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A Journey Through Uncharted Waters: The Application of Third Party Intermediation to the Development of Public Policy in Australia

For the last decade the Transport and Logistics Centre (TALC) has been facilitating, designing, developing and trialling various national, State and local programmes in the field of capability building in transport and logistics. From the experiences of TALC has emerged an innovative approach to policy development: one which relies on the use of third parties to act as intermediaries in the development and implementation of new ideas. Termed 3PI for 'Third Party Intermediation,' this approach has been successfully applied by TALC in policy areas such as mentoring, professional development, career pathways, skills and training, recruitment, school student awareness of employment prospects, safety and more. The lessons to be learned from the TALC experience, across both private and public sectors, are here summarized and discussed for the benefit of others who may wish to tread the same road towards testing new ways and means to tackle complex, wicked and challenging policy problems. 3PI is well suited for greater application by government, given the expectations for increased engagement and collaboration with stakeholders in policy development and implementation. In TALC’s view, this application will be enhanced by nurturing the enabling factors it has identified for effective 3PI, and avoiding the negative influences that work against success. Applying a rigorous process to assess the suitability of 3PI in a policy context, and then to design and manage a resulting initiative, is central to getting the best out of the 3PI approach. For 3PI to become a commonplace option in the policy toolbox, a number of barriers need to be addressed to build a supportive public service culture, allow a permanent feature. Public service officers applying 3PI will require skill sets attuned to this more interactive environment. These broader advances will also assist the appreciation of emergent factors for successful 3PI, and lead to ongoing development of best practice.