This document provides an overview of Wells Haslem Strategic Public Affairs, a public relations firm. It discusses the firm's expansion, with recent graduate Isabelle Walker joining as an Account Executive. It also highlights some of the firm's new and continuing clients, including work promoting Habitat for Humanity Australia both domestically and in Asia. The CEO notes the busy past six months and enthusiasm of the expanded team entering 2014. An article also examines challenges facing Victoria's Premier in an upcoming election year.

1. CROWDSOURCING: How the
wisdom of the crowds is
changing the media landscape
Victoria
WIN FOR
BEACH
UNITED
NATIONS
Updates: UNAA Young
Professionals
Isabelle Walker joins
the team
WELLS HASLEM EXPANDS
THE I S S U E 3 February 2014

2. Wells Haslem: we’re growing
Benjamin Haslem, CEO
Welcome to the third edition of the official publication
of Wells Haslem Strategic Public Affairs.
It has been a very busy six months since the last edition
of The Shell, a period that saw a change in government in
Canberra and a number of new clients come on board.
The most exciting development for us has been the
expansion of our team, with recent graduate, Isabelle
Walker, joining us as an Account Executive. Isabelle
studied Government and International Relations at the
University of Sydney. Isabelle undertook a summer
internship with the company and we were so impressed
we offered her a permanent position. Her interest in
politics and the media (her father Dr Ross Walker can be
heard on Sydney radio station 2UE each Sunday night
from six to eight) makes Isabelle and Wells Haslem a
natural fit. Isabelle, who writes about the life of a
recently-graduated Gen-Y’er on page 7, joins the Wells
Haslem team of John Wells, Benjamin Haslem, Alexandra
Mayhew, Kerry Sibraa AO, Julie Sibraa, Trevor Cook and
Michael Baume.
This issue’s cover story focuses on one of our new clients,
Habitat for Humanity Australia, which we are working for
on a part pro-bono basis. On page 3, Alexandra Mayhew
writes about our work helping Habitat for Humanity
promote its program of activities both in Australia and
Asia to reduce housing poverty and as a voice advocating
people’s rights to shelter.
Our Melbourne affiliate, Rob Masters, looks at the
turbulent world of Victorian state politics, where voters
head to the polls in November. Rob writes that Premier
Denis Napthine faces the toughest year in his 25-year
parliamentary career (p. 5).
Our Chairman John Wells recently joined the board of the
Black Dog Institute: read how the institute is dedicated to
improving the lives of people affected by mood disorders
through its high quality research, clinical expertise and
national education programs (p. 20).
We like to include the latest trends and developments in
the world of communications in each issue. On page 8 we
write about the increasing use of crowdsourcing by
media outlets, which faced with ever shrinking margins,
are tapping into social media channels to secure crucial
information when producing articles.
On page 19 we provide a brief overview of the fantastic
work of the Rapid Relief Team (RRT), which has been
working throughout the current Australian summer
feeding thousands of volunteer firefighters across the
country. The RRT was established by our client, the
Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, and brings under
one banner a range of charitable deeds the church has
carried out during and following natural disasters in
recent years.
The Wells Haslem team enters 2014 full of energy
and enthusiasm.
We are not just another PR company. What we try to
do is quickly add value to our clients’ projects. This is
something we have always been renowned for. At the
centre of our firm is the desire to help clients
communicate better and to resolve issues affecting
how they communicate.
Our work covers all key disciplines of communication:
strategy development, issues management,
government relations, media relations, crisis
management, digital media and FMCG promotion.
If you think we can help you, or you want to know
more about our services, please ring John, Alexandra,
Isabelle or me on +61 (0)2 9033 8667, or visit our
website wellshaslem.com.au.
Benjamin Haslem
CEO

3. pg.3|HabitatforHumanity–AlexandraMayhew

4. HABITAT FOR
HUMANITY
SYDNEY’S SLUM
By Alexandra
Mayhew
Habitat for Humanity Australia
is undertaking massive work: to provide
safe and reliable housing for those living in
housing poverty. Habitat for Humanity has a simple
mantra – a hand up, not a hand-out, which means the people
they help are willing to help themselves, leading to better outcomes
for everyone involved.
Globally, Habitat for Humanity has built almost 800,000 houses,
sheltering more than three million people in over 3,000 communities.
Habitat for Humanity in Australia builds across the Asia-Pacific and
for around AU$2,500 it can build a house for an entire family in
South Asia.
While it is a highly-recognised brand in the US, it is less known in
Australia.
So what have we done about it?
Wells Haslem started working with Habitat for Humanity Australia
late last year to promote its Urban Slum – a replica slum built in
Sydney’s Martin Place as part of United Nations’ World Habitat Day
to raise awareness of the world’s one billion people living in
inadequate housing. The day involved strategy, media engagement,
social media activities and resulted in significant national coverage.
Since then, we have helped with various campaigns, including
engaging the media in the announcement of a $50,000
Commonwealth Bank donation to the charity’s Brush with Kindness
program to help Blue Mountains residents rebuild in the wake of the
devastating October bushfires.
Where to from here?
Looking forward we have quite a challenge: to transform Habitat for
Humanity Australia into a brand that is well-recognised by the
Australian public, media, and governments and (very importantly)
considered synonymous with shelter.
Perhaps the most challenging aspect of this campaign
will be how to make Habitat for Humanity Australia
stand out in an already very crowded charity sector.
Other challenges include: operating in a sector that
has seen government aid cut - with less dollars stretching
further Habitat for Humanity Australia is trying to do more with
less; and Christmas appeals were down in 2013 indicating there is
an overall reluctance to donate in uncertain economic times.
So how will we jump the barriers and build the brand?
It will be a mixture of messaging, communication techniques, and
relationships that will provide a winning formula.
Message: At the heart of our communications must be the message
that adequate shelter is the bedrock of all other charitable efforts to
help people improve their standards of living, including health,
education, and employment prospects. Without shelter, the ability of
other aid efforts is compromised. Everything flows from shelter and
Habitat for Humanity Australia is at the forefront of shelter.
Communication techniques: With an increasing reliance on digital
and social media to both compliment and supplant traditional media
channels, we will re-energise Habitat for Humanity Australia’s
communications efforts.
Relationships: Relationships of all types, from media, to government,
to the wider public, engaging positively and consistently will help
develop credibility and trust from those who can support the
organisation. Importantly, bringing on board ambassadors to
champion Habitat for Humanity Australia’s cause will reach people
across various walks of life and create very worthwhile relationships.
The great thing about working with a brand like Habitat for
Humanity is the work they do; the charity has bettered the lives of
people across the world and continues to do so, it’s now our turn to
let Australia know about it.
Wells Haslem undertakes half of our work for Habitat
for Humanity Australia free-of-charge.

