Work with Purpose: A podcast about the Australian Public Sector

In our final instalment of the 2020 Retrospective Series of Work with Purpose, we give you our episode with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). In this podcast, you will hear from the CEO of ACIAR Andrew Campbell along with his incredible team. If you want to hear some inspiring stories about the APS, this is a must-listen.One might not necessarily associate an APS career with building fish ladders along the Mekong river to facilitate upstream fish passage and feed millions of people who rely on this important protein. Or measuring soil moisture to inform farmers exactly when, and how much to water their crops. Or developing climate-smart livestock product systems to improve overall livestock health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.These are just some of the extraordinary projects that ACIAR are leading, in partnership with academia, industry and international governments, to improve the lives and livelihoods of developing communities across the globe, as well as back home in Australia.In this episode of ‘Work with Purpose – Global Perspectives’, ACIAR’s CEO, Andrew Campbell, leads an awe-inspiring discussion with ACIAR Research Program Managers: Dr Ann Fleming, Fisheries, Dr Anna Okello, Livestock Systems, and Dr Robyn Johnston, Water and Climate. They discuss:Applying excellence in Australian scientific research to address global agricultural and environmental issuesConsidering broader sociocultural, gender, policy and economic contexts when working with international communities and governmentsManaging biosecurity threats before they reach Australian shoresEmpowering communities to improve their own livelihoods and socio-economic prospectsForging enduring partnerships across government, academia, industry and community Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we continue our 2020 Retrospective Series of Work with Purpose. In our last episode, we re-played our episode with Professor Brendan Murphy and Caroline Edwards. This week we are giving you another opportunity to listen to our episode with the Secretary of the Treasury Dr. Steven Kennedy, the CEO of the Commonwealth Bank Matt Comyn and the Senior Economics Writer for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age Jessica Irvine.It’s the largest piece of Australian Government spending in history. Secretary of the Australian Treasury Dr. Steven Kennedy gives an insider’s view of the JobKeeper program. They discuss the decision making and design of JobKeeper, why a demand-driven stimulus approach was chosen, and the differences between Australia’s and other international governments’ fiscal responses to the pandemic. Discussed in this episode:The rationale for the JobKeeper and JobSeeker programs.Avoiding a fiscal cliff and what happens next.Where that $60 billion shortfall came from.Keeping people in jobs and homes.Providing certainty in uncertain times.Using business intelligence to assess policy impact. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we begin the 2020 Retrospective Series of Work with Purpose. Over the coming weeks, we will be uploading some of the podcast highlights from 2020.In this week’s episode of Work with Purpose, we re-play contentgroup CEO David Pembroke’s June interview with Professor Brendan Murphy and Caroline Edwards. He loves Italy, her mother was born in Spain. He is learning to sing; she grew up with a father who was totally blind.In this remarkable interview, Work with Purpose speaks to the people and the partnership that subdued the COVID-19 health crisis in Australia. Both Brendan and Caroline were instrumental in crafting Australia’s medical response to COVID-19. With the pandemic still going today, their perspective is just as insightful today as it was in June.Brendan Murphy recounts the heartache of closing Australia’s borders and many businesses. Caroline Edwards tells of the late-night WhatsApp conversations with her family in Spain as the virus tore through that European country up ending their way of life.In this powerful and personal episode of Work with Purpose, you are left reassured that Australia’s “Team Health’, a team of thousands of hard working, intelligent public servants pulled together to get it done when it mattered most.Discussed in this episode:Professor Murphy’s love for languages.When the Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy first heard of COVID-19.The COVID-19 protection processes.Suspending “normal” department rules and processes.Professor Brendan Murphy dealing with newfound fame.Partnerships between government departments to support Australians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trust in the Australian Commonwealth Government has risen to new heights during the COVID-19 pandemic. With 2020 coming to a close, this podcast explores this year’s increase in political trust, and how trust levels will be shaped in the near future.In this special episode of the Work with Purpose podcast, we are joined by the Director of Democracy 2025 Professor Mark Evans. He is interviewed by one of Australia’s most distinguished political journalists Michelle Grattan AO.The two discuss recent global research into perceptions of political institutions, looking specifically at Australia’s level of trust within a global context. Where does Australia sit in terms of political polarisation and support for our political institutions?Despite the increase in trust we have seen in 2020, the pair discuss the decline in trust prior to 2020, and how Australia can avoid returning to its comparatively low pre-2020 levels.The pair also explore the changing perceptions toward the Australian Public Service (APS), and what the APS can do to sustain and improve support for Australia’s political institutions. They identify the key changes that COVID-19 have wrought on Australia’s political, economic and diplomatic landscape. Which of these changes are here to stay, and which will soon be forgotten?Discussed in this episode:How Australia compares to other nations in its levels of polarisation and trust.The changing role of the APS, and what caused these changes.What caused the increase in trust in 2020, and how Government can sustain it.How the APS can contribute to maintaining support for government beyond 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While the Northern Territory has been comparatively free from the coronavirus, with only 53 confirmed cases, COVID-19 has still presented numerous and complex challenges. Just consider the logistical complications of the region’s vast expanse and diverse population, which includes some of Australia’s most remote communities. Jodie Ryan, Chief Executive of the Northern Territory Government’s Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet, believes however, that the COVID-19 crisis has brought the territory to a positive tipping point. The investment in their response - including relationships built, new ways of doing things, risks taken and lessons learnt - will help to cast a more effective NT public service that better serves its citizens.  