Frequently Asked Questions

Social Capital Advisory is a specialist corporate affairs and government relations consultancy based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded by Chris Hanna, a former political adviser and corporate affairs director with over 16 years of experience across government and industry, SCA provides strategic counsel to organisations operating in the energy, resources, infrastructure, and government sectors. Unlike large national firms that rotate junior staff through engagements, SCA delivers senior-level attention on every project, drawing on a curated network of independent subject matter experts. The firm treats corporate affairs as a C-suite strategic management function, not a support service.

Social Capital Advisory was founded by Chris Hanna, who serves as Director. Chris brings over 16 years of combined experience inside South Australian state government and leading corporate affairs for a critical energy infrastructure organisation. That career gave him a direct understanding of how government decisions are actually made in South Australia — from cabinet processes and ministerial briefings to departmental approvals and regulatory frameworks. He founded SCA to bridge the gap between organisations with strong projects and the political, regulatory, and stakeholder environments those projects must navigate to succeed.

Social Capital Advisory specialises in five key sectors: energy and transmission, renewable energy, mining and resources, infrastructure, and government. These sectors were chosen deliberately — they represent the industries where South Australia’s economic future is being shaped, and where the intersection between private investment and public policy is most complex.

Social Capital Advisory is based in Adelaide, South Australia. Being genuinely local is central to the firm’s value proposition. South Australia has a compact political and business environment where relationships, reputation, and local knowledge carry significant weight. SCA’s Adelaide base means the firm maintains active relationships across both sides of South Australian politics, state government departments, statutory authorities, local government, and federal agencies operating in the state.

Engaging Social Capital Advisory starts with a conversation. Contact the firm directly via email at info@socialcapitaladvisory.com.au or phone on +61 478 181 955, or use the contact form on the website. There is no obligation and no sales process — the initial discussion is about understanding your situation and providing honest advice on whether and how SCA can help. Engagements are scoped to the project and its approval pathway, fixed-fee wherever possible, with a short scoping conversation to confirm the work before anything is committed.

Social Capital Advisory is differentiated by three factors. First, direct senior-level engagement — clients work with the Director and experienced specialists, not junior account managers. Second, genuine local depth — SCA’s relationships and knowledge are built from years inside South Australian government and industry. Third, an integrated AI-enhanced model — the firm uses artificial intelligence across research, political monitoring, and stakeholder analysis, extending its analytical capability while keeping strategic judgement firmly human.

Corporate affairs is the strategic management function responsible for how an organisation relates to its external environment — governments, regulators, communities, media, industry bodies, and the broader public. It encompasses government relations, stakeholder engagement, media and communications, reputation management, crisis preparedness, and community engagement. In best-practice organisations, corporate affairs operates as a C-suite function that shapes business strategy, not merely a support function that responds to external events. Read our complete guide to corporate affairs for more detail.

Government relations is the practice of strategically engaging with government decision-makers — ministers, departmental officials, regulators, and parliamentary committees — to advance an organisation’s policy and commercial interests. In South Australia, government relations is critically important because the state’s economy is driven by sectors where government approval, regulation, and political support directly affect project viability. Learn more about our government relations service.

Corporate affairs and public relations are related but distinct disciplines. Public relations primarily focuses on media management, publicity, and brand communication. Corporate affairs is broader and more strategic, encompassing government relations, regulatory engagement, stakeholder mapping, crisis management, community engagement, and policy advocacy alongside media and communications. The critical difference is that corporate affairs operates at the intersection of business strategy, politics, and regulation, whereas public relations typically operates within a communications function.

Social licence to operate is the ongoing acceptance and approval of an organisation’s activities by its stakeholders and the broader community. Unlike a regulatory licence, social licence is not granted by government — it is earned through consistent, transparent engagement with the communities and stakeholders affected by an organisation’s operations. In sectors like energy, mining, and infrastructure, social licence is often the determining factor in whether a project proceeds, stalls, or is abandoned. See our social licence and stakeholder engagement service.

