Case Studies

Diagnostic Mapping. Decision Advisory. Outcome Support.

Turning a national event into a platform for government engagement 

The Royal Flying Doctor Service operates as a federation of services across Australia. Each entity has its own leadership, operating environment, relationships and communications priorities. 

When RFDS wanted to engage the national Parliament with a single, clear voice, that federated structure posed a significant coordination challenge. 

CLIENT

Royal Flying Doctor Service (Federation)

SECTOR

Aeromedical & remote health services

PARTNERS

Ministers, parliamentarians, officials, Governor-General

flying-doctor-logo

The challenge 

It included an RFDS aircraft simulator, a mobile dental unit and a patient transport vehicle, giving decision-makers a practical view of the breadth of services delivered across regional, rural and remote Australia. The event also marked the launch of the Parliamentary Friends of the RFDS.  

To make the event strategically useful, RFDS needed to

Align its different entities around a national narrative

Coordinate engagement with ministers, parliamentarians and officials

Connect the event to longer-term policy and advocacy priorities

Prepare senior leaders and frontline representatives

Generate positive visibility without politicising the organisation

Ensure the event created relationships and momentum that lasted beyond the day

What Codex Communications did 

Codex worked with Federation leadership, member services, and government relations teams across the country. 

Our Role Includes

Developing a whole-of-federation communications plan

Creating the national narrative for the event

Connecting that narrative to RFDS’s wider policy and service objectives

Preparing speeches, messages and briefing materials

Coordinating communications involving ministers, parliamentarians and senior officials, including its patron the Governor-General

Developing the media strategy and preparing spokespeople

Managing political and reputational risks

Maintaining consistency between the event, advocacy work and external communications.  

The work required balancing different internal perspectives while preserving the independence and broad political support that underpin RFDS’s reputation. 

What Changed

The event attracted high-level political participation, including the Governor-General, ministers, senators and members of Parliament. It also created a platform for frontline RFDS clinicians and staff to demonstrate innovations and services directly to national decision-makers.  

Coverage was national and positive. The event was covered by RFDS nationally and picked up in regional media, while parliamentary figures also amplified it through their own channels.  

The more important outcome, however, was not the number of articles. It was that RFDS presented a coordinated national position, strengthened its political relationships and established the Parliamentary Friends group as an ongoing engagement mechanism. 

“Codex Communication’s ability to align complex stakeholder interests into a coherent national approach was particularly valued.”

Emma Buchanan, Federation Chiefe Executive - Royal Flying Doctor Service

Have a stakeholder story that needs one narrative?

Codex works with government, industry and research partners to turn complex programs into positions people can act on.

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