Matthew Crozier

Matthew Crozier is a co-founder and directors of Bang the Table, Duo Consulting and Crozier CGS. and is the Chairman of Compass Housing Services a not for profit community housing provider.

Background
A biographical note on the Bang the Table website states "Bang the Table Pty Ltd is an Australian business with two co-founders and Directors, Dr Crispin Butteriss and Matthew Crozier. Prior to founding Bang the Table, Butteriss and Crozier worked together at the New South Wales Department of Planning before setting up Duo Consulting in 2007. Duo specialised in developing and implementing strategies to engage communities and government. It was this experience in private practice that convinced Matt and Crispin that the internet could provide the community and government with a new way to engage in public policy debate."

The site goes on to state that Crozier was "born in London and raised in the UK, Canada and Germany. He migrated to Australia in 1998. Matt has spent time as the Regional Director for the Department of Planning in the Hunter, worked as the Conservation Director for the NSW Farmers Association and been a Senior Policy Advisor in the Premiers Department. Before relocating to Australia, Matt was Head of Rural Economy for the UK’s Rural Development Commission and Manager Environment for the London Underground. Matt has a first class honours degree in Economics, and two Masters Degrees; one in Environmental Economics and a second in Transport. Matt now lives in Newcastle with his wife and three daughters and is the current chairman of Compass Housing Services, a major not for profit community housing provider."

Promoting new housing at Catherine Hill Bay
The company Crozier CGS provided strategic advice to the group that lobbied the NSW Planning Minister to have the site adjacent to the pristine Catherine Hill Bay a Heritage "coastal village of about 100 houses... located approximately 100km north of Sydney on the Wallarah Peninsula" declared a 'State Significant Site which enabled large development approvals. This ministerial approval drew strong objections from the Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales and the local 'Save The Bay Camapaign'. Articles on the topic appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Crozier also provided advice on many other residential and industrial developments in NSW including sites through the Hunter Valley, Sydney and the Mid North Coast as well as to Wyong Shire Council, Tamworth Regional Council and the University of Newcastle.

In June 2008 Crozier quit the consultancy in order to focus on the Bang the Table business which specialises hosting web-based "discussions" on behalf of clients. The blog Online Community Consultation is now written by Crozier with his business partner Dr Crispin Butteriss.

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Public relations firms/Australia

Articles by Crozier

 * Matthew Crozier, "Local Government Web Network 2008 Conference Podcast", Local Government Web Network, 2008.
 * Matthew Crozier, "Opportunity and need, Matthew Crozier explains his transition from public servant and consultant to online engagement provider" Online Community Engagement, April 2009.
 * Matthew Crozier, "Matthew Crozier on Open Forum - The Imperative for Government to Engage Online, August 12, 2009.
 * Matthew Crozier and Crispin Butteriss, "Identifying and Managing the Risks of (not) engaging online", Centre for Policy Development, August 27, 2009.

General articles
Online Community Consultation Blog
 * Vikki Campion, "Local Councils use internet chatrooms for resident consultation" Daily Telegraph, April 20, 2009.
 * Alex Mitchell, "Lobbyists are behind community forum site Bang the Table: Your comments", Crikey, July 2, 2008.