5. ictoria’s Premier Denis Napthine now faces his
toughest year in his 25-year parliamentary career.
He will have to lead his minority government into
an election on November 29 with current polling
showing he will lose.
If the polls prove correct, he will become one of the
growing number of Premiers not to secure a second term
of office and the eighth not to exceed two years in the
chair.
Already Labor has all but completed its pre-selections.
With 12 members announcing they will retire,
Opposition leader Daniel Andrews has the opportunity to
introduce a ‘fresh image’ to the people.
The Liberals only started their first round of pre-
selections in January and the final round nominations
won’t close until mid-February.
This puts the momentum solidly in Labor’s camp until at
least March, especially with the Liberals facing a number
of emerging pre-selection battles, the need for a cabinet
reshuffle and the need to get its business agenda back on
track following a series of unprecedented ‘blow-ups’ on
the first day of sitting of parliament for 2014.
Napthine's burden is compounded by the fact that he has
never led the party to an election before.
He came into office declaring the State was now 'open
for business' after controversial independent MP Geoff
Shaw and many industry groups and political observers
believed that the elected Premier Ted Baillieu was not
getting on with the job. Baillieu gallantly stood down in
March last year.
V
Napthine’s year of
vision or not
insights by
Robert Masters
WELLS HASLEM AFFILIATE
pg.5|Napthine’syearofvisionornot–RobertMasters

6. But Napthine’s business sign is ‘rattling
in the wind.
Food processing and automotive plant
closures, job losses, long hospital
waiting lists, lack of schools funding,
emergency services revolts over pay,
and community unrest on his big
transport initiative, the East West link
tunnel, have led to a negative poll.
There is no doubt that he has been
very pro-active in trying to address the
State’s issues; strongly promoting the
return of sound financial management
and the State’s AAA credit rating,
publicly supporting the future of SPC
cannery in regional Victoria when it
failed to secure Federal government
funding, promoting trade missions to
the Middle East and to Asia to drive
exports and highlighting the need for
the State to get infrastructure projects
underway.
Unfortunately, they are not resonating
with the public if the polls are to be
believed; nor are they carrying
sufficient public ‘endorsement’ from
industries.
The legacies the Liberals inherited
from Labor are also becoming their
nooses.
They have not been able to clean up
Labor’s dysfunctional public transport
ticketing system Myki, the lack of
overcrowding on trains and trams, the
traffic chaos faced by motorists each
morning and night, the discontent with
the long delayed relocation of the
Melbourne wholesale fruit and
vegetable markets; all these and more
add up for the State to have a vision
for the future.
Napthine now has to be at his strategic
best and become the statesman. He
has to be capable of promoting the
vision and backing it with a pipeline of
projects he expects to be realized over
the next 10 years that appeal to the
people and industry for endorsement
and public support.
His summer of discontent with the
polls cannot be left to linger.
His new Treasurer Michael O'Brien
must bring down his May budget to
show not only continuing sound
economic management to overcome
the Labor deficit, but also to pave the
way for the future vision to be
realised.
The key sectors of transport, health,
education and law and order are
standard agenda items for any election
campaign, but they must be wrapped
up in the vision. It is the same with the
all-important infrastructure issues.
The much anticipated Port of Hastings
development is just one of the big
ticket items that needs to be spelled
out – from it can lead new and
invigorated transport policies, new
industries, technologies and
manufacturing opportunities with an
eye for exports, new rural
opportunities for the State to be the
‘Food bowl of Asia’, new jobs, a fast
freight rail linking Victoria, NSW and
Queensland and new growth centres.
The future of State’s bio-technical and
IT hub which had the support of both
Labor and the Liberals more than two
decades ago now must be taken out of
its languishing state and put back on
the public agenda, especially before a
proposed trade mission to India in the
first quarter of this year.
People no longer want patchwork and
poll-based policies. They want to know
where the State is going and with what
industries and policies; they want
Victoria to be ‘on the move’ again - the
leadership State.
Everyone knows that governments no
longer have levers of control over the
economy other than vision and
leadership.
In going down this leadership path,
Napthine must limit party unrest and
key pre-selection battles to ‘one-day’
issues. The perfect example of this is
the resignation of the Speaker (Ken
Smith, Lib) from his position on the
first day of the sitting of State
Parliament in 2014 (Feb 4).
He cited his reasons as the on-going
public dispute with outspoken Geoff
Shaw, who holds the balance of power
in the lower house. Shaw wanted
Smith out of the Speaker’s chair, just
as he wanted the elected Premier Ted
Baillieu out of the leadership role.
He achieved both virtually within 12
months. Shaw then went on to inflict
more pain on the government by
voting with Labor to defeat the
Coalition’s business program. The
outcome, which one newspaper
claimed ‘left government MPs gob
smacked’ came less than two hours
after Smith stepped down and the new
Speaker Christine Fyffe took the chair.
This has left the government without
any hope of Shaw supporting its
agenda, or control to force votes on
Bills.
These distractions do not bode well for
Napthine and his Coalition government
so early in an election year.
Napthine has to be at his strategic best and become the statesman, capable of promoting
the vision and backing it with the pipeline of projects he expects to be realized over the
next 10 years for the people to endorse and get behind. His summer of discontent with the
polls cannot be left to linger.
Rob Masers is FoundingPartner ofRobert Masters &Associatesand isWellsHaslem’s Victorianaffiliate.

7. Leaving university is a daunting prospect for my generation. Since we’ve been old enough to understand what an
exam or assessment was, we’ve been told to put our heads down, work hard, go to university, get a degree, and then
you’ll get a great job. Being brought up by baby boomers and riding on the coat tails of the economic prosperity of the
1980s, job security had always been a given. With this certainty of prosperity and economic security, it was easy to
have a considerably inflated sense of self, purpose and worth.
Presumably this is why the dreaded “Gen Y” is always met with such hostility from the older generations, especially
the not-so-different in age Gen X.
For many of us our early lives were filled with opportunity, with 20 plus years of a booming economy and all of the
positive flow-on effects that had. So it’s no surprise that my generation has been largely unprepared for our lives as
adults in a post GFC world.
Our parents were brought up by a generation that was largely thankful for any paid work that put bread on the table
and appreciated any opportunity open to them. They instilled this into our parents (the baby boomers). Our parents
worked extremely hard with the same values that their parents had given them, and with the economic prosperity and
jobs boom of the 1980s, the baby boomers did better than they had expected. They were able to get jobs, buy
relatively affordable property, and didn’t have any student loans to pay back. They raised their children with the
beliefs that if they worked hard they would be adequately rewarded too.
That’s not to say that Gen Y doesn’t have a work ethic – we certainly do – however one might argue that our
expectations of the workforce are skewed and thus we come across to older generations as presumptuous and albeit
cocky. In reality, we have been dealt a rather tough hand, especially with our expectations being so far removed from
reality.
In order to get an entry level job in this economic climate, with a surplus of labour and a deficit of jobs, most - if not all
- new graduates have undertaken or will undertake an unpaid internship. For those who are lucky enough to be given
a paid internship, the money is usually not enough to cover living expenses without considerable hours at another
workplace. Our tertiary education, though fees were delayed, was not free and HECS (or HELP) will haunt many of us
for the next (at least) 10 years.
Yet despite this, older generations still find Gen Y’s behaviour towards work reprehensible. We’re lazy and
unappreciative (despite working sometimes upwards of three jobs just to live out of home) just because we’re not
willing to flip burgers because we’ve got first class honours in a University Degree.
The biggest issue with graduating University these days is not, however, a generational war. It is the expectation that
everyone will have completed unpaid work to get entry level jobs. This is not only generational and a bi-product of
capitalism, but it affects class. Some Gen Y’s will have their parents support them while internships are undertaken.
However, most don’t have this luxury and therefore it is only the wealthy that are given a leg up in industries where
others may have a more to offer.
GEN Y + WORK = :-/
THOUGHTS FROM A
YOUNG GRAD.
ISABELLE WALKER
Isabelle Walker recently joined the Wells Haslem team as an Account Executive.
pg.7|Thoughtsfromayounggrad–IsabelleWalker

