powering Australia's discovery of the third place

MEDIA RELEASE:  A new website launched today by Australian Labor is an exciting first step to strengthening ties to the community by providing the first social media platform purpose built for an Australian political party.

A pioneering social networking and community engagement platform, called Campaign iQ, will enhance the existing alp.org.au portal, allowing Federal Labor to form direct relationships with its members and supporters, facilitate online conversations and foster community advocacy through participation.

Australian Labor National Secretary Karl Bitar said: “This platform will enable the public to be at the centre of the political debate through increased participation, collaboration and a deeper level of engagement with the Party.”

The new platform includes:

1) An interactive website designed to build and strengthen the Party’s relationship with the community (www.alp.org.au)

2) LaborConnect – A grassroots social network tool that assists supporters to organise their local campaign.  Like Facebook, users can form a profile, add friends, join or start a group and participate in discussion.

3) ThinkTank – An ideas incubator where the community can participate in policy formulation, consultation and debate.

“This is not about social gimmicks but about genuine engagement and lowering the barrier to participation in the Labor Party and Labor movement,” Mr Bitar said.

An Australian innovation, Campaign iQ was developed by Campaigns & Communications Group (C&C Group) and Community Engine, the two Australian firms charged with engineering online social networking for Australian Labor. The website brings together C&C Group’s strategic political thinking and Community Engine’s leading-edge social networking and community engagement technology platform to deliver an innovative and effective communication resource for the Australian electorate.

C&C Group Managing Director Michael Allen said: “The power of social media as a way to communicate in political campaigns was unrivalled, as evidenced by Barack Obama’s successful presidential campaign.”

“The rise of social media as a political communications tool is on a par with the advent of television and the telephone – it has forever changed the way political parties connect with voters and is an important component of effective campaigning.”

“Campaign iQ offers a dynamic online presence that moves beyond tradition digital boundaries to allow the ALP to more effectively engage with voters and to act,” Mr Allen said.

Community Engine Managing Director Piers Hogarth-Scott said: “It is a privilege to be at the centre of a renewal in the way political parties engage with the public. We believe in the power of communities and we aim to add value to them by making communication with, and among, all their members easier. The Federal Labor Party, through this initiative is acutely aware of how important that communication is.”

He added that Community Engine’s commitment to the medium of social networking was all about enhancing the way people connect and interact with their communities, be that a community of place, profession or of personal interest.

“Ultimately, our objective is to facilitate deeper community engagement through the delivery of powerful communication tools. We believe in the power of communities and we aim to add value to them by making communication with, and among, all their members easier. The Federal Labor Party, through this initiative, is acutely aware of how important that communication is,” he said.

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For more information, please contact:

Simon Lloyd
Senior Consultant
Access Public Relations
P: 02 9279 4001
M: 0424 470 923
E: simon@accesspr.com.au

About Campaigns & Communications Group (C&C Group)

Campaigns & Communications Group (www.candcgroup.com.au) is an Australian company that draws on the best Australian political expertise and the very latest skills from abroad to deliver premium political campaign strategy and tools.  C&C Group specialises in political campaigns and the unique dynamics that drive them. Staff at C&C have played a central role in every major Australian state and federal election for the past 20 years and are battle tested in the U.S. political campaign system, working on local, state and federal races.  C&C Group’s client list includes state and federal ALP, various union, corporate and not-for-profit organisations.  C&C Group is headquartered in Sydney.

About Community Engine

Community Engine (www.communityengine.com) provides social media, membership management & community engagement technology, products and services to all types of organisations. Community Engine’s social networking technology directly connects businesses to their customers, associations to their members, politicians to their constituents, management to their staff and people to their communities. Community Engine’s growing client base includes Events New South Wales, the ACTU, the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia, the Australian Labor Party, the Australia Council for the Arts, National Parks & Wildlife, Creative Sydney, Tourism Tasmania, the Transport Workers Union of Australia and FBI Radio. Community Engine was established in 2007 and is headquartered in Sydney with local offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Melbourne and Perth.

posted by Venessa in the category Press Releases Social Media Social networking
Tags: ALP, Australian Labor Party, C&C, Federal Labor