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Our Ways of Working
This guide outlines what is different about how we broadly work together through partnerships, which may be distinct to more traditional widening participation partnerships. It is intended to support shared understanding across all partners and provide clarity about expectations, collaboration, and decision-making.
Principles that underpin our work:
Trust: Open communication, transparency, and shared accountability underpin how we work together. Partners are encouraged to raise challenges early and engage constructively.
Mutual Respect: Each partner brings distinct expertise, experience, and perspectives. These are valued equally, whether they come from community, education, industry, or policy contexts.
Reciprocity: Partnerships are designed so benefits flow both ways. Outcomes should not only benefit institutions but also deliver value to communities, schools, and regional stakeholders.
What good partnership looks like
Every partnership is different. Partnerships between community organisations, Study Hubs, and universities will naturally function in distinct ways depending on:
Local community needs and priorities
Organisational roles, capacity, and mandate
Existing relationships and histories
Geographic scale and regional context
There is no single model that fits all partnerships. Instead, effective partnerships are those that intentionally define how they will work together.
Partners are encouraged to clarify, early and collaboratively:
Roles and responsibilities
Meeting/communication frequency and modes (online, in-person, or hybrid)
Decision-making processes
Data sharing and reporting practices
Timeframes and capacity constraints
Developing partnerships
Partnerships are grounded in a shared commitment to co-designing and delivering inclusive, community-informed initiatives that support regional communities and contribute to long-term, transformative outcomes.
Our way of working relies on genuine community partnerships, rather than transactional relationships or parallel institution-led activities.
Partnership relationships may:
Be formed based on previous successful work or existing relationships together.
Be newly formed in direct response to community need.
Range in their level of formality, resourcing, and commitment. Good communication between partners can help to set these nuances in ways of working and ensure success.
Developing your ways of working
Clear, shared ways of working help partnerships remain adaptive, respectful, and sustainable over time. Setting these ways of working together is important, as is consistently revisiting expectations set to ensure any changes or challenges are accurately reflected.
Use this Ways of Working template to outline how partners will work together in practice. This document should be completed with all partners and complements formal agreements by setting shared expectations for collaboration, decision-making, and delivery.
Ways of Working_Template.docxA note on collaboration across programs
We actively encourage collaboration across institutions, regions and programs. We value the open sharing of insights, tools and approaches, and recognise that collective learning strengthens our work and impact.
At the same time, partnerships are grounded in a strong commitment to place-based practice. Rural and regional communities across Australia are diverse in geography, culture, economy, history and aspiration. What works well in one place may not translate directly to another.
Collaboration is guided by the following expectations:
Respect the source: Programs, tools, and resources shared by Hubs or other contributors are offered to inform and inspire. Please engage with them in a way that honours their original intent and structure.
Thoughtful Adaptation: We encourage you to translate learnings into your own context with care. This means adapting ideas in a way that maintains their integrity.
Requesting Resources: If you’re interested in accessing specific materials or programs, please reach out through the appropriate channels. If something isn’t available on this Intranet site, it may not be available for broader use.
Collaboration Etiquette: When building on others’ work, acknowledge the source, seek permission where needed, and be transparent about how you plan to use or adapt the content.
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