8. The wisdom of the
crowds is changing the
media landscape
By Benjamin Haslem
In late October 2002, I was working as a
journalist at The Australian newspaper.
In addition to covering the High Court, I
was also the paper’s self-appointed
bushfire correspondent. A life-long
obsession with all things meteorological
had taken me to a then fledgling on-line
forum on weatherzone.com.au where
other weather nerds waxed lyrical
about super cells and upper-level cold
pools.
The forum was also a superb source for
bushfire information, with posters
relaying real-time information about
blazes.
This information was gold, often
allowing The Australian to get ahead of
the media pack and to fires before
other journalists, who relied on
information supplied through official
channels.
What I didn’t appreciate at the time
was that I was engaged in the very
earliest example of crowdsourced
journalism, a phenomenon that has
radically changed the media landscape
in the last few years.
In 2002 there was no Twitter, no smart
phones, and no YouTube. The
weatherzone.com.au forum was a
primitive form of social media and
because the community was so small,
you learned quickly which contributors
were trustworthy sources - a crucial
feature for a journalist.
As advertising margins are squeezed
and newsrooms shrink, newspapers
and other media outlets are turning
their attention to other sources of copy
and information.
This has huge ramifications for the
practise of issues management.
Recently the Sydney Morning Herald
used crowdsourcing to uncover
examples of Federal MPs and Senators
who had made questionable claims on
their parliamentary expenses.
On 9 October, the Herald invited
readers on-line to “review thousands of
pages of MPs' travel records and
expense claims available on the
internet”.
Readers were asked to cross-reference
a travel claim (using the date and
location) against media reports of that
day. The paper used the example of a
claim made by then Opposition Leader
Tony Abbott for travel to Port
Macquarie, which coincided with a
media report about him attending an
iron-man event.
The Herald’s readers helped reveal that
West Australian MP Don Randall had
flown across the country to Cairns to
visit an investment property, claiming
$5,259 in travel entitlements.
The paper was adopting a technique
used successfully by the UK’s Guardian
newspaper, which in 2009 uploaded all
Britain MPs’ expenses claims – over
450,000 documents – onto its website
and asked readers to review them. In
the first 80 hours around 170,000
documents were reviewed.

9. Interestingly, the Guardian was
responding to a series of articles run by
its rival the Daily Telegraph, whose
reporters had spent months uncovering
expense rorts.
Not only was the Guardian’s approach
faster and less expensive, it helped build
a strong readership community,
strengthening brand loyalty.
However, the paper’s innovative
approach also highlighted a major risk of
crowdsourcing: failure to verify.
The Guardian wrote a story about an MP
claiming an expense for attending a
tanning salon. The problem was the
reader had misread a form, which
actually said ‘training’ not ‘tanning’.
The same year, the newspaper’s special
projects editor, Paul Lewis, used Twitter
to reveal police had covered up the real
cause of death of Ian Tomlinson, who
was walking home from work during a
G20 demonstration in London.
Lewis had attended the protest as a
working journalist and was tweeting
throughout.
Police had claimed Tomlinson died from
a heart attack. Lewis used Twitter to find
19 reliable witnesses, who could be
placed on a map to show where
Tomlinson fell.
Lewis argues the fact he was tweeting
during the protest, garnering 400 new
followers in the process, helped him
develop trust with his witnesses.
He received a number of photographs
from the protest showing Tomlinson had
collapsed in two places about 100
metres apart.
Incredibly, the crucial piece of
information came in the form of a video
clip sent by a man in New York who had
been in London on business and
attended (and videoed) the rally out of
curiosity. The man had been later
following the newspaper’s coverage of
the controversy from New York.
Lewis described putting together the
various photographs, witness accounts
and the video as like assembling a giant
jigsaw puzzle.
The Guardian was able to establish
Tomlinson died after being pushed to
the ground by a police officer.
Lewis stresses though that
crowdsourced sources are not always
trustworthy. As he told Johanna Vehkoo
from Reuters Institute for the Study of
Journalism at the University of Oxford,
it’s essential to verify all your facts.
“Rules of traditional journalism apply
now even more than before,” Lewis said
You can read more about Lewis’s
approach in Vehkoo’s excellent report:
Crowdsourcing in Investigative
Journalism tiny.cc/43xr6w
US media giant Forbes has developed a
form of crowdsourced journalism, which
it describes as a "technology-led, data-
driven newsroom".
This approach allows authorised
individuals to publish straight to the
Forbes website.
Stories are selected for upload by
Forbes’ editors and they are then ranked
algorithmically on the website based on
social media shares (Tweets, Facebook
shares etc) and reader comments.
Writers receive feedback directly from
Forbes on the impact of their articles,
including readership numbers and social
sharing statistics.
Contributors make a minimum
commitment to produce a certain
amount of content and are paid
according to the popularity of their
content.
"I was engaged in the very
earliest example of
crowdsourced journalism,
a phenomenon that has
radically changed the
media landscape in the
last few years."
"This has huge ramifications
for the practise of issues
management."
pg.9|Thewisdomofthecrowdsischangingthemedialandscape–BenjaminHaslem

10. xamples of crowdsourcing
Forbes now has 1,200 qualified
contributors, including more than 150
freelance journalists. Around 15 per
cent of the contributors are journalists,
the balance features authors,
academics, topic experts, business
leaders and entrepreneurs.
The results speak for
themselves.Forbes’ audience has hit a
record 55 million unique users, up from
15 million three years ago.
The Huffington Post and Mashable
employ similar publishing models.
The increasing use of crowdsourcing by
media outlets creates interesting
challenges for public relations
professionals.
As the death of Ian Tomlinson
demonstrates, any attempts at fudging
the truth potentially carries greater risks
then the pre-social media world.
There are few places to hide when the
world is awash with personal high-
definition cameras that can Tweet or
post an image of video to YouTube in a
matter of seconds.
Journalists numbers may be decreasing
but those still practising the craft have
at their disposal a militia of citizen
journalists who feel strong sense of
connection to the media outlet and who
enjoy the thrill of the chase and getting
of the yarn as much as any journalist.
More than ever, companies and
organisations need to monitor social
media to learn what people are saying
about them, their products, services and
people.
Social Media managers need to
anticipate controversies and be ready to
respond with positive messages that put
their side of the story
If a competitor is in trouble, engage
with the journalist and his or her
‘’team” of citizen journalists through
social media to provide another side of
the story; to stress your company or
organisation is not affected by the
brouhaha or to help instil confidence in
the broader industry to which it
belongs.
Learn who the experts are contributing
to media outlets that rely heavily on
crowdsourced material relevant to your
industry and establish relationships with
them, providing insights and
information they will find useful.
10 crowdsourcing examples
1. Content
Think Wikipedia
2. Service marketplaces (services)
Think Freelancer.com
3. Competition markets (services)
Think 99 Designs
4. Start-up investments (crowd funding)
Think Kickstarter
5. Cause fundraising
Think Causes.com
6. Funding of ideas
Think Indiegogo
7. Weapon design
Think US army co-designing with troops
8. Micro tasks
Think ClickWorker
9. Innovation
Think Innocentive
10. Knowledge sharing
Think Quora

11. UNAA YP IWD 2013: L-R: Gretel Killeen, the Hon. Pru Goward,
Brett Murray, Miranda Divine, Alex Adams .Image courtesy of UNAA YP
International Women’s Day
gender inequality
a challenge
for Australia
Alexandra Mayhew
National Vice Convenor
United Nations Association of Australia
Young Professionals
On 8 March, International Women’s Day 2014, men and women around the world will
celebrate “Inspiring Change” - the social, political and economic progress that women have
made while identifying how much work there is still to do.
Australia is second only to Norway on the United Nation’s (UN) Human Development Index
(2013) (HDI), ranking exceptionally well across health (0.978), education (0.981), and
income (0.862) and yet this Very High Human Development (VHHD) country drops to 17th
on
the Gender Inequality Index (GII) (Human Development Report 2013).
Australia ranks lower than Spain (HDI: 23, GII: 15), Italy (HDI: 25, GII: 11) and Portugal (HDI:
43, GII: 16) all countries which rank significantly lower than Australia on the HDI.
Maternal mortality (7 in every 100,000), adolescent fertility (12.5 births per 1,000 women
ages 15–19 2012), percentage of female seats in parliament (29.2% 2012), percentage of
population with at least secondary education (92.2% aged 25 and older, equal with men
2006-2010), and labour force participation rate (58.8% female compared with 72.3 aged 15+
2011) are all assessed to establish a county’s GII.

