True North Strategic Communication

05/10/2026

🌟 This award season has been one of our best – we’re doubling down and are thrilled to share another finalist announcement! 🌟

We’re proud to be selected as a finalist in the Engagement Institute's 2026 Engagement Excellence Awards for our work with Defence Australia delivering a new engagement framework for culturally informed PFAS communication.

The project reflects our commitment to facilitating meaningful engagement opportunities across the Territory’s diverse communities, including with First Nations people.

We’re honoured to once again represent the Territory on the national stage. Wish us luck!

21/09/2026

Community Relations and Engagement Campaign of the Year ⭐️🏆

We were incredibly excited to take home a gold award at Communication and Public Relations Australia’s Golden Target Awards in Sydney last week.

Having our work connecting organisations with their communities celebrated alongside Australia’s best is meaningful recognition for a Territory business which we’re proud of.

This project for Defence Australia was a team effort over many years – a big congratulations to Bethany, Grace and Sarah for their hard work.

11/09/2026

True North is proud to announce a partnership with Rob Smart from Liftoff Australia!

Rob has joined the True North team as an Engagement Specialist to lend his expertise to our projects across the Territory.

Rob is a Warumungu and Wakaya man with broad experience in strategic engagement, Indigenous affairs, governance, economic development, construction, resources, training and employment. He has worked across government, business and the not-for-profit sector, leading community and stakeholder engagement throughout remote and regional Australia.

As the founder of Liftoff Australia and an experienced board director, Rob brings a practical understanding of business, governance, industry and communities, and the importance of ensuring local knowledge and community perspectives inform decision-making.

Rob will be kicking off with leading engagement for some of our projects in the resources, energy and infrastructure space.

Welcome, Rob! 🤝

21/08/2026

We are proud to announce that we have been shortlisted in THREE categories for the Communication and Public Relations Australia Golden Target Awards!! 🥳

⭐ Government Campaign
⭐ Community Relations and Engagement Campaign
⭐ Professional of the Year - Bethany Thornton

We are chuffed to just be shortlisted and are very proud to have our hard work and best practice approach recognised on the national stage 👏

21/08/2026

This week we are celebrating our Office Manager, Joy 🌟

Joy is the oil in our machine, the wind beneath our wings, and the coffee in our Yeti travel mugs. She keeps the team ticking, reminds us of our schedules and welcomes everyone to the office with a smile.

Joy is celebrating 10 years with True North. She joined our team in August 2016, just a we rebranded to True North Strategic Communication. During this time she has seen the business change and grow and has been an essential part of this story.

Thank you Joy for an incredible 10 years! 👏

23/07/2026

City of Darwin is developing a community plaza and want the community's help to solve the puzzle of that the Civic Centre Community Plaza will be 🧩

The six-week engagement period, running until Friday 28 August 2026, gives residents, businesses and visitors the opportunity to share their ideas on the facilities, features and amenities they would like to see in the plaza, which will connect the new Civic Centre to the heart of Darwin.

Visit us at one of our many information stands around the city to give us your puzzle piece on what this space could be and what matters most to you!

Grace Amanatidis Raissa Kirana

20/07/2026

Consultation season is in full swing! 🌟

Over the past few weeks, our team has been out and about, chatting with community members and learning about what matters most. Every conversation helps shape the projects we’re working on with our clients 📋✍️

From mining to local government, our engagement teams have been connecting with communities to ensure local voices are heard.

We’ve got more consultation activities lined up over the next month, so keep an eye out for our team and come say hello if you see us around! 👋

13/07/2026

In this special edition of our newsletter, Managing Director Elena sits down with Bethany to share her reflections on 10 years of True North, and to celebrate 21 years in business. We've even included some throwback pics 📸

We also share what we've been up to in the busy start to 2026, look ahead to what’s in store for our team over the coming months and share our insights on the IAP2's proposed changes to the engagement spectrum.

You can read our 2026 dry season newsletter on our website

This year we celebrate 21 years in business and 10 years as True North. Read this special edition of our newsletter where we sit down with Managing Director Elena Madden to reflect on her journey owning a successful communication agency. 

02/07/2026

We have a number of community engagement projects coming up in July and August - so we’re here to debunk common misconceptions.

Engagement practitioners are the bridge between communities and organisations. We help both sides connect, understand one another and move projects forward with confidence.

Swipe through our slides to hear our thoughts on common questions - and don’t forget to say hi to the team when you see us out and about speaking to the community 🤝💬

28/05/2026

We’ve been a bit quiet on here lately, and for good reason 👀

Elena is about to head off on her 4th trip to the Barkly this year, speaking to stakeholders and community members about major project proposals 🚗 ☀️

Bethany and Grace have been out co-designing culturally informed engagement frameworks and comms materials with Indigenous stakeholder groups ✍️📖

Consultation season is right around the corner and Sevasti and Raissa are in full preparation mode, gearing up to give locals an opportunity to have their say on council projects 🗣️

And Jill and Sarah are providing media strategy and liaison for a significant upcoming international media visit 📰🎙️

There’s never a dull day in the True North office and we’re loving the variety of opportunities we’re being given this year 🫶