Organisations need a corporate affairs strategy because the political, regulatory, and community environment directly affects their ability to operate, grow, and maintain their reputation. Without a deliberate strategy, organisations tend to engage with government reactively, respond to media crises without preparation, and discover community opposition only after it has mobilised. In South Australia’s energy and resources sectors, where regulatory approvals, political support, and social licence are prerequisites for project delivery, a corporate affairs strategy is not optional — it is a commercial necessity.

Lobbying refers specifically to direct advocacy to government decision-makers on behalf of a client, with the aim of influencing policy outcomes or regulatory actions. Government relations is the broader practice of managing an organisation’s relationship with all levels of government, including stakeholder mapping, political monitoring, regulatory strategy, government submissions, and ongoing relationship maintenance — of which lobbying may be one component. In South Australia, government relations practitioners must comply with the state’s lobbyist register requirements and operate transparently.

An organisation should invest in government relations before it needs government support, not after a problem has emerged. Key triggers include entering a new market or jurisdiction, seeking regulatory approvals, responding to policy changes that affect operations, managing a reputational issue with political dimensions, or preparing for a major project announcement. In South Australia, where the political environment is compact and relationships carry significant weight, early and genuine engagement consistently produces better outcomes than last-minute interventions.

Corporate affairs supports major projects by managing the political, regulatory, stakeholder, and community dimensions that determine whether a project gains the approvals and social licence needed to proceed. For energy, mining, and infrastructure projects in South Australia, this typically includes government engagement strategy, stakeholder identification and engagement planning, community consultation, media and communications strategy, issues identification and risk management, and political monitoring throughout the approvals process.

Our government relations service helps organisations engage strategically with South Australian state and local government. The service includes stakeholder mapping across ministers, departments, statutory authorities, and parliamentary committees; regulatory approvals strategy; policy submissions and advocacy; political monitoring and intelligence; and coordination of government engagement on multi-jurisdictional matters.

Our issues and crisis management service prepares organisations for high-stakes situations that threaten reputation, operations, or stakeholder relationships. The service includes crisis preparedness planning and scenario testing, rapid-response communications during live incidents, stakeholder management during adverse events, media strategy and spokesperson preparation, and post-crisis review and reputation recovery planning.

Reputation management is the deliberate, strategic effort to shape how an organisation is perceived by its most important stakeholders. Our service includes reputation audit and benchmarking, narrative development and positioning, ongoing stakeholder perception monitoring, proactive reputation-building through thought leadership and media engagement, and defensive strategies for emerging reputational risks.

Corporate narrative and positioning is the process of defining and articulating what an organisation stands for, why it matters, and how it creates value — in language that resonates with its target audiences. A strong narrative is the foundation for effective government relations, stakeholder engagement, and media strategy.

Our social licence and stakeholder engagement service helps organisations earn and maintain the community acceptance required for project delivery. The service includes stakeholder identification and mapping, engagement strategy development, community consultation design and facilitation, social impact assessment support, ongoing stakeholder relationship management, and measurement of engagement effectiveness.

Our industry coalitions and partnerships service helps organisations build strategic alliances that amplify their influence on policy, regulation, and public discourse. The service includes identification of potential coalition partners, coalition strategy and governance design, joint advocacy and policy positions, industry body engagement and representation, and coordination of multi-party stakeholder initiatives.

Our media and communications service covers the full spectrum of strategic communications for organisations in regulated industries, including media strategy development, media relations and journalist engagement, spokesperson training, content development, digital communications strategy, and media monitoring and analysis.

Our internal communications service helps organisations align their workforce with strategic objectives, manage change effectively, and build organisational culture. The service includes internal communications strategy development, executive messaging and CEO communications, change management communications, employee engagement programmes, and alignment of internal and external messaging.

Our market entry and expansion service helps organisations entering or expanding within the South Australian market navigate the political, regulatory, and stakeholder landscape. The service includes market and political environment assessment, regulatory pathway mapping, government and stakeholder introduction strategy, local partnership identification, and public positioning strategy for market entry announcements.