12. Compared with the other 47 VHHD countries, Australia ranks
below average for maternal mortality (15) and adolescent fertility
(18.7). Australia ranks in the top third for percentage of female
seats in parliament (average 25%) and percentage of population
with at least secondary education (female average 84.7, male
average 87.1). Australia has a very high labour force participation
rate, ranking 8
th
compared with other VHHD countries (female
average 52.7% mane average 68.7%).
Australia drops 15 places when it comes to
gender because it does not consistently
rate highly enough in any
of the categories.
Another concerning factor brought to light is the gap between
women’s labour force participation rate with men’s in Australia, it
is 13.5% lower. This report does not go into detail on the gender
pay gap in Australia, however the Australian Government
Workplace Gender Equality Agency reported the gender pay gap
stood at 17.6% as of November 2012.
Gender issues are becoming better understood and
acknowledged across Australia, including: violence against
women (the 2012 theme for International Women’s Day); the pay
gap (barriers to the full and equal participation of women in the
workforce); and family and caring responsibilities for both women
and men (look at the introduction of paternity leave).
Despite this, Australia has a long way to go before it can be
labelled as a gender-equal society. Change is happening and
should be supported, for so many reasons, primarily thought
because it is the right thing to do, but also because societies
(especially businesses) perform better when there is gender
equality.
International Women’s Day focuses on women’s achievements,
promotes the untapped potential of and opportunities for
women, and advocates for an end to violence against women.
The UNAA YP involves young professionals throughout Australia
in the work of the United Nations and raises funds for its sister
organisations and their vital initiatives.
The UNAA Young Professionals will be holding an event in
celebration of IWD. For more information visit the Facebook page
(United Nations Association of Australia Young Professionals).
pg.12|InternationalWomen’sDay–AlexandraMayhew

13. You have designed – or paid someone to design – a terrific looking website for your
company or organisation.
“Surely this will help drive my marketing efforts and boost sales,” you think to
yourself.
The only problem is: how do people find your website? Just as there is no point
producing a snappy TV or radio commercial if you have no TV or radio station to play
it on, creating a website that no one can find is equally futile .
If a consumer is using a search engine such as Google to look for a product or service
you deliver, why will your website appear on the first page of results ahead of your
dozens or even hundreds of competitors, who may have launched a website five, 10
or 15 years ago?
The answer is it won’t.
It may not even appear on the tenth page of results. And that’s because your search
engine ranking starts out very low.
Yes, you could pay Google money to appear as one of the Google ads that appear on
the right hand side of the screen but the simple fact is most website users prefer to
click on the unpaid links because the higher they are in the search listings the greater
the credibility they have. They’re popular for a reason and people don’t trust paid-
for links.
So how do you boost your ranking?
It’s all about search engine optimisation (SEO). And if you want to get the most out
of your online marketing efforts understanding how SEO works is essential.
Search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo! etc) want to send people to websites that are
relevant to what they are looking for. If a search engine sends you to sites about
birthday cards instead of birthday cakes you will pretty quickly go to another search
engine.
To achieve this search engines rank or index pages according to relevance.
There are a number of parameters the likes of Google or Bing use to rank websites.
Gone are the days when ranking was based purely on the number of visitors to a site
or the number of links to other sites. While that’s still very important, SEO has
become significantly more sophisticated.
all
By Benjamin Haslem
up & no
webbed
SEO
pg.13|SEO–BenjaminHaslem

14. 1. Content is king
Is the content on your website relevant to
what people are searching for?
Are there key words in the titles and text
on the site that will tell search engines if
you are a financial planner or a party
planner?
Is the content original or did you simply
copy it from another website overseas for
a company in a similar line of business to
your own?
Google hates a lack of originality. Don’t
just go to a popular blog or website and
copy (or link to) their content even if you
have permission (Google won’t know).
Google also loves quality; but what makes
good quality SEO?
ü Original content– text, images, videos
ü Correct spelling
ü Good grammar
ü Consistent and proper text formatting
ü Linksinbound and outbound from and
to other quality andpopular sites
The more highly-ranked websites that
carry links to your site the higher your
authority, another quality search engines
look at when indexing web pages.
2. Create a blog
Having a blog on your website is essential.
This provides a platform to display all of
your original content. But ensure you post
regularly (every second day, if time
permits) on topics relevant to people who
you want visiting your website and
acquiring your goods and/or services.
Blogs also allow you to insert more key
words into your website in a genuine and
timely manner, not just as a cynical effort
to con search engines, further boosting
your search-engine ranking.
Try to avoid putting content on your
website that is not relevant to your
business’ products or services. Don’t fill
your website’s blog with posts about the
Ashes, unless you have Cricket Australia as
a client or you’re selling cricket bats.
Don’t limit your posts to the written word.
Video is a popular and easily digestible
way to communicate to time-poor
potential audiences. Preferably the video
should be original but that requires time
and skills that most of us do not possess.
Try posting someone else’s video but add
some original insights and commentary
relevant to your business.
Nevertheless, it’s amazing what you can
shoot on a smart phone, so if you’ve
something interesting to write why not say
to camera?
Infographics are also useful and
increasingly popular ways to get
information across via websites. An
example of well-recognised infographic is
the famous London Underground map.
The map provided visual representations
of information, data or knowledge used to
present complex information quickly and
clearly. They lend you a credibility search
engines love. Designed well, they can go
viral very quickly.
Below is one produced by Google.
Majority of media consumption is screen-based

15. 3. Use social media to
promote your blog
You may well ask: if no one can find your
website through the search engines, how
will they ever find your blog which
happens to be on the very site you’re
trying to promote?
That is where social media comes into
play. Promote each blog post through your
company’s (and your personal) Twitter,
Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ page,
using hashtags (except for LinkedIn) to
attract people interested in say
#superannuation or #infrastructure.
When people share or tweet a link to your
site and others click on the link, this sends
a signal to search engines, further boosting
your ranking.
“Search engines such as
Google don’t want to send
people to websites where
the administrator has tried
to game the system…”
The beauty of hashtags like
#superannuation is that your post appears
chronologically in social media feeds set
up by people searching for posts about
superannuation, irrespective of how many
people have seen or shared the post.
You can also join LinkedIn and Google+
groups relevant to your industry and post
links to your blog on group pages. But be
careful, there is a big focus on etiquette in
these groups. Don’t just post links to your
content; engage with others in the groups,
join conversations and share their
material.
If you produce products that are
photogenic, take photos on your smart
phone and put them on Instagram and
your blog.
4. Google+
At this point you may be wondering why
anyone would bother with Google+ given
it’s similarity to Facebook with a much
much smaller audience. However, Google+
is at the heart and soul of Google’s entire
strategy1
.
ü It adds to the data Google collects
from people who are using its search
engine, making their future searches
more accurate and relevant;
ü When people create Google profiles
and search on the web, Google tracks
their activity and interests;
ü Google+ measures +1’ing, sharing
and commenting on its network ;
ü All of this data helps Google to
personalize your search results so
they’re more useful to you as an
individual.
When someone adds a link to your content
in their Google + profiles they are treated
as web pages, which helps in increasing
your websites page rank. This is not the
case on Twitter, where links aren’t passed
as a page rank through to your site.
So post your content on Google+ and as it
is shared or +1’ed, your page rank should
improve.
5. Performance and user
experience
Search engines like fast websites.
Avoid putting too much content on the
homepage, especially lots of video and
flash, as it slows down your site’s loading
speed. If users have to wait too long for
your content to load they will leave.
This increases your site’s bounce rate
(represents the proportion of visits that
end on the first page of the website that
the visitor sees). The higher your bounce
rate the lower your ranking.
That’s why it’s important for your site to
look professional and contemporary. It
should be easy to navigate around.
Importantly, make sure your website can
be viewed in mobile format (tablets and
smart phones) as nothing makes someone
leave a website quicker than a site with
one-point text on their iPhone or Android
screen.
6. Google rules
Search engines such as Google don’t
want to send people to websites where
the administrator has tried to game the
system; that is, gone overboard trying
to boost its SEO by, for example, filling
the site with keywords or links to other
sites. In other words, it’s a delicate
balance between maximising your
search engine ranking and cheating.
So Google has developed a set of rules
to penalise sites that overdo SEO at the
expense of user utility. If you want to
avoid running afoul of the rules, you
need to ensure they are high quality,
relevant links.
As Helen Overland explains: “Always try
to make sure that the links you are
building to your website have actual
value, that somebody who is going to
your website from the link would
actually say to themselves ‘This is an
interesting site I have just found...’ or
‘...an interesting store I have just
found.’. That is one way to stay on the
right side of Google’s rules when it
comes to link building.”
2
1
A. Thomas, ‘Is Google
Plus Important for Search
Engine Optimization?’,
jeffbullas.com, 2013
2
H. Overland, Google
Penalties & Key Things to
look out for,
ecommerce.shopify.com,
June 2013
pg.15|SEO–BenjaminHaslem

