Work with Purpose: A podcast about the Australian Public Sector

The vast majority of public servants behave respectfully and civilly to their colleagues, but employee surveys of public servants across the country repeatedly show that bullying and harassment is still a significant issue. There is strong evidence that it weakens institutions, undermines productivity and innovation and poisons workplace culture. So, what does workplace bullying and harassment look like and what can be done to tackle it and make sure that we have safe and respectful workplaces in the public sector.In this week’s episode we are joined by Victorian Public Sector Commissioner, Adam Fennessey PSM, Vice-Chancellor and President at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, Renee Leon PSM and President of IPAA National, Dr Gordon de Brouwer PSM. Listen as they are interviewed by guest host, Clare Walsh, the Deputy Secretary of Business Enabling Services at the Department of Finance and Councillor at IPAA ACT.Discussed in this episode:·        What makes a healthy workplace culture.·        The current state of bullying and harassment in the APS.·        Varied approaches to tackling workplace bullying·        The impact this has on the APS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One in three Australian women have experienced physical violence. One in four Australian women have experienced violence by an intimate partner. One in five Australian women have experienced sexual violence. These statistics merely touch the sides of a very serious and significant problem. The Government is now in the consultation stage for the 2022-2032 National Action Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children. Drawing on experience and lessons learnt from the current National Plan, a wealth of expertise from across agencies, jurisdictions and sectors, and a contemporary post-COVID way of working, the new National Plan is shaping up to further close the gap on violence against women through a range of initiatives.In this week’s episode we are joined by the Co-chairs of the National Plan Advisory Group, Alison Frame, Deputy Secretary of the Social Policy Group at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Liz Hefren-Webb, Deputy Secretary of Families and Communities at the Department of Social Services.Discussed in this episode:·        Domestic violence in Australia.·        The focus of the 2022-2032 National Plan.·        Leveraging architectural changes and Government responsiveness brought about by COVID.·        Bolstering outcomes through collaborations and major cross-cutting strategies.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The number of women in the field of economics in Australia is unproportionally low. How can we address this issue and encourage more women to work in the field of economics? And what are the consequences if we don’t?In this week’s episode we are joined by Cherelle Murphy, Chief Economist at Austrade, and Dr Leonora Risse, Senior Lecturer in Economics at RMIT University and National Chair of the Women in Economics Network. Discussed in this episode:Creating a career in economics.Improving gender equality in economics in the public sector.Applying the ‘gender lens’ on economic analysis and policy design.The future of women in economics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy Holidays! It’s been a big year for the APS and we hope you all have a restful and well deserved break. Here at WWP we are also taking a much needed break. We will be back in your ears shortly, but in the meantime here is one of our favourites from the year, an insightful conversation on indigenous communications with Letitia Hope, Ray Griggs and Justine O’Brien.Happy listening and enjoy the break.Discussed in this episode:Engaging and connecting with Indigenous audiences.Cadence of partnerships and place-based relationships.Government as an enabler.Importance of all public servants recognising the impact they can have in their Agency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy Holidays! It’s been a big year for the APS and we hope you all have a restful and well deserved break. Here at WWP we are also taking a much needed break. We will be back in your ears shortly, but in the meantime here is one of our favourites from the year, an intriguing conversation on leadership in times of crisis with Dr David Gruen and Dr Ken Henry AC.Happy listening and enjoy the break.Discussed in this episode:Importance of open and regular communication with staff.Balancing personal values vs. corporate ones.How leaders can learn from crisesExamples of effective crisis communications Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The COVID-driven surge to working from home has given us a taste of what different ways of working can look like. Many are enjoying the flexibility, balance, autonomy and other benefits of not working within the constraints of the nine to five office environment. As we come out of the pandemic many workplaces, including the public sector, are trying to figure how to effectively incorporate working from home into business as usual. How do we stay productive when working from home? How do we ensure parity of experience to colleagues the office?In this week’s episode we are joined by Associate Professor of Human Resource Management at the School of Business, UNSW, Dr Sue Williamson and Chair of the Productivity Commission, Michael Brennan. Discussed in this episode:Policy implications of a home-based workforce.Considerations including gender equality and team cohesion.Workplace flexibility beyond the home office.Happiness and wellbeing in a hybrid workforce. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

COVID-19 has obviously had a huge impact on Australia. House prices have gone up, offices have moved to home, school has become virtual and let’s not forget the great toilet paper crisis of 2020. Every government department has been working hard to embrace this impact and more importantly begin thinking about how to recover from it moving forward. The infrastructure sector is no stranger to this. Spanning from transport, cities and communications, the pandemic has certainly reshaped its future. So what will the future look like and who are the key players behind it all?In this weeks episode we are joined by Deputy Secretary of Regional, Cities and Territories at the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, Dr Rachel Bacon Director-General at Transport Canberra and City Services, Alison Playford. Listen as they chat with guest host, Michael Sanese, Senior Manager at PwC from IPAA ACT’s Future Leaders Committee about the impact COVID has had in the infrastructure sector.Discussed in this episode:Australia’s infrastructure landscapeCOVID-19 recovery plansManaging supply and demandLeading in a crisis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The role of the Australian Public Service, as defined in the Public Service Act 1999, is to apolitically, efficiently and effectively serve the Government, the Parliament and the Australian people. With this in mind, what is the role of the APS at Federal election time? What processes and procedures does the APS need to follow to keep the cogs of government turning while continuing to serve key stakeholders during caretaker periods? In this episode we're joined by Dr Stein Helgeby the Parliamentary Budget Officer, Peter Rush, Assistant Secretary of Parliamentary and Government at Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Rina Bruinsma First Assistant Commissioner at the Australian Public Service Commission and Katrina di Marco, First Assistant Secretary of Tax Analysis division at The Treasury.Discussed in this episode:An overview of caretaker conventions.The role of the Parliamentary Budget Office.The relationship between the APS and Ministerial offices.Staying apolitical. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For almost two years Australia’s border has been closed off to the rest of the world to help protect Australia from COVID-19. Closing this border was not an easy task and opening it won’t be either. Australia’s Border Force are the ones that are set with these difficult tasks. Working day and night, these important members of the APS help protect Australia from an array of pests and diseases, and more recently, COVID-19.In this weeks episode we are joined by Michael Outram, Commissioner at the Australian Border Force, as we discuss the important work the ABF has been doing to help keep Australia safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussed in this episode:The ABF’s COVID-19 responseChallenges faced during the pandemicSteps being taken to reopen Australia’s borderTechnologies used in the ABF to help keep Australian’s safe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special edition of Work with Purpose brought to you by the IPAA ACT EA Committee, we explore what is involved in the role of an EA. What do they do in their day-to-day role? What made them want to be an EA and why should others consider working in these roles that are vital to the running of our APS?In this weeks episode we are joined by Martin Elliffe, Office Manager for Rachel Stephen-Smith, the ACT Minister for Health, Rhana Crago, Executive Assistant to Rosemary Huxtable, the Secretary of the Department of Finance and Courtney Djerke, Executive Assistant at MinterEllison. Listen as they chat to Executive Assistant to Randall Brugeaud, Head of Simplified Trade System Implementation Taskforce and Deputy Chair of IPAA’s ACT EA Committee, Alyssa Broomby about the important work they do in their roles as Executive Assistants. Discussed in this episode:How lockdown has impacted the roles of EA’sManaging a healthy work life balanceSupporting mental health of others in your teamPractice advice for others working in the field Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.