About us
Message Shapers is a strategic communications and public affairs agency based in Sydney. We create public policy positions for some of the largest industry associations, corporations and government agencies in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.
We provide a range of policy services from research and policy visualisation through to policy audits and stakeholder matrices.
Message Shapers assembles a new team for each project, bringing together statisticians, cartographers, data analysts and policy advisors from across the world.
Our approach
We work with you to provide customized policy solutions for your specific needs, ensuring efficient and sustainable tourism and aviation practices.
Message Shapers' output is designed to inform its target audience. Depending on the brief, we produce detailed policy papers, policy infographics, policy explainer videos or full policy audits.
We specialise in identifying the issues from a policy list that have cut-through. We apply critical thought the analysis to provide a policy overlay.
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Our principle
Justin Wastnage
FOUNDER
Justin Wastnage
Message Shapers was founded by Justin Wastnage, who brings 20 years of experiences in the strategic communications sector.
Justin is an industry adjunct fellow within the Future of Aviation cluster of the Griffith Institute of Tourism (GIFT), part of Griffith University. GIFT is Australia’s largest tourism research institute with 42 academic members, 12 adjunct members and 31 PhD candidates from tourism and tourism-related disciplines, such as technology, economics, architecture, planning and environmental sciences.
Prior to COVID, Justin was a non-resident research fellow in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship stream of the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney.
Justin was previously the director of aviation policy at the Australian industry group Tourism & Transport Forum. In this role he led several successful policy campaigns for member companies. Core competences included visitor visa reform, border agency passenger facilitation, developing future airport concepts and the integration of public transport to airport precincts.
During this time Justin developed and implemented the Stakeholder Matrix methodology deployed by Message Shapers to identify and target key policy decision makers.
Justin was also a non-executive board member of Aerospace/Aviation Australia, the peak industry body for manufacturers and flight training providers in Australia.
Prior to this Justin had had over 10 years in aviation and travel journalism, including at Flight International, where he was the founding online editor and a former political affairs correspondent based in Brussels.
Justin’s early career was in technology public relations, working for Text 100 public relations in editorial communications for clients including Microsoft.
An honours graduate in European studies and French from the UK’s University of Derby, Justin also studied at the French Institut d’Études Politiques political studies school.
Education
University of Technology Sydney
MBA (underway), 2022
University of Derby
BA (Hons), Double degree (2:i)
European Studies & French, 1996
Institut d’Études Politiques de Rennes
Politics, law and history, 1996
Activities & Affiliations
• UK Metric Association, Member
• Startup advisory group
Awards
• Aerospace Journalist of the Year (features) 2003, 2004