16. Wells Haslem helps locals
secure beachhead
against irrational local council
After a long campaign, the NSW Government has
moved to force local councils along the NSW
coastline to implement a rational and consistent
approach to coastal planning.
And already some councils are up in arms about
the decision.
The Wells Haslem team has been working
alongside the Boomerang and Bluey’s Beach
Group to help persuade the State Government
and the Department of Planning to implement
changes to ensure the people who owned
properties along beach front’s had certainly in
planning laws.
The Boomerang and Blueys Beach Group was
formed to fight draconian and discriminatory
coastal measures planned by Great Lakes
Council.
“We have formally called on the Department of
Planning & Infrastructure to develop a State
wide response to coastal planning and not
endorse the Council’s draft Local Environment
Plan (LEP) coastal provisions,” Boomerang and
Blueys Beach Group Chair, Michael Fox, said.
The draft Council LEP also pre-empts completion
and review of several pending Coastal Zone
Management Plans (CZMP) and NSW
Government Stage 2 coastal reforms.
“In a selective attempt to protect coastal areas
from the impacts of any ‘sea-rise and erosion’,
the Council proposed that only 2 beaches,
Boomerang and Blueys beaches, be subjected to
hazard lines”, Mr Fox said.
Council is relying on a 2011 desktop analysis by a
specialist conultancy as the basis of its LEP –
even though the authors of the report identified
“data gaps” and recommended collation of
further information.
“To single out Blueys and Boomerang beaches is
discriminatory – especially given they have been
targeted due to the findings of an incomplete
report and prior to CZMP reviews and coastal
reforms,” Mr Fox said.
The State Government this month announced its
intention to move to ensure that coastal
property buyers are given clear and accurate
advice by councils on the impacts of coastal
hazards such as erosion and flooding.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Brad
Hazzard said a draft planning circular which is
now on public exhibition, recommended
councils distinguish between current and future
hazards on Section 149 certificates.
Mr Fox called on the Great Lakes Council and
other coastal councils to support the new
evidence based approach to coastal planning
based on objective data and information rather
than projections and desk top studies which
councils had been using.
…Writes John Wells

17. With the rapid growth of social media and
competing news stories, getting the public
to focus on a particular issue and then
trying to convince them of the need for
change is difficult if there is no burning
platform for reform. Actually achieving
real change involves political will and
leadership.
We all know the expression “timing is
everything”. In public policy terms it is no
different. When there is an impetus for
change coming from the public on such a
difficult policy conundrum as alcohol, no
right thinking government can afford to
ignore it.
The recent, tragic death of a young man in
Kings Cross from a single blow allegedly
delivered by a drunk and habitually violent
man has understandably led to an
outpouring of public anger and demand
for government action on the issue of
alcohol related violence.
It’s a call the Government must heed, not
only because the public is right, but
because this is an opportunity to really put
some decent public policy in place that
may actually achieve lasting results and
even, eventually, the holy grail of culture
or behaviour change.
In 1999 at the height of a State Election in
NSW a shocking photograph appeared on
the front page of a Sydney newspaper of a
young person apparently injecting heroin
into the arm of an even younger person in
the backstreets of Redfern. Although
much of the accompanying story was
subsequently found to have been
sensationalised, the shocking nature of the
photograph alone was enough to galvanise
action.
The storm created by the overwhelming
public anger and revulsion to the
photograph and accompanying story
forced Premier Bob Carr to announce a
Drug Summit as part of his re-election
campaign, which was largely being fought
on law and order issues. Bob Carr won the
election in March and the Summit was
held in May while the issue was still white
hot in the public mind and the call for
action was unstoppable. The Summit
involved a broad cross section of the
community, from drug experts to police,
magistrates, families and drug users as
well, of course, as the politicians
themselves.
In political and policy terms, the Summit
was an extraordinary event. Unlike the
normal process of policy development
involving Ministers, their political and
departmental advisers consulting with
different stakeholders at different times
behind closed doors, then making an
announcement, the Drug Summit saw the
full public policy process played out in the
public spotlight. Confronted with the data
and research about drug abuse from the
experts, stories from families affected by
the problem and police and magistrates
dealing with the fallout, the politicians
were forced to respond honestly to the
facts presented to them. Some even
changed their previously and often long-
held opinions and prejudices about how
illegal drug users should be treated by the
criminal justice and health systems.
The Summit produced a range of
outcomes and measures to address what
was seen as a growing problem in the
community. The policy response ran the
full gamut of government service delivery,
including all major government
departments but centralising the
implementation of around 170 different
measures in the powerful Cabinet Office,
run by some of the State’s most
competent bureaucrats.
One minister had overall portfolio
responsibility. Most importantly,
substantial additional funding was
allocated to ensure departmental agencies
actually delivered on the Government’s
commitments.
Some of the initiatives from that Summit
held some 15 years ago still stand today –
and while no-one would ever claim the
problem has been solved, gone away or
forgotten, NSW is undoubtedly better
equipped to manage the problem of illicit
drug use than it was before that
photograph appeared in the Sun-Herald.
Despite the positive response the Carr
Government received from the
implementation of its response to the
drug problem, health experts constantly
reminded the Government that while it
was all very well to deal with illicit drugs,
the biggest costs to public health,
productivity and public safety was in fact
alcohol, or rather the abuse of alcohol.
In the midst of another election campaign
in 2003, and perhaps seeking to replicate
the political and policy success of the Drug
Summit, the Carr Government announced
an Alcohol Summit.
“The use of alcohol is deeply
embedded in our culture dating back
to the first days of the colony in NSW, it’s a
rite of passage, it’s present at every social
occasion and celebration, and it’s
inextricably associated with Australia’s
other favourite pastime – sport”
The current public debate about alcohol-
related violence presents a rare
opportunity to change how society deals
with a complex health issue
Achieving policy change – a tale of two summits
Special Counsel Julie Sibraa

