Work with Purpose: A podcast about the Australian Public Sector

One of the biggest challenges that we all face in the Australian Public Service is making our voices heard. With over 150,000 APS employees both in Australia and around the world, this can be quite the task, particularly for those considered to be part of a minority group. So how do we get people to listen? How do we ensure that our words and actions are making an impact and what steps need to be taken in order to do this? In this episode we are joined by the Chief Executive Officer of the Torres Strait Regional Authority, Leilani Bin-Juda PSM as she is interviewed by IPAA National President Dr Gordon de Brouwer PSM to discuss how to make a lasting impact on the APS.Discussed in this episode:Leading a remote agency in the APSTorres Strait COVID-19 public sector responseRepresentation in the APSLearnings from the COVID-19 pandemic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it take to be an Australian Public Servant? What are the skills and crafts that we need in order to serve the Australian Public in the best way that we can? The APS Academy is a place for all members of the APS to help teach and expand their skills by working on their ‘craft’ to improve their skills to do just that. Launching last week, today’s guests discuss its importance and the role the Academy will play in the future of the APS. In this episode we are joined by Australian Public Service Commissioner, Peter Woolcott AO, Clare Walsh, the Deputy Secretary of Business Enabling Services at the Department of Finance and Dr Subho Banerjee, the Deputy CEO (Research and Advisory) at ANZSOG as they discuss the launch of the new APS Academy. Discussed in this episode:What is craft and why is it important to the APS?How the APS Academy will help the whole of APSWhat you will be able to find on the APS AcademyWhere you can access the Academy content Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you lead a team during extreme and sudden times of crisis? This is something that many people all over the world have recently had to face including those in the Australian public service. Today’s interviewers, Isabelle Franklin and Megan Aponte-Payne from the IPAA Future Leaders Committee delve into this topic asking our guests how they showed leadership in crises such as the 2007-8 Global Financial Crisis and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and how these events have changed them and their leadership styles moving forward. In this episode we are joined by Australian Statistician at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Dr David Gruen, and Dr Ken Henry AC, the Chair of the Sir Roland Foundation at the Australian National University and a non-executive director of the Australian Securities Exchange.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.

When it comes to communicating with Indigenous communities, Government needs to be tailored in its approach to ensure messages are clearly relayed and understood. Effective communication, however, is not a one-way street and cannot rely on words alone. Culturally respectful, trust-based relationships, built over time are imperative to ensure every voice is heard, and Indigenous Australians own the decisions and policies that affect their lives and livelihoods. In this episode we are joined by the National Indigenous Australians Agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Ray Griggs AO CSC, and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Operations and Delivery, Letitia Hope, and Justine O’Brien SCMP, President of the International Association of Business Communicators in Canberra.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.

