Why collaboration is important

In our jobs we tackle everything from delivering daily services to complex challenges like housing affordability, community safety, and regional development. We often need to work with other teams, agencies, sectors and stakeholders, bringing together different skills, knowledge and expertise. Collaboration helps us address these challenges and deliver results.

Benefits of working together

When agencies collaborate effectively, all Queenslanders benefit. Here’s how:

• It encourages a whole-of-government approach, breaks down silos and improves decision-making.
• Improved service delivery through integrated and streamlined operations. For example, in the areas of health, education and youth justice.
• Resources are used more strategically, reducing duplicated efforts and services.
• Enabling evidence-based policymaking though shared research and data.
• Collaboration builds stronger networks, encourages knowledge-sharing and helps develop skills across the public sector.
• Improved responsiveness to machinery-of-government changes, enabling a quicker establishment of business-as-usual operations.

Working with other agencies

Collaboration between agencies helps achieve shared goals that no single agency can tackle alone. It involves:

• building trust and working together as a team
• setting and aligning common goals
• sharing knowledge, resources, and expertise
• clearly defining roles and responsibilities
• creating clear processes for sharing information
• regularly checking progress and adapting as needed.

Cross-agency collaboration in practice

Here are some examples of how agencies can work together:

• Holding joint planning sessions across agencies to create shared work plans, timelines and responsibilities.
• Running workshops or scenario planning sessions with multiple agencies to prepare for emerging challenges.
• Sharing information using shared platforms to exchange data, monitor progress and stay aligned as work evolves.
• Pooling resources through joint funding arrangements to support shared programs or initiatives.
• Setting up working groups or steering committees that outline agreements and governance to guide collaboration and decision-making.

Working with other sectors

Government doesn’t work in isolation. Effective problem solving requires collaboration with people outside government—including community organisations, the public sector, academia, and people with lived experience.

Benefits of cross-sector collaboration

The benefits of effective collaboration with external stakeholders include:

• more responsive policies and services that adapt to evolving community needs
• better decision making through diverse expertise and perspectives
• improved service delivery by leveraging the strengths of multiple sectors
• strengthened community partnerships and engagement
• increased transparency and trust with community.

Cross-sector collaboration in practice

Here are some examples of how sectors can work together:

• Partnering with non-profits or community groups to reach people most affected by an issue.
• Engaging businesses in trialling new solutions or supporting local capability.
• Running community engagement sessions early and often, not just at the end of a project.
• Connecting with universities or researchers to bring in evidence and new thinking to shape policy and program design.
• Using co-design to shape services and policies in partnership with service users.