Sustainability Victoria (SV) hosted a forum recently for Victorian public servants to advance the practice of long-term thinking across Government.
Celebrating the success of its ‘Futures Forum’, SV said that thinking about the long-term future was something Governments must do to ensure a preferred and sustainable future.
“That’s why Sustainability Victoria is keen to foster ‘futures’ thinkers, to encourage and grow foresight across the Victorian public service and wider community,” SV said.
“Long-term challenges require long-term thinking, and many Government decisions need to consider the future decades in advance to inform investment, planning, and behaviour change,” it said.
“Long-term strategic thinking is one of our most important tools on the road to a circular, climate-resilient future.”
SV said its Futures Forum brought more than 75 public servants from 22 Government Agencies together in the first in-person meeting of the newly formed Future and Foresight Network.
It said the wide range of attendants demonstrated the broad appeal of long-term strategic thinking across the State’s public service.
“Attendees heard from presenters representing Melbourne Water, the EPA and more, demonstrating how they are using long-term thinking to help their organisations better plan for a preferred future,” it said.
“Encouraging decision-makers to use different parts of their brains was seen as a powerful way to achieve this.
“The event’s Futures Bazaar activity offered valuable opportunities for collaboration across teams with a shared interest in sustainable futures.”
It said that by providing many light bulb moments, the interactive and creative workshop tested attendants’ imaginations, encouraging them to consider future worlds and bring them to life using objects from the ‘bazaar’.
Sustainability Victoria said it would continue to support collaboration through events like the Futures Forum to ensure Agencies were working together and preparing for a preferable and sustainable future.