18. pg.18|Achievingpolicychange–JulieSibraa
As the Summit heard many times from
many speakers, the use of alcohol is
deeply embedded in our culture dating
back to the first days of the colony in
NSW, it’s a rite of passage, it’s present at
every social occasion and celebration, and
it’s inextricably associated with Australia’s
other favourite pastime – sport. In other
words, alcohol is a legal product that’s use
is both accepted and prevalent across all
ages and levels of Australian society. It’s
fair to say the overwhelming majority of
Summit participants (in line with the
broader public and indeed the media
covering the Summit) were to varying
degrees themselves alcohol consumers.
Add to that the legitimate presence of the
alcohol industry as major stakeholders and
the debate and outcomes became clouded
and compromised. The debate inevitably
swung away from some of the more
complex and contentious policy responses
addressing the widespread nature of the
problem, including the supply, availability
and marketing of alcohol towards the
extreme ends of the problem such as
chronic alcoholism and, the usual suspect,
youth binge drinking.
But while illicit drug use may also be
widespread and prevalent in Australian
society, the Drug Summit did not present
the same level of personal discomfort for
its participants who it would be fair to say
were not part of the cohort the Summit
was concerned with. The “drug industry”
was not present as a stakeholder, and the
Summit was at liberty to consider further
ways to limit availability and supply. The
politicians and decision-makers were free
to consider the problem rationally and
even contemplate some more courageous
policy measures.
Whether or not the majority of the public
agreed with all of the measures
undertaken as a result of the Drug
Summit, there can be little doubt there
were some long term outcomes as a
result. There was a mandate for change,
the Government responded quickly and
implemented an evidence-based and well-
resourced policy response to which they
provided substantial political leadership
and follow through. In 2014, the O’Farrell
Government has a small window of
opportunity to do the same with alcohol.
Superficial change will not stand the test
of time.
The Summit was held in August of that
year. Clearly not with the same urgency as
its predecessor and while the organisation,
structure and intent of the two Summits
were similar, they could not have been
more different.
Again, the evidence for the need for action
was overwhelming. It came from the
medical experts, professors, families,
police, indigenous leaders and most
graphically from trauma specialists and
frontline emergency services workers.
And the recommendations for action
spilled forth - 318 in all. Like the Drug
Summit, many were worthy and
important. They touched upon many
themes and addressed the full spectrum of
the problem.
But ultimately, the NSW Alcohol Summit
was not a success and the degree of
lasting change achieved was negligible.
This was predominantly for two reasons –
the lack of a public call for action on
alcohol reform, ie no burning platform, as
was the case for the Drug Summit, and
political ambivalence towards the issue as
evidenced by watered down
recommendations and a half-hearted
government response with no additional
funding.

19. Plymouth Brethren assist
Nation’s volunteer bushfire fighters
Benjamin Haslem
Long-term Wells Haslem client, the Plymouth Brethren Christian
Church (PBCC), went to amazing efforts feeding hundreds of
firefighters working on the devastating bushfires that ravaged
parts of New South Wales, Australia, last October.
Over seven days 350 volunteers from the Church served up to
1600 meals per day. Thousands of firefighters, other emergency
personnel, council workers and media were served around the
clock.
The Church's Rapid Relief Team (RRT) supplied 99,000 litres of
bulk water in the first four days; half of the food and drinks
were delivered by the RRT directly to the frontline.
Donations of food and drinks were received from Coles,
Woolworths, Joe’s Meats, local butchers, bakeries & Penrith
Party Hire. Hinchinbrook Public School donated a cool room of
food and drinks.
The Church documented its efforts with a video camera,
interviewing numerous firefighters and asking them what they
thought of the RRT’s efforts.
Wells Haslem then used that footage to develop a short
documentary, with the assistance of award-winning film-maker,
Phil Donnison, who we have worked with on previous video
programs for the church.
The feedback from volunteer firefighters was overwhelmingly
positive.
“This has been the best set up for catering … that I have
experienced in my 20 years in the CFA,” a Country Fire
Authority volunteer from Victoria says in the documentary.
“It’s just amazing, all of us are overwhelmed, we couldn’t have
done it without you,” a female NSW Rural Fire Service official
says.
“Food’s been awesome, the drinks have been cold. It’s the first
time we’ve ever had a steak sandwich at two o’clock in the
morning!” – says another NSW Rural Fire Service volunteer,
standing next to his RFS truck.
The RRT is a not-for-profit organisation that provides
benevolent relief to people in need.
The team consists of volunteers of all ages, dedicated to serving
the community.
PBCC members strive to practise true Christianity in their way
of life. This includes being compassionate, active, and
contributing citizens and doing what they can to help.
View the video here: youtu.be/yrJIycu3j5o.
Learn more about the RRT here: rapidreliefteam.org
pg.19|PlymouthBrethrenassist–BenjaminHaslem

20. The Black Dog Institute is dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by mood disorders
through our high quality translational research, our clinical expertise and our national education
programs.
One in five Australians are affected by mental illness every year, with one of the most common of
these being depression. It touches people of all ages and from all walks of life, and places an
enormous burden on individuals, families, workplaces and the health system.
Living with the ‘black dog’ (as Winston Churchill labelled his depression) can be overwhelming, a
feeling of being trapped in a dark haze. It can manifest as extreme lethargy, irritability or sadness.
In extreme cases, it can result in thoughts of suicide or self-harm.
But there is hope.
The Black Dog Institute is a world-leader in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mood
disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder.
Founded in 2002, the Institute combines expertise in clinical management with cutting edge
research to develop new, and more effective, strategies for people living with mood disorders.
Our research extends from risk identification genomic studies to development of websites to
enhance mental resilience in teenagers. We are conducting clinical trials into new treatment
methods as well as conducting ground-breaking imaging studies to “see” what happens to the
brain when depression strikes.
Whilst diagnosis and treatment is of utmost importance, the Black Dog Institute also places
emphasis on teaching people to recognise the symptoms of mood disorders in themselves and
others, as well providing them with the right psychological tools to hold the black dog at bay.
Based in Sydney, the Black Dog Institute partners with universities, health services, and
community groups across the country. We focus on access, running education programs in
regional areas and providing a number of clinically-endorsed training programs for both health
care professionals and workplaces.
John Wells was recently appointed a Board Member of the Black Dog Institute.
Black Dog Institute
Pioneers in the management and treatment of mood disorders

21. 02
03
01
Adelaide to
Darwin railway
– 10 years on
22 January 2014 - Benjamin Haslem
BLOG SPOT
Chris Christie
PR disaster set to
be a classic
10 January 2014 - Benjamin Haslem
This month marks the 10th
anniversary of the inaugural journey
on the Adelaide to Darwin railway.
In my past role at Jackson Wells, I
worked with a team that provided
public relations support to the
project, from financial close up to
the first journey and beyond.
I provided on-the-ground PR support
during the inaugural trip, which left
Adelaide on 15 January 2004 and
arrived in the Northern Territory (NT)
capital of Darwin two days later.
Wells Haslem Chairman, John Wells
also worked on the project.
Former Deputy Prime Minister (and
railway enthusiast), Tim Fischer, was
appointed ambassador on that first
journey, riding aboard two passenger
carriages coupled behind the
locomotives (pictured above).
Tim provided regular media updates
throughout the journey via satellite
phone.
He was an instant hit. When the train
passed through an NT one-horse
town at 2am, a family was standing
trackside holding a large 'Welcome
Tim' banner.
A small group of journalists joined
the train in Alice Springs. I flew to
Alice Springs for the train's arrival
and departure and then again by
plane to Darwin, where the train was
greeted by then Prime Minister John
Howard and a large crowd at the
Port of Darwin.
A railway line linking Australia's
'northern capital' Darwin with
Adelaide had long been mooted.
A line from Adelaide to Alice Springs
in the nation's heart was completed
in 1929 but no track had extended
further south from Darwin than to
the tiny hamlet of Larrimah (pop.
11), 182km drive SE of Katherine.
The Darwin to Larrimah line was
completed in 1929 and closed in
1976.
The Adelaide to Darwin railway line
was not without its controversies…
Keep reading: bit.ly/1eVAV18.
For any student of both politics and
public relations, the brouhaha
enveloping New Jersey Governor
Chris Christie is captivating.
For those readers here in Australia
who may have missed the story, Gov
Christie has been caught up in a crisis
centering on the closure of several
lanes on the double-decker George
Washington Bridge, which connects
the famous New Jersey Turnpike
with uptown Manhattan in New York
City.
The September 9 closure caused
gridlock on the first day of the school
year. Doesn't sound like much, until
you discover the clandestine politics
behind the closure and the way the
entire issue has been handled by the
Governor and his office.
You may recall Gov Christie sprung to
international prominence in the
aftermath of the Superstorm Sandy,
which devastated parts of his state.
His performance made him a
favourite for the 2016 Republican
Party presidential nomination.
It has now emerged the closure of
the bridge lanes was orchestrated by
the Governor's deputy chief of staff,
as political payback against Mark
Sokolich, the Democratic mayor of
Fort Lee, who declined to endorse
Gov Christie in his re-election bid.
The incumbent won the November
poll in a landslide, bucking tradition
in what is historically a safe
Democratic Party State.
Later that month, the State
Assembly's Transportation
Committee, chaired by Democrat
John Wisniewski, heard evidence
from Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey Deputy Executive
Director Bill Baroni who said the lane
closures were part of a traffic study
ordered by the Authority's Interstate
Capital Projects Director David
Wildstein, a high-school friend of the
Governor's.
Gov Christie was first asked about
the lane closures on 2 December,
denying any involvement. He made
this sarcastic remark…
Keep reading: bit.ly/1bO44qJ
New
lamps
for old
9 January 2014 - Julie Sibraa
It never ceases to amaze me how old
problems, ideas and stories get
dusted off, polished up and sold as
new around this time of the year.
Today we've discovered that
superannuation funds, as the
custodian of Australian workers’
retirement funds, would be the ideal
owners of former public assets like
ports, electricity and water utilities.
The reasoning is that if governments
can divest themselves of assets they
do not need to own or operate they
can use the sale proceeds to fund
new investment to plug the gaping
infrastructure shortfall and meet the
needs of our growing population.
And if those same assets are owned
by Australian superannuation funds
then effectively they would be still
be owned by the Australian public.
For superannuation funds, ports and
other utilities including airports,
which exhibit monopoly-like
characteristics, represent good
investments on the basis they
provide earnings stability and long
term maturity, that is, a reliable
steady revenue stream likely to
increase over time.
So it’s a great idea! It’s a wonder no
OUR BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