COVID-19 has created boom time for criminals who seek to deceive for financial and personal gain. These scammers and fraudsters, who've been out in force leveraging the insecurities created byCOVID-19 and the power of digital technology, have launched millions of websites, email, investment employee, supply chain, and charity scams. The global reach of this digital criminal activity has brought governments, businesses, academia, and the third sector to from across the globe together to counter these criminal activities.This episode brings unique insight and approaches to international perspectives on counter fraud, with a focus on UK, New Zealand and Australia. Guests include Julie Read, Director and Chief Executive at the Serious Fraud Office in New Zealand, Mark Cheeseman OBE, Director of the UK Government Counter Fraud Function, and Andrew Walter, First Assistant Secretary at the Integrity and Security Division at the Attorney General’s Department. Discussed in this episode:Capabilities governments are building and collaborating on to counter fraud and scams.What Australia is learning from the experiences of other nations.The true cost of fraud to the public sector.How COVID-19 has changed the profile of fraud.New approaches governments are taking to seek out fraud. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This year has seen Australia face many crises including flood, mice plagues and of course the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. And this is off the back of a crisis filled 2020. So we've really witnessed an accumulative impact. It's really timely today for us just to take this time in this episode, to really explore how, as public servants or former public servants, how we can really draw from our own reserves and our own experiences and create that sense of certainty for our future.In this episode of Work with Purpose, we are joined by the President of IPAA National, Dr Gordon de Brouwer PSM, as he chats with Assistant Secretary of the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, Rachel O’Connor as they discuss strategic thinking in a crisis.Brouwer and O’Connor begin this episode by sharing some of their own personal experiences during recent times of crises. How have they built resilience? What skills did they draw on as public servants?The pair also discuss how they connect with the public during difficult times. How do they build relationships with them? How do they ensure that there is trust in the public service?The episode finishes with Rachel and Gordon sharing their main lessons which they have learnt about strategic thinking during times of crisis. How do you think when under pressure? How can we use the skills we have learnt during a crisis in future endeavours?Discussed in this episode:·        The elements of strategic thinking ·        How to build resilience after a crisis·        Gaining trust of the public during critical times·        How we can use the skills we have learnt in a crisis in everyday life Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The OECD says that the context and challenges of the public sector are changing at such a rapid pace that the capabilities of public servants must keep up. It's a first-order issue as organisations seek to understand just what are the skills, the knowledge, the behaviour, and the attitude that they will need in their people to successfully compete and operate in a digitally-enabled data-led mobile world. The APS, being the diligent enterprise that it is, has been thinking and planning about this for the past few years has now created a document to address this very issue.In this episode of Work with Purpose, we are joined Mary Wiley-Smith, former Assistant Commissioner at the Australian Public Service Commission and Clare Walsh, Deputy Secretary of Business Enabling Services at the Department of Finance.Wiley-Smith and Walsh spend this episode mainly discussing the newly released APS Workforce Strategy for 2025. How should those in the APS utilise this strategy? How will it assist in attracting others to join the APS?The pair also discuss where the strategy will lead the APS digitally. What will the APS see in the future in terms of ICT? Will there be more staff from the ‘digital world’ joining the APS in the next few years?The episode finishes with the ladies chatting about leadership. Why is leadership so important in any organisation? What does leadership mean across the public service?Discussed in this episode:·        The APS Workforce Strategy for 2025·        What all those across the APS can learn from the workforce strategy·        The rise of digital in the future of the APS·        Why leadership is so important across all sectors of work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2020, a year of uncertainty and risk, the Australian public saw the APS rely on the minds of scientists, and others that work within STEM, like they never have before. A field that in the past has been predominately filled by men, is starting to see some powerful and influential women rise to the top. How did they make it? What choices and career moves did these women make to assist in rising to roles of leadership and how do they advise some of Australia’s most senior politicians on how evidence-based research can help inform decisions and policy?In this episode of Work with Purpose, we are joined Dr. Cathy Foley AO PSM, Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Cayt Rowe, Deputy Program Leader at the Department of Defence, and Professor Tanya Monro, Chief Defence Scientist at the Department of Defence.Foley, Rowe and Monro start off this episode discussing how they worked their way to a leadership role in STEM. What career moves do you have to make? What can you learn about yourself from being in a role of leadership?The trio also explain how they use their roles to ensure that government officials are taking into account the views of scientists. How do you grab their attention? How has this role changed since the beginning of COVID-19?The episode finishes with the ladies sharing their views on women in leadership. What challenges do women face in their careers? How do we make the APS more equal for both men and women?Discussed in this episode:·        The growing role that STEM is playing in government.·        How scientists are working with and informing government during the pandemic.·        The obstacles that women face when rising to the top in their careers.·        Why a diverse workplace is key to the success of the APS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month marks the one-year anniversary of Work with Purpose. To celebrate, we’re releasing a special highlights edition featuring some of the remarkable insights shared with us over the past year, from some of our most popular episodes with speakers from across the public sector.In this special episode, we pay homage to the Australian public sector as it took centre stage delivering the Australian Government's agenda supporting the Australian community and the economy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.We share some of the key themes that resonated across the public sector throughout 2020. We also bring insight into the lives of those people who have kept the wheels ably turning during these challenging and uncertain times. Our Work with Purpose speakers are shining examples of dedication, humility, aptitude, empathy, tutelage, collaboration and leadership. It’s been a privilege working with and listening to these public servants, academics, and representatives from business and not-for-profit sectors speak so passionately and intelligently about their areas of expertise, sharing how they and their colleagues are working tirelessly to make Australia, and the world, a much better place. We hope you enjoy this special as much as we have enjoyed bringing the Work with Purpose podcast series to you since its inception one year ago. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whether you work inside or outside of the APS, it is safe to say that 2020, for the most of us, was quite the challenging year. With our work, home and day-to-day lives being forced to change at such a rapid rate, people around the globe learnt to adjust. However along with this, the world didn’t put the rest of life’s challenges on hold, meaning that some of us had a lot of weight to carry on our shoulders. So when our shoulders are sore, and we’re starting to feel ‘a bit over it’, how do we build resilience to come out on the other side?In this episode of Work with Purpose, we are joined by Dominic Price, Work Futurist at Australian software company, Atlassian. Price starts off this episode on a personal note. He explains some of the hardships that he has faced in the last 12 months. How did he deal with the challenges that faced him? How did he build resilience? He also touches on ‘the new workforce’ and reflects on working from home. Are we being more or less productive? Is it something that we should continue to do, even when the pandemic ends? Price ends the interview giving listeners some tips on how to reprioritize their lives. What is important to you? Where do you want to be five years from now? Discussed in this episode:How to stay positive and build resilience.The positives and negatives of working from home.What skills 2020 has given those in the corporate world.Why now is the time to reprioritize your life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.