Pathways into place-based work

This map shows different ways people contribute to place-based work – individually and collectively. It helps you orient yourself in the work, based on where you are right now.

You can start anywhere. Follow what feels familiar, or explore other ways of getting involved. Click a pathway or practice point to explore further.

Don’t know where to start? Visit the collective and individual pathway pages to get a sense of the different parts of the map.

Pathways Map - Key

This map shows different ways people contribute to place-based work - individually and collectively - and where those forms of work connect.

Colours

Green - Individual pathways

Red - Collective pathways

Pathways

Each colour contains three pathways.

Pathways represent different ways of contributing, not stages or levels.

Practice points

Each circle represents a practice within a pathway.

Select a highlighted practice point to explore reflections, activities and resources.

You can visit practices in any order and return to them at any time.

Overlaps

The blue highlighted areas show where individual and collective pathways connect.

These highlight shared practices that influence both personal contribution and the wider conditions for place-based work.

Overlaps are shared ground, not additional steps.

How to use the map

There is no start or end.

Begin wherever feels most relevant to you.

Explore one pathway or move between several.

The map is designed for exploration rather than a fixed sequence.

Designing fair structures

Entry into place-based work is shaped by systems that determine who is recognised, trusted and resourced – including recruitment, commissioning, funding and governance processes.

This can look like award classifications that do not fit relational roles, slow clearance processes, or compliance settings that limit local participation.

Access is not shaped by hiring alone. It also depends on how roles are defined, whose knowledge is recognised and whether people can move across contexts.

Broadening definitions of merit and designing roles with local insight can open up who is able to step in, stay involved and return.

Reflect on:

how different forms of experience and contribution – including lived experience, cultural knowledge and community responsibility – are recognised and valued

where formal requirements or processes create barriers to local or cross-sector entry

how people hear about and access opportunities beyond formal or advertised channels

how expectations, norms and risk or compliance settings shape who is seen as able to take on place-based roles

where existing rules or timelines slow participation – for example, clearances, paperwork or funding cycles that do not align with how the work unfolds.

Small step

Review one upcoming decision or process you’re involved in – such as recruitment, commissioning, funding or governance.

Identify one barrier that may limit access, such as rigid requirements, inaccessible language or complex processes. Adjust one element to make entry clearer and fairer.

Go deeper

Unpaid Work fact sheet (Fair Work Ombudsman) clarifies when unpaid roles or placements are lawful, and when work must be paid. The fact sheet is useful when designing entry points or community roles where informal contribution is common.

Building partnerships with CALD organisations (Multicultural NSW, 2022) supports organisations to work with culturally diverse community structures. It can help identify who may be missing from current pathways and how to widen participation.

DEI Hiring: How to Create Inclusive Job Descriptions (InclusionHub, 2020) explains how to write role descriptions that recognise diverse experience, including lived experience, and reduce unnecessary barriers at the point of entry.

On the Record (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2012) outlines fair and lawful approaches to hiring people with prior justice involvement. It can support review of exclusion rules that limit access to work.

Return to 'Opening the door'

Explore the pathway