22. 04
05
06
one has thought of it before.
Well they have. And some people
have been advocating it for a long
time.
I seem to recall back in 2010 when I
worked for the peak infrastructure
group, Infrastructure Partnerships
Australia (IPA) it was also discovered
there was this massive, lazy pool of
superannuation savings lying around
that could be used to buy well
established infrastructure assets and
fund new infrastructure. There was
the Cooper superannuation enquiry
which amongst many other issues
looked at this and reported
favourably. IPA, amongst many
others at the time, produced a
thoughtful research policy paper on
the issue, exploring not just the
upside of such investment but the
barriers as well, with some
suggestions for government…
Keep reading: bit.ly/1iQuZHI
Noel Pearson
delivers
extraordinary…
15 November 2013 - John Wells
A rather extraordinary event
happened on Wednesday at the
Parramatta River Side Theatre. One
great Australian came to honour
another great Australia; both men,
one much older than the other.
Unfortunately too few people
witnessed it.
The event was the Whitlam Oration.
It was promoted by the Whitlam
Institute in Honour of former Prime
Minister Gough Whitlam.
The speaker was Noel Pearson, one
of Australia’s most genuine and
remarkable indigenous leaders.
Here’s a flavour, but you must read
the whole thing – it is simply
compelling:
“In his 97th year, in this third oration
in honour of Australia’s 21st prime
minister, I use the appellation ‘old
man’ with all the reverence and love
of its meaning in the ancient culture
of my people. An acute
consciousness of the honour
bestowed by the governors of the
Whitlam Institute to one so richly
undeserving, is leavened by
unalloyed gratitude for the chance to
salute this old man in the twilight of
his extraordinary life. The alacrity
with which this invitation is seized,
belies somewhat the humility which
an outsider should properly feel
when afforded such a rare and
august privilege.
“I say ‘outsider’ in the sense of the
Australian Labor Party, but if I was
born estranged from the nation’s
citizenship, into a humble family of a
marginal people striving in the teeth
of poverty and discrimination – it is
assuredly no longer the case. This
because of the equalities of
opportunities afforded by the
Whitlam program which successive
governments built upon, and even
where predilections were otherwise,
their institutionalisation made their
reversal difficult. The truth is, I, and
numbers of my generation are today,
bourgeois, albeit with varying
propensities to decadence.”
Watch the speech: ab.co/1eVBg48
Read more: wellshaslem.com.au/blog
11 rules of good
government
relations
12 November 2013 - Benjamin Haslem
The team at Wells Haslem has been
involved in at least half a dozen
benchmarking studies of senior
Federal and State Ministers, their
shadows, MPs, chiefs of staff,
advisers, senior public servants and
political journalists.
These qualitative and quantitative
surveys have helped us develop 11
rules of effective advocacy to
government, which we use in all our
government relations work.
1. Operate inside the tent
If you'll excuse the colourful language,
US President Lyndon Johnson once
said of FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover.
“It’s probably better to have him
inside the tent pissing out, than
outside the tent pissing in”.
This applies to good government
advocacy. It’s better to be inside the
tent working with government than
standing outside picking a fight. Go
in the front door. Try to work with
people. Don’t pick a public fight over
a disagreement with government or
opposition. Go and talk to them. So
many companies and organisations
mistakenly think the best way to get
a government to do something is to
try and shame them publicly through
the media.
2. Establish rapport
Establish and nurture relationships.
Don’t just go and see ministers
relevant to your business when you
need something.
ü Attend functions where a
minister is speaking;
ü Send them studies or reports
you have completed, including
annual reports;
ü Introduce them to a visiting
member of your global team
who has fresh insights into an
issue; or
ü Invite them to your functions.
3. Offer solutions not problems
If you have a problem, don’t speak to
MPs without having a solution. Do
the thinking for them.
4. Be Realistic
Don’t ask for something you know
the government can’t deliver.
Keep reading: bit.ly/1gsq1zX
A great piece of
marketing - Ikea
and 100 cats
4 December 2013 - Alexandra Mayhew
As a cat-lover I just had to share this
great piece of Ikea marketing.
Let 100 cats loose in an Ikea store,
you think it would be funny don't
you? But actually, Ikea has delivered
a beautiful piece of advertising here.
Well done Ikea. Well done.
Watch the video: bit.ly/1g99pxG.

23. Does communication between management and employees and across the organisation
work well?
If not, you might need to review your communication through a proper audit.
Communicating outside the organisation can be a difficult task, but never as difficult as
communicating within the organisation
A communications audit is often a good start to analysing and improving internal
communications. The audit is a systematic examination of each of the component parts
of the ‘communicating organisation’.
It is achieved through qualitative (individual interview, focus group) and/or qualitative
research.
It establishes an accurate imprint of where the organisation has reached on certain key
indicators and assists the decision-making process about how to appropriately structure
the mechanisms and the tone and content of communications.
HOW WELL IS YOUR
COMPANYCOMMUNICATING?
The Communications Audit
PROCESS
The audit is based on
recognising that corporate
improvement is more than
just good business planning
and better systems. That it
is also the outcome of
strong corporate culture -
uniting managers and
employees in positive
attitudes and behaviour -
to which a critical input is
effective communications.
APPROACH
The audit provides
information, analysis and
understanding on the
critical communications
factors contributing to
morale and effective
organisational
performance.
PURPOSE
The communications audit
provides a platform from
which the organisation can
work to ensure it maintains
and develops relationships
which are strategic,
integrated, focussed and
productive.

24. 0
Objectives
ONE
To identify and analyse
the critical components
that comprise the
corporate fabric of the
organisation: culture,
prevailing and potential
issues, key relationships,
information flows,
information content and
information mechanisms.
TWO
To assemble the data in a
report that aligns with
organisational philosophy
and objectives.
THREE
To use this diagnostic
process as the basis for
the development of
strategies and plans.
FOUR
To ensure the audit
process itself focusses
staff on relevant issues
and demonstrates the
organisation's concern to
consult with and listen to
its staff.
The communications audit needs to satisfy these objectives:
Process
These or similar agreed objectives will be transformed into a specific interview framework to guide the audit conduct.
ISSUES
To identify key
prevailing and
potential issues
faced by the
organisation.
RELATIONSHIPS
To assess
current
relationships
within the
organisation and
between the
company and
the outside
world.
INFORMATION
FLOWS
To define the
effectiveness of
internal and
external flows.
INFORMATION
CONTENT
To assess the
relevance and
appropriateness
of information
content.
INFORMATION
MECHANISMS
To evaluate the
capabilities and
effectiveness of
delivery
mechanisms.
CULTURE
To evaluate the
organisation's
culture - its
strengths and
weaknesses.
Methodology
By far the most effective method is to undertake a face to discussion either individually or in groups. Quantitative survey
methods can also be a useful adjunct.
Outcomes
At the end of this process, you will have:
An excellent description
of key issues,
relationships and
information within the
organisation.
An acute appraisal of the
culture of the
organisation and how this
may be influencing
morale and performance.
An analysis of the
implications of this data.
A series of
recommendations for
changes and
enhancement.
pg.24|Howwellisyourcompanycommunicating?

