In a year with a Federal Election, our work at TSD had the potential to look different to what we expected.
Elections and major reforms or changes in government, like Machinery of Government changes, impact the work we do. From shifting timeframes or major delays, to managing a sudden influx of projects with regular clients who trust us to deliver quickly and effectively.
2025 was one of those years.
It was also another year to be a proud small agency contributing to very big policy issues. From talking about aged care reforms with First Nations communities, workers and providers to engaging on what needs to change in the Disability Discrimination Act, we were front and centre on helping to deliver on recommendations of recent Royal Commissions.
Once again, the year also highlighted the challenge governments face in adapting when the ‘weather’ changes. Big, expensive solutions don’t always translate into better outcomes on the ground. Our work continues to focus on practical, community-informed approaches that ensure governments respond with solutions that work for the people that are affected by them.
Our small team-big delivery is testament to our highly capable and hard-working team. A team of people, each with their own unique skills and expertise to tackle complex work. Everything from engaging on sensitive social policy issues to creating imaginative illustrations, we bring it all together to ensure public policy makes sense.
Our big achievement of 2025 was the diversity of work we did. While we had about the same number of projects overall, we worked across more diverse areas than ever.
- Where once, more than 70% of our work focused on tackling social issues, this year we saw a shift to 70% + of project focused on health, mental health, aged care and legislative reform.
- We still maintained our focus on social policy areas though, including disability, particularly in the intersection of disability and other areas of life like transport and education, where there are many barriers governments and services need to better address.
Our goals for 2026 are to listen and further evolve the ways we work. In the face of increasing digital pressures (and opportunities), mainly use of AI, we aren’t being left behind. BUT we’ve made a conscious decision to utilise AI to improve our own systems and still leave our humans to listen, learn and analyse.
We’re excited to see what 2026 brings. If you are keen to work with a smaller agency who can deliver big, is purpose driven and regional, get in touch team@thesocialdeck.com.
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