistent challenge: poor coordination across Australia's three tiers of government was limiting councils’ ability to deliver effective climate solutions. With a more inclusive and adaptive approach to national climate policy, local governments could play a powerful role in achieving key climate mitigation and adaptation outcomes.

‍Our design challenge was to reframe this complex policy problem and propose tangible opportunities for better coordination across government levels. The goal was to co-create a shared vision of collaborative, adaptive governance that empowered councils to act more effectively on climate.

To do this, CPP partnered with the Melbourne Centre for Cities, and worked alongside BFA to produce a research report that local government leaders could use to advocate for change.

We used a design-led, systems-informed approach which shifted between understanding the bigger picture and shaping ideas that could be taken up by others. This involved understanding the structural challenges, identifying leverage points, and creating a vision for change. This wasn’t a linear process - it reinforced for me the need for iterative, systemic thinking in complex policy environments.
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• A shared language and clearer framing for multilevel governance in the local government context.
  
• Practical recommendations for the federal government on how to enable better local implementation.
• Strengthened relationships across national, state, and local networks.
• Sector-wide engagement, creating momentum for future collaboration.
• The report was cited by the City of Melbourne’s Lord Mayor, Sally Capp, during her keynote at CPP’s 2023 Climate Summit for Local Government, helping shape the national conversation on intergovernmental collaboration.
• Insights that were also explored in a panel discussion with Victoria’s Minister for Climate Action, the Hon. Lily D'Ambrosio, reinforcing the relevance of multilevel governance at the state level.
• The report is available for download here.
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• Adapt the process if necessary:
  In hindsight, engaging local practitioners earlier in the process - and placing less emphasis on desktop research - would have accelerated sensemaking. Drawing on expert insights helps ground the work and sharpen focus.‍
• Use more storytelling:
  ‍Storytelling and design principles are essential for communicating complex research. It's important to consider different ways of communicating to help insights resonate and to encourage dialogue.
• ‍Design for usability:
  Consider how insights will be most valuable to the people who need to use them. Give more thought to utilising visual design, concise summaries and reader guidance to help guide readers through a dense and complex report.