25. For the past 21
Years John was a
founding partner
and senior
consultant in one
of Australia’s
leading public
relations
companies,
Jackson Wells.
Prior to that
John’s career
embraced
journalism at the
most senior
levels in Australia
and overseas. He
has extensive
experience in
media
management in
both television
and radio, has
provided policy
advice to Federal
political leaders
and offers public
affairs
consulting.
Benjamin has 20
years’ experience
in the media.
Ben worked at
Jackson Wells for
nine years, where
he managed and
worked on
complex projects
and became a
Director and CEO.
Ben possesses an
acute
understanding of
mainstream media,
having spent the
best part of a
decade working for
The Australian
newspaper in
Sydney, Canberra
and Melbourne.
Ben has lectured
students from the
City University of
Hong Kong on
public relations
and government
affairs.
Immediately
before joining
Jackson Wells, Ben
was The Australian
newspaper’s High
Court
correspondent and
regularly acted as
Chief-of-Staff at
the Sydney Bureau.
From 1999-2002,
he was based in
the Parliamentary
press gallery in
Canberra.
Alexandra has over
six years’
experience in the
public relations
industry and a
communications
degree from
Charles Sturt
University.
Alexandra
previously: was an
Account Manager
at Jackson Wells;
headed up
marketing and
media at a sports
publishing
company; and
worked with a
consumer public
relations
consultancy.
Alexandra is the
National Vice
Convenor of the
United Nations
Association of
Australia Young
Professionals.
Kerry’s career has
embraced the
highest levels of
Australian political
life and the cutting
edge of business
development. He
was an ALP
Senator for NSW
for 19 years,
including President
of the Australian
Senate from 1987
until retiring from
Parliament in 1994
to become
Australia’s High
Commissioner to
Zimbabwe and six
other southern
African nations.
He is a former
director of
Zimbabwe
Platinum Mines
and World IT.
From 2003 to 2010
he served the
Government of the
Republic of
Mozambique as
their Honorary
Consul-General in
Australia.
In 1996, he was
awarded an Order
of Australia.
Kerry Sibraa AO
Special Counsel
Julie has 20 years’
experience in
public policy in
both the
government and
private sectors.
She began her
roles in
government during
the Hawke/Keating
era, working with
Federal
parliamentarians
including the
Health Minister
where she had
responsibility for
drug policy, mental
health and
women’s health.
She later worked
for NSW Minister
John Della Bosca,
for nine years, the
office of the
Premier of NSW,
and was COS to the
NSW Treasurer.
In 2009 was the
Deputy Chief of
Staff to the Federal
Minister for
Employment
Participation.
Julie spent nearly
two years as
National Policy
Manager for
Infrastructure
Partnerships
Australia.
Julie Sibraa
Special Counsel
The Wells Haslem Team
John Wells
Chairman
Benjamin
Haslem
CEO
Alexandra
Mayhew
Partner
Isabelle Walker
Account
Executive
Isabelle recently
completed a
Bachelor of Arts
(Government and
International
Relations) at the
University of
Sydney. Her
passion for US
politics prompted
her to take
numerous courses
at the university’s
innovative United
States Studies
Centre – where
Wells Haslem’s
Michael Baume
was a Board
Member. Here she
was invited to join
a round table
discussion about
US-Australian
affairs with the US
Assistant Secretary
of State for the
Asia Pacific.
Isabelle undertook
an internship in
content production
at the start-up
AroundYou.com.au

26. Ron is one of WA’s
most respected
government
relations
specialists,
enjoying an
excellent working
relationship with
all sides of politics.
From 1983-1993,
he was Federal MP
for the Perth
electorate of
Stirling. Prior to
leaving parliament,
Ron was Deputy
Speaker.
In 2006 he was
awarded a PhD in
Education from the
University of WA,
which investigated
factors that
promote social
inclusion.
Ron is a keen AFL
fan and in 1994
helped established
The Graham (Polly)
Farmer
Foundation. He has
been a Board
member since its
inception.
Ron, who has
extensive
experience in the
fisheries and
mining sectors,
assists Wells
Haslem clients
communicate with
the WA State
Government and
Federal MPs and
Senators based in
WA.
Wells Haslem Affiliates and Counsel
Ron Edwards
WesternAustralia
Trevor has 25
years’ experience
across PR and
government.
A pioneer in digital
media, Trevor Co-
authored one of
the first Australian
monographs for
corporates on
social media.
Prior to being an
independent
consultant (2008 –
2012), Trevor was
Principal
Consultant and
Partner at Jackson
Wells for 11 years.
Trevor began his
career as a
ministerial adviser
to John Dawkins
and as a senior
executive in the
Australian Public
Service,
Department of
Industrial
Relations.
Trevor holds a
Bachelor of
Economics
(Honours) (1981)
and a PhD (2012)
from the University
of Sydney. Trevor
is a casual lecturer
in Australian
politics at
University of
Sydney.
Michael is a former
diplomat, front-
bench federal
politician,
consultant,
journalist, public
company director,
stockbroker, TV
panellist and
commentator,
author and public
speaker.
He is Deputy
Chairman of the
American
Australian
Association Ltd, a
member of the
Sydney Symphony
Orchestra Council
and a former
board-member of
the United States
Studies Centre at
Sydney University.
He is a contributor
to the Spectator
Magazine and a
former regular
columnist in the
Australian
Financial Review.
Michael
Baume AO
Special Counsel
(Emeritus)
Dr Trevor Cook
Digital Counsel
Rob Masters
Melbourne
Robert Masters &
Associates (RMA) is
a strategic
communication
and stakeholder
engagement
consultancy.
Since its inception,
its approach to
strategic
communication
programs,
community
consultation and
stakeholder
engagement
processes have
earned it a
reputation of being
at the leading edge
of communication
management for
over 30 years.
Rob’s services and
clients cover the
energy sector (oil,
gas, coal),
electricity,
forestry,
government
(federal, state,
local) water,
finance,
automotive, health
and health
research,
pharmaceutical,
education,
transport (road
and rail),
information
technology,
primary industry,
environment and
retail.
pg.26

27. CLIENTS
AMP
Asia Society Australia
Asciano
Australian Constructors Association
Balmain Leagues Club
Black Dog Institute
Boehringer Ingelheim
Boomerang and Blueys Beach Group
British American Tobacco
Church of Scientology
Chrysler Australia
Eakin McCaffery Cox
CONTACT
Wells Haslem Strategic Public Affairs
+61 2 9033 8667
mail@wellshaslem.com.au
wellshaslem.com.au
Suite 32 Level 1, 50 Yeo St
(PO Box 223)
Neutral Bay NSW 2089
Twitter: @WellsHaslem
Find us on: Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+
Designed and produced by Wells Haslem
Strategic Public Affairs PTY LTD
February 2014
Habitat for Humanity Australia
Insurance Council of Australia
James Hardie
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Mercer
Minerals Council of NSW
No TasWind Farm Group
Plymouth Brethren Christian Church
QPL
Sonartech Atlas
The Whitlam Institute
University of Western Sydney
Zurich Australia
L-R: Isabelle Walker; John Wells’ address to UWS School of Humanities and
Communications Arts; media at Habitat for Humanity CBA Donation announcement