Engaged Outcomes

Engaged Outcomes We exist to 'lift' leaders and engage people to create impactful outcomes.

13/08/2026

What if agriculture and energy stopped competing over separate slices of the pie and built something bigger together? 🤝

With a background spanning agriculture and regional development, Chris Sounness shares why genuine collaboration could help both industries grow while creating stronger regional economies and more lasting opportunities for rural communities.

🎧 Listen to the full episode of the emPOWER Podcast:
https://www.engagedoutcomes.com.au/empower-podcast

Proudly supported by The Energy Charter.

11/08/2026

Is coexistence setting the bar too low? 🌾⚡

Chris Sounness, CEO of Wimmera Southern Mallee Development - previously WDA, challenges the idea that agriculture and energy should simply tolerate one another. Instead, he asks what could be achieved if both industries worked together to deliver stronger outcomes for regional communities.

🎧 Listen to the full episode of the emPOWER Podcast:
https://www.engagedoutcomes.com.au/empower-podcast

Proudly supported by The Energy Charter.

10/08/2026

Some changes may be outside a region’s control, but they are not outside its influence. 🗣️

Drawing on his work as CEO of Wimmera Southern Mallee Development - previously WDA, Chris Sounness explains why good news stories alone will not build trust, and why progress starts with listening and focusing on what communities and companies can shape together.

🎧 Listen to the full episode of the emPOWER Podcast:
https://www.engagedoutcomes.com.au/empower-podcast

Proudly supported by The Energy Charter.

Regional communities don’t have to simply absorb the energy transition. They can help shape what it means for their futu...
06/08/2026

Regional communities don’t have to simply absorb the energy transition. They can help shape what it means for their future.

In the latest episode of the Empower podcast, Wendy Agar speaks with Chris Sounness, CEO of Wimmera Southern Mallee Development, about what genuine regional influence can look like in practice.

They explore how communities, agriculture, energy companies and government can work together around a shared table, why trust has to be built through action, and why Chris believes “coexistence” between agriculture and energy is setting the bar too low.

🎧 Listen to Beyond Co-existence: Can Regions Shape Their Energy Future? https://www.engagedoutcomes.com.au/empower-podcast

This episode is part of the Regions at the Helm series, proudly supported by The Energy Charter.

What if coexistence is setting the bar too low?As billions of dollars of energy investment moves into regional Australia...
04/08/2026

What if coexistence is setting the bar too low?

As billions of dollars of energy investment moves into regional Australia, the question is no longer simply how agriculture, communities and energy projects can exist alongside one another.

It’s how regions can have genuine influence over what comes next.

In the latest episode of the Empower podcast, Wendy Agar speaks with Chris Sounness, CEO of Wimmera Southern Mallee Development, about a different approach to the energy transition: bringing communities, energy companies, agriculture, councils and government to a shared table to tackle challenges collectively.

Together they explore the lessons from the nationally recognised Wimmera Southern Mallee Regional Energy Collaboration, why renewable energy host landholders need support beyond commercial agreements, and why Chris believes it's time to move beyond co-existence and rethink the relationship between agriculture and renewable energy.

As Chris puts it: “A lot of these changes are outside of our control, but they’re not outside of our influence.”

🎧 Beyond Co-existence: Can Regions Shape Their Energy Future? | Chris Sounness

Listen to the latest episode of the Empower podcast now: https://www.engagedoutcomes.com.au/empower-podcast

31/07/2026

Outrage, not hazard, drives reputation.

It's one of the most important principles in risk communication, yet one of the most misunderstood.
In this clip, Kelly Parkinson explains why people often reject even low risks when they feel unheard, and what that means for community engagement.

🎧 Listen to the full episode of the emPOWER Podcast: https://www.engagedoutcomes.com.au/empower-podcast

Proudly supported by Powerlink Queensland.

30/07/2026

People don't need more information first. They need to feel heard.

As Kelly Parkinson explains, understanding precedes advice. When people know they've been understood, they're far more open to the conversation that follows.

🎧 Listen to the full episode of the emPOWER Podcast: https://www.engagedoutcomes.com.au/empower-podcast

Proudly supported by Powerlink Queensland.

29/07/2026

What if the biggest barrier to better engagement isn't the community, but how organisations respond?

This conversation explores why empathy, validation and understanding matter more than simply providing more information.

🎧 Listen to the full episode: https://www.engagedoutcomes.com.au/empower-podcast

Proudly supported by Powerlink Queensland.

“There is one universal law for risk communication, which is outrage, not hazard drives reputation.”In community engagem...
23/07/2026

“There is one universal law for risk communication, which is outrage, not hazard drives reputation.”

In community engagement, the technical facts matter - but they are not always what shapes trust.

In Episode 40 of emPOWER, Kelly Parkinson explains why people’s concerns are often driven by much more than the level of risk itself. Control, fairness, trust, responsiveness and whether people feel heard can all influence how a project is received.

It is a powerful reminder that when emotions are running high, effective engagement is not about winning an information battle. It is about understanding what is really driving concern and creating space for better conversations.

This episode is part of the Working in the Middle: Engagement on the Ground During the Energy Transition series, proudly supported by Powerlink Queensland.

🎧 Listen now: https://www.engagedoutcomes.com.au/empower-podcast

If you've ever walked away from a conversation wondering, "Why didn't that help?" this episode of emPOWER is for you.Fol...
21/07/2026

If you've ever walked away from a conversation wondering, "Why didn't that help?" this episode of emPOWER is for you.

Following on from our conversation with Andrew Brier about caring for ourselves while doing this work, Episode 40 asks a different question: How do we better care for the people we're engaging with?

In this latest episode, Wendy Agar is joined by Kelly Parkinson to unpack what it really means to work with outrage during community engagement, especially when trust has broken down and emotions are running high.

Kelly is a specialist in risk and crisis communication, with decades of experience supporting organisations through complex public concerns, controversial infrastructure projects and high-pressure community issues across Australia and internationally.

Together, Wendy and Kelly explore why facts alone rarely change minds, why people need to feel heard before they can take in information, and how practitioners can listen for the real reasons behind concern, fear and resistance.

If you work in community engagement, land access, energy or infrastructure, this episode will leave you thinking differently about the conversations you have every day.

Because when facts are not enough, understanding outrage can change the conversation.

🎧 Listen now: https://www.engagedoutcomes.com.au/empower-podcast

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