In this episode IPAA National President, Dr Gordon de Brouwer PSM, and Jodie discuss:·        Redefining public service roles to invigorate organisational focus and a sense of achievement·        Transforming a dispersed workforce in collaboration and team dynamics, ownership and participation·        Strengthening relationships with Aboriginal organisations and communities through broader, deeper and more regular consultation·        Providing quality digital connection across the territory to improve citizen’s health, wellbeing and quality of life Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With each state and territory having such different pandemic experiences, how do you support businesses to keep operating?We hear from two of Australia’s key workplace regulatory authorities in this week’s edition of Work With Purpose.  We are joined by Sandra Parker PSM, the Fair Work Ombudsman, and Sue Weston PSM, the CEO of Comcare, which is Australia's national work, health, and safety, and workers' compensation authority.They explain how the government is taking a common sense approach to legislation, and is adjusting compliance and enforcement policies to see jobs kept and employees protected.  They also speak candidly about how to best support service delivery teams, as personnel are faced with rapidly changing policy, distraught customers, and uncertainty in their own personal lives. Finally, as concerns about the mental health impacts of COVID-19 mount, they speak to help programs already underway across the country to support workers.Discover the hard work underway behind the scenes to ensure Australia keeps working safely.Discussed in this episode:-         Adjusting compliance and enforcement policies to respond to the challenges of COVID-19-         Building awareness of mental health issues in the workplace, and resourcing help programs to support Australian’s resilience -         The lasting impact of COVID-19 on wellbeing and occupational health and safety policies-         Sustaining staff wellbeing through open communication and leadership.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whether it’s managing supply chains for troops in East Timor, or guiding an Australian Government department through the COVID-19 crisis, shared purpose and mission are critical.It is this shared sense of purpose and mission that enables teams to achieve extraordinary outcomes for the people they serve.How do you tap into this shared purpose when staff are distributed across working arrangements and the Australian Public Service as a whole?The first female Major General of the Australian Army, and now Secretary of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Liz Cosson AM CSC, has devoted her career to serving the nation and its people.Liz Cosson shares her insights in conversation with David Pembroke, CEO of contentgroup on this week’s episode of Work with Purpose. Discussed in this episode:-         The importance of applying flexibility to staff working arrangements-         Using communications to engage and align staff around shared workplace missions-         Maintaining cultural change through 2020 and beyond-         Transforming service delivery to better serve the veteran community-         Crossing the divide between Defence and DVA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As COVID-19 changes the rules of access, how do our cultural institutions remain vibrant, relevant, and resilient? In this week’s episode of Work with Purpose, leaders from three of Australia’s best-loved institutions describe how they and their teams met the challenge. Doubling down on purpose, seeing COVID as an opportunity for innovation and staying close to local people were three of the successful strategies employed.Dr. Marie-Louise Ayres, Director-General of the National Library of Australia; Dr. Mathew Trinca AM, Director of the National Museum of Australia; and Dr. Rachael Coghlan, CEO and Artistic Director of Craft ACT: Craft and DESIGN Canberra Festival joined us to share their insights at this IPAA Future Leaders conversation.This episode is hosted by IPAA Future Leaders Committee members Megan Aponte-Payne, Assistant Director at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and Michael Sanese, Manager of People and Organisation consulting at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.Discussed in this episode:–        How to keep teams connected to maintain morale, ingenuity and innovation –        Using COVID-19 as an innovation driver across complex organisations–        Maximising digital and physical exhibition opportunities to keep serving the public–        Keeping organisations aligned with their vision, mission, and objectives throughout changing circumstances. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One might not necessarily associate an APS career with building fish ladders along the Mekong river to facilitate upstream fish passage and feed millions of people who rely on this important protein. Or measuring soil moisture to inform farmers exactly when, and how much to water their crops. Or developing climate-smart livestock product systems to improve overall livestock health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These are just some of the extraordinary projects the perhaps lesser known Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) are leading, in partnership with academia, industry and international governments, to improve the lives and livelihoods of developing communities across the globe, as well as back home in Australia. In this special episode of ‘Work with Purpose – Global Perspectives’, ACIAR’s Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Campbell, leads an awe-inspiring discussion with ACIAR Research Program Managers: Dr Ann Fleming, Fisheries, Dr Anna Okello, Livestock Systems, and Dr Robyn Johnston, Water and Climate. They discuss:Applying excellence in Australian scientific research to address global agricultural and environmental issuesConsidering broader sociocultural, gender, policy and economic contexts when working with international communities and governmentsManaging biosecurity threats before they reach Australian shoresEmpowering communities to improve their own livelihoods and socio-economic prospectsForging enduring partnerships across government, academia, industry and community Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How long will we be in the “new normal”, and how do we keep workplace cultures, relationships and productivity growing throughout?On this episode, we are joined by Rosemary Huxtable PSM, the Secretary of the Department of Finance and Chris Moraitis PSM, the head of the Attorney General's Department.From their unique perspectives leading the teams that underpin much of government services, they talk candidly about the challenges of navigating such uncertain times, and share their pride in the strength of their people and the institutions they support.The importance of workplace culture, and tending it through new working technologies is discussed, as well as top skills future leaders will need to manage future work environments. For a candid view of the APS at the highest levels, this episode is not to be missed. Discussed in this episode:·        Skills needed to lead digital workforces·        Opportunities for diversity and workplace inclusion ·        Enabling workplace innovation at the team level·        Maintaining the benefits of flexible work post-pandemic·        The importance of emotional intelligence Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.