Work with Purpose: A podcast about the Australian Public Sector

As life in the Australian Public Service continues to move at a scorching pace in delivering the priorities of the government, the increasing influence of digital technology and data in defining new ways of working to deliver value for citizens has never been more important. At the heart of this transformation is the mission to make the lives of Australians simpler, safer, and better. Nowhere is this mission more obvious or more important than the work of the National Disability Insurance Agency, which is implementing a program to deliver individualised, self-directed care packages to over a half a million Australians.In this episode of Work with Purpose, we are joined by Martin Hoffman, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), and the former President of IPAA NSW.Hoffman starts off the episode explaining some of the previous roles he has held in the APS, such as being the head of the Services Australia Taskforce and working with Services New South Wales. What was the contrast between the two? How is different working at a state versus federal level?He also touches on his current work at the NDIA. What were his first impressions? How did the COVID-19 pandemic change their system both internally and externally?Hoffman concludes the conversation focusing on what he sees as the priorities for the NDIA for the next 12 to 18 months and how these priorities will be delivered to those within the disability community.Discussed in this episode:·        The difference between working at state and federal levels of government.·        What cultural elements are needed to build strong performing teams in the APS.·        How the COVID-19 pandemic shaped the NDIA.·        How to communicate your agencies priorities to citizens and stakeholders in an effective and manageable way.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of being able to find, access, analyse, and share trusted and reliable digital information in a timely and responsive manner. The National Archives, like most of the APS have been extremely busy during the pandemic, ensuring that the governments most important records are documented, so that they can be held as part of the National Archives archival collection.In this episode of Work with Purpose, we are joined by David Fricker, the Director-General of the National Archives of Australia, and the current President of the International Council on Archives.Fricker walks us through what the team at the National Archives have been doing since the beginning of the pandemic. How are they recording information? Why is it important that this moment is captured in time?He also touches on the effectiveness of Australia’s information management system. How does it rank against other countries around the world? What steps can we take to improve Australia’s information management system?Fricker rounds out the episode on a personal note, explaining how he has changed since the beginning of the pandemic and how he has realised he is capable of more than he initially thought.Discussed in this episode:·        How the National Archives of Australia are recording and documenting the COVID-19 pandemic.·        Where Australia ranks compared to the rest of the world in effective information management systems.·        How the National Archives deal with dis and misinformation.·        Why it is essential that all sectors of the APS collaborate with the National Archives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2020 will be forever remembered as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic. But in Australia, the ferocious bushfires of 2019 that burned well into the new year will never be forgotten. The strain of such significant events was recognised early and the National Bushfire Recovery Agency and the Mental Health Commission worked quickly to deliver necessary support. But more was to come as the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was realised. In this episode of Work with Purpose, we are joined by Andrew Colvin, the national coordinator of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency, and Christine Morgan, the chief executive officer of the National Mental Health Commission and the National Suicide Prevention Adviser to the Prime Minister.Morgan explains how the stigma around mental health has changed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. How do people view mental health now compared to 2019? What can we do to further improve the stigma around mental health?Colvin discusses mental health in relation to the 2019, 2020 Australian summer bushfires. How do we overcome trauma, grief and tragedy? How should the APS make themselves available to Australians in times of need? Together Morgan and Colvin discuss these questions as well as explain how the National Bushfire Recovery Agency and the Mental Health Commission work together when it comes to bushfire relief. Discussed in this episode:·        What COVID-19 taught us about mental heath.·        How the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the National Bushfire Recovery Agency.·        Advice on what you can do to improve the stigma around mental health.·        The work the National Bushfire Recovery Agency has done since the 2019/ 2020 summer bushfires. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this week’s Special Episode of Work with Purpose we are joined by Jacqui Curtis, Head of the HR Profession, Randall Brugeaud, Head of the Digital Profession and Dr David Gruen, Head of the Data Profession. As part of the 2019 Independent Review of the Public Service, the Government agreed to establish Professions to build capability and support career paths in critical areas. In response, Secretaries Board established APS Professional Streams, headed by Australian Public Service Commissioner, Peter Woolcott AO. Along with the Commissioner, today’s guests, as Heads of Profession are responsible for capability uplift in their areas of focus, in digital, data, and human resources, drawing on international best practice. In a deliberate, strategic approach to setting professional standards, implementing career pathways and addressing skills gaps, the Professional Streams are being delivered collaboratively across the APS to make sure there is a cross-agency approach to delivering government services.The Professional Streams have already demonstrated successes in building networks and ways to strategically recruit, develop, grow and retain talent in leadership roles and improve capability of the public service workforce.Discussed in this episode:The establishment and purpose of the Professional Streams.Building networks to strategically recruit, develop, grow and retain talent.The opportunities available through the Professional Streams.Supporting the cross-agency approach to delivering government services. What’s next for the Professional Streams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

COVID-19 presents the perfect example of the modern, complex, and rapidly evolving challenges facing the APS. The government is responding flexibly to demand on high priority, cross-cutting policy and delivery issues, with its ability to act efficiently and effectively hinging on principles of collaboration and mobility. Recently we’ve seen the emergence of various taskforces and the development of the APS Mobility Framework. These resources have supported government through some of the most difficult times in our nation’s history. In this episode of Work With Purpose, a different perspective is captured by host Chevelle Grey - Assistant Director, Policy & Portfolio Strategy Branch at the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. Chevelle is joined by taskforce and mobility experts Simon Duggan, Deputy Secretary from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Patrick Hetherington, First Assistant Commissioner at the Australian Public Service Commission and Teresa McMichael, Senior Adviser, Policy Projects and Taskforce Office, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.  Speakers discuss their thoughts and experiences regarding taskforces and mobility. While they advocate for the notion of many heads being better than one and agree that mobility has underpinned many of the greatest APS successes, they also remind us that there is a time and place for using such approaches. Tune in and hear our panel discuss all things taskforces, mobility and where you can uncover the most important tools for responding to dynamic and complex issues facing the APS. Discussed in this episode: ·        The shift towards taskforces and APS mobility.·        Personal taskforce insights from the panel.·        A closer look at the APSC Taskforce Toolkit.·        The APS Reform Agenda.·        Questions from IPAA’s Future Leaders Committee.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The rise of cyber crime and cyber warfare have forced governments around the world to rethink how they define safety and security. With Australia experiencing a record number of cyber threats, the role of government in combatting this threat is more important than ever.In this episode of Work with Purpose, we are joined by Hamish Hansford, the First Assistant Secretary of the Cyber, Digital and Technology Policy Division at the Department of Home Affairs.Hansford discusses his journey to becoming one of the government’s leading cyber security decision makers. He looks back on his twenty-year career in the Australian Public Service (APS), sharing the key insights he has picked up along the way.He discusses his contribution to Australia’s cyber security infrastructure, as well as the impacts of COVID-19 on our use of digital technologies. What are the positive aspects of this change, and where do we have to be careful in navigating our increasing presence online?Although the big, but less common cyber attacks attract the most attention, cyber security is actually an everyday occurrence we must all defend against. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) receives one cyber crime report every 10 minutes.Hansford discusses the role that individuals play in the fight against cyber threats, as well the public service as a whole. How can the APS collectively defend itself against the increasing number of cyber threats? Discussed in this episode:·      The future of cyber security and cyber threats. Will it get worse?·      What the government must do to improve Australia’s preparedness toward cyber threats.·      Advice about how to reduce your own susceptibility to cyber threats.·      The career of Hamish Hansford, along with his advice for people beginning their APS careers.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.