The Shady Lanes Project

Public Liability Insurance for Verge Gardens

Do councils provide public liability insurance for verge gardeners who help to green our streets? Should they?

Public liability insurance is one of the sticking points with verge garden policies. Some councils demand that residents get their own insurance. Other councils decide it is too complicated, so they refuse to allow verge gardening altogether. Most policies don’t mention insurance at all.

Read more on the Shady Lanes Substack: Public Liability Insurance for Verge Gardens

Are you getting stuck? Could better questions help?

Whenever you feel stuck, step back and look at the conversations and the questions that are framing the problem you are trying to address.

Adversarial attitudes and methods are deeply ingrained in our culture. We grow up with stories of good versus evil, heroes beating the villains, and the rebel fighting against bureaucracy.

 

Often, advocacy is framed this way, particularly in the climate space. Of course, we put ourselves in the role of the good guys, the heroes, the ones who know best if only everyone would listen.

 

This might work in the movies and with simple problems. But, when we have complex or wicked problems with many interlinking issues, it doesn’t. We just end up shouting at each other, lots of small battles, perhaps some minor victories, but not the changes, and certainly not the speed of change, that we hope for. We just get stuck in our opposing positions.

Read more on the Shady Lanes Substack: Are you getting stuck? Could better questions help?

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay respect to their Elders past and present and to the pivotal role that First Nations Peoples continue to play in caring for Country across Australia.

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