Blue Sense Consulting is led by Michelle Dickson, a strategy, evaluation and planning professional with deep technical expertise and practical experience.
Michelle has worked across the public and private sectors on projects throughout Australia. She is known for bringing clear, structured thinking to complex problems and for working in a logical, culturally inclusive and collaborative way.
She has extensive experience supporting organisations, partnerships and communities to plan, design and make decisions across sectors and knowledge systems. Michelle works deliberately to create inclusive processes that support shared understanding and help balance power between stakeholders, ensuring diverse perspectives are respected and meaningfully inform outcomes.
Blue Sense Consulting works with a trusted network of collaborators to deliver high-quality strategy, program design and evaluation.
Collaborators
Each project is shaped by the people involved.
Blue Sense Consulting draws on a trusted network of collaborators to bring specialist expertise, complementary perspectives and depth where it’s needed. We work with people and organisations who share a commitment to rigorous thinking, evidence-based practice and practical outcomes.
Capability Statement
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We strike the balance in achieving a range of community, economic and environmental results, while helping our clients explore technical issues and compare possible solutions for complex problems.
We do this by understanding not only the problem to be addressed but the broader context of the issue through both science and consultation.
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Understanding how effective a program, project, or investment is critical to demonstrating outcomes and informing future decisions. We work with government, NGOs, communities, and landholders to deliver evidence-based evaluations that provide clear, practical insights into program performance, impact, and opportunities for improvement.
Our expertise includes program logic and theory of change development, process, outcome and impact evaluation, contribution analysis, mixed-methods evaluation, and participatory evaluation approaches. As a formally qualified evaluator and member of the Australian Evaluation Society (AES), we apply recognised evaluation methods and professional standards to deliver credible, robust findings that support accountability, learning, and continuous improvement.
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We design and facilitate engagement activities that are inclusive, transparent, and tailored to the needs of stakeholders. Our approach helps build trust, gather valuable insights, and ensure stakeholders have genuine opportunities to contribute to decisions that affect them.
We are committed to creating culturally safe and respectful environments where people feel heard, valued, and comfortable sharing their perspectives. Working with government, industry, communities, Traditional Owners, and landholders, we facilitate workshops, focus groups, meetings, and co-design processes in a practical, down-to-earth way that encourages participation and constructive discussion. We pride ourselves on making engagement accessible, purposeful, and outcomes-focused, helping build stronger relationships and better decisions.
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We provide analysis and insights into NRM solutions that are based in science and an understanding of economic principles. Understanding the economics of the environment and specific NRM solutions allows better informed decisions to be made.
This includes analysing both the benefits of investing in certain programs and solutions as well as the costs and risks to achieving outcomes.
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We help organisations plan for the natural, built and social assets of coastal environments. We understand the complex nature of managing the coast and the pressures faced from population growth and climate change. Our approach will help you consider future scenarios and develop clearly defined outcomes and priorities for action.
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We help organisations, NRM groups, communities, and landholders understand climate risks and incorporate practical adaptation measures into project design and decision-making. We support clients to design evidence-based, place-based solutions that help protect natural assets, strengthen community resilience, and ensure environmental investments continue to deliver long-term outcomes under changing climate conditions.
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Healthy waterways and catchments are vital to supporting biodiversity, productive landscapes, cultural values, and resilient communities. We take an integrated catchment management approach that recognises waterways as living systems, shaped by the connections between land, water, people, and ecosystems.
We work with government, Traditional Owners, landholders, and communities to develop practical, evidence-based strategies that improve waterway health, strengthen catchment resilience, and address pressures such as climate change, land use change, erosion, and habitat loss. Our solutions are designed to deliver long-term environmental, social, and cultural outcomes while supporting sustainable stewardship of catchments and waterways.