September 2, 2026
A defining feature of the Climate Systems Hub is its team of Knowledge Brokers, professionals embedded within state and territory government organisations who sit at the interface between climate scientists and those who use climate science to inform decisions.
First Person Consulting conducted a Social Network Analysis (SNA) of the Knowledge Broker network. They mapped the connections the Knowledge Brokers have built across jurisdictions, to explore the value they provide, and capture feedback and insights from the network for the analysis.
The breadth and density of the network, and the value reported by those within it, demonstrate that the Knowledge Brokers are doing what the model was designed for: connecting climate science to the people and organisations that need it.
The five Knowledge Brokers from NSW, Victoria, SA, WA and a national coordinator, form a national network, working together through a buddy system to support colleagues in the ACT, Queensland, Northern Territory and Tasmania. The team holds together a network that would not exist as a connected whole without them. If the Knowledge Brokers were removed the network would fragment. .
Value of the Knowledge Broker team:
- The Knowledge Brokers brought 220 unique organisations into contact with hub scientists.
- The Knowledge Brokers create the network’s connective tissue by acting as key bridges between stakeholders – connecting state and territory governments into national climate science and federal policy infrastructure.
- Knowledge Brokers add value. Most people who engage with them find the interaction meaningful to their work. Almost all saw value in their interactions and most interactions contributed to climate change work and thinking.
- Knowledge Brokers don’t just create individual connections, they facilitate network to network connections.
- The network is deep, broad and diverse. It is deep within the represented jurisdictions and broad across the country. This creates multiple pathways for scientists to reach stakeholders.
- Knowledge Brokers are the central connectors and they also leverage the network to help information move further around it.