Yes. SCA is designed to deliver integrated corporate affairs programmes that combine multiple services into a cohesive strategy. A programme is scoped to the project and its approval pathway and quoted as a fixed fee wherever possible, scaling the level of support from political intelligence through to full-service corporate affairs management. This eliminates the coordination gaps that occur when multiple agencies operate independently.

Engagements are scoped to the project and its approval pathway, and quoted as a fixed fee wherever possible. That covers defined pieces of work such as a community and stakeholder engagement plan, a government submission, or a crisis preparedness plan, as well as longer programmes of ongoing strategic support. We confirm the right scope with you in a short scoping conversation before anything is committed.

Every engagement is scoped to the project and its approval pathway, and quoted as a fixed fee wherever possible so you know the cost before work begins. The right scope depends on the stage of your project, the decisions and approvals in front of you, and the stakeholders involved. We confirm all of this in a short scoping conversation and then put a fixed-fee proposal in writing. Contact us to start that conversation.

Engagement duration varies with scope and objectives. Monthly retainer engagements are typically ongoing, with many clients maintaining relationships for 12 months or longer. Project-based engagements typically range from 4 to 16 weeks depending on complexity — a stakeholder mapping exercise may take 4 to 6 weeks, while a comprehensive government relations strategy may require 12 to 16 weeks.

We work with organisations operating in or entering South Australia’s energy, resources, infrastructure, and government sectors. Typical clients include energy companies developing generation or transmission assets, mining and resources companies seeking approvals, infrastructure developers, renewable energy developers, and interstate or international companies entering the South Australian market.

The first engagement follows a structured discovery process. It begins with an initial conversation — typically 30 to 60 minutes — where we listen to your situation, objectives, and challenges. There is no obligation and no sales pitch. If there is a fit, we prepare a proposal outlining the recommended scope, approach, timeline, and investment. Once engaged, the first phase typically involves a detailed assessment of your political, regulatory, and stakeholder environment before developing strategy.

Yes — SCA works nationally. The practice was built in South Australia’s energy transition, navigating the approvals, government relationships, and community engagement that determine whether renewable energy and infrastructure projects proceed. That track record is our proof of capability, and the same disciplines travel: we deliver community and stakeholder engagement plans for projects across Australia, working alongside proponents wherever their projects, approvals, and communities are.

South Australia’s energy transition is one of the most ambitious in the world, creating unprecedented demand for corporate affairs and government relations expertise. The state leads Australia in renewable energy penetration and is at the centre of national transmission planning, hydrogen development, and battery storage deployment. This means energy companies must navigate regulatory approvals, community consultation requirements, government funding processes, and political scrutiny that did not exist a decade ago.

Mining companies in South Australia face challenges driven by the intersection of economic opportunity and community scrutiny. Key challenges include navigating the SA Mining Act and associated environmental legislation, engaging with Aboriginal communities and traditional owners, managing community concerns about environmental and social impacts, coordinating across state and federal regulatory processes, and maintaining social licence throughout often lengthy exploration and development timelines.

We help infrastructure projects manage the political, regulatory, and community dimensions that determine whether a project gains approval and public support. Our infrastructure support typically includes government engagement across relevant departments and ministers, planning and approvals strategy, community and stakeholder engagement design, public communications and media strategy, and coordination with industry partners and contractors.

We work with South Australian government agencies and public sector organisations that require strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, and change management support. Our government experience means we understand the constraints and requirements of public sector communication — including caretaker conventions, ministerial approvals processes, and whole-of-government communications protocols — in a way that generalist communications agencies typically do not.

South Australia operates as a compact, relationship-driven political and business environment. Successful market entry requires more than regulatory compliance; it requires genuine local engagement, an understanding of state government priorities, and sensitivity to community expectations around local employment, procurement, and environmental management. Our market entry service helps navigate these dynamics.

Corporate affairs plays a central role in renewable energy project delivery because every major project requires government engagement, community acceptance, and regulatory approvals to proceed. In South Australia’s renewable energy sector, where public support is generally high but local opposition to specific projects can be intense, effective corporate affairs is often the difference between a project that proceeds on schedule and one that faces costly delays.