Kismet Forward was created by Jen Lilburn in 2007 and is based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia.

Jen and her colleagues have diverse skills and experience in inclusive facilitation, authentic community engagement, specialist strategy development and robust evaluation. We will help you build lasting relationships with your communities and stakeholders and help you make more informed and enduring decisions.

We have worked with a broad range of public and private organisations across many sectors, including natural resource management, waste, community and family services, planning, tourism and hospitality, health (including with First Nations organisations), earth resources, regional development, energy, export, horticulture and food and wine production.

Jen ensures that Kismet Forward always has the necessary capacity and skills to meet the needs of clients. If we can’t do it within time and budget requirements, we don’t take it on.

As active members of the International Association for Public Participation, we adopt the following Code of Ethics:

Purpose. We support public participation as a process to make better decisions that incorporate the interests and concerns of all affected stakeholders and meet the needs of the decision-making body.

Role of Practitioner. We will enhance the public’s participation in the decision-making process and assist decision makers in being responsive to the public’s concerns and suggestions.

Trust. We will undertake and encourage actions that build trust and credibility for the process among all the participants.

Defining the Public’s Role. We will carefully consider and accurately portray the public’s role in the decision-making process.

Openness. We will encourage the disclosure of all information relevant to the public’s understanding and evaluation of a decision.

Access to the Process. We will ensure that stakeholders have fair and equal access to the public participation process and the opportunity to influence decisions.

Respect for Communities. We will avoid strategies that risk polarising community interest or that appear to “divide and conquer”.

Advocacy. We will advocate for the public participation process and will not advocate for a particular interest, party or project outcome.

Commitments. We will ensure that all commitments made to the public, including those by the decision maker, are in good faith.

Support of the Practice. We will mentor new practitioners in the field and educate decision makers and the public about the value and use of public participation.