The Local SDGs Program

Our first SDGs in Action seminar on 19 February 2020 in Melbourne looked at how the Local SDGs Program from Deakin and Monash Universities is using the SDGs framework as a tool for building community resilience.

Quick links

• Summary article with video snippents and presentation downloads from the Local SDGs Program team
• Full video

The Local SDGs Program

The Local SDGs Program is developing an approach to increase the resilience of Australia’s regional and rural communities and enable people and nature to prosper and thrive. The Program was launched in 2019 by Deakin University in collaboration with Monash University, The Ian Potter Foundation, local communities and 23 agencies in two case study regions of Forrest/Otways and Goulburn-Murray in Victoria.

Using the SDGs framework, as well as a mix of participatory and quantitative modelling methods, the Program is working with the case study communities to assess options for simultaneously improving multiple socio-economic and environmental outcomes in their regions, and to chart robust pathways to implement the best options. The project ultimately hopes to build on these case studies to develop an approach that could be taken up by rural and regional communities across Australia.

About the seminar

The seminar explored this innovative Program, in particular:

• How the Program is using the SDGs framework, why it chose to use it, and how this approach might be useful for other applications in our region.
• The initial learnings and recommendations emerging from the Program that could help others in engaging with the SDGs.
• Sharing information and network with others who are interested in the SDGs across government, business, academia, civil society, the community, and others in Melbourne and beyond.

We had a stellar line up of speakers and panellists who shared their experiences and insights
with us, including:

• Prof Brett Bryan – Alfred Deakin Professor & Local SDGs Program Director, Deakin University
• Katrina Szetey – PhD Candidate, Deakin University, on behalf of the community representatives
• David Rourke – Regional Manager Forest and Fire Planning, Barwon South West Region, Forest, Fire and Regions, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP)
• Prof John Thwaites – Chair, SDSN Australia, NZ & Pacific and Monash Sustainable Development Institute
• Dr Enayat A. Moallemi – Research Fellow, Local SDGs Program, Deakin University
• Dr Shirin Malekpour – Senior Lecturer & Program Social Science Lead, Monash University
• Dianty Ningrum – PhD Candidate – Local Governance, Monash University
• Reinaneh Bandari – PhD Candidate – Goulburn-Murray, Deakin University

Stay in touch with the organisers

We invite you to stay in touch with the organisers, all of whom do extensive work in the SDGs space:

• The Local SDGs Program: W: www.localsdgs.org | T: @LocalSDGs
• Monash Sustainable Development Institute: W: www.monash.edu/sustainable-development | T: @MonashMSDI
• SDSN Australia, NZ & Pacific, and future SDGs in Action seminars: W: ap-unsdsn.org | T: @SDSNAusNZPac

The SDGs in Action Seminar Series

This seminar is launching the SDGs in Action Seminar Series , hosted by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Australia, New Zealand and Pacific in partnership with SDSN members and other organisations. The series aims to showcase and learn from innovative cross-sector examples in our region of how the SDGs framework can be a driver of better, more ambitious and more forward looking decision-making.

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