Work with Purpose: A podcast about the Australian Public Sector

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.

How do you cut a government form down from 164 questions to 10 without losing the rigour?How can you leverage existing business information systems to take the hassle out of payroll and superannuation guarantees? These are just two of the innovations introduced by public servants this year to make Australians lives easier. The Public Sector Innovation Awards highlight public servants who rethink government services to make them easier to access and use. On this week’s episode, David Pembroke sits down with Helen Bailey, Manager of the Public Sector Innovation Network, and representatives from award-winners Services Australia and the Australian Tax Office to discover how large scale innovation projects were delivered.  Ailsa Borwick, National Manager of Employment Income and Single Touch Payroll joins us to talk about simplifying JobKeeper forms on behalf of Services Australia. Jason Lucchese, Assistant Commissioner of the Superannuation and Employer Obligations of the Single Touch Payroll Programme joins on behalf of the Australian Tax Office.Discussed in this episode:·        Identifying where to target innovation efforts ·        The importance of knowing your customer journey·        What does user-centred design look like in practice?·        The importance of team building to deliver major innovations ·        Connecting innovation with the priorities of your authorising environment Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The ways we work have changed drastically this year, yet according to Telstra CEO Andy Penn, it’s only just getting started. Strap yourselves in. Things are about to get interesting. Australians have adopted digital technologies at an unprecedented pace during COVID-19 which has delivered benefits including mitigating skills shortages, improved work-life balance and increased workforce satisfaction. Much of this change relies on the reliability of the telecommunications network run by Andy Penn. In this episode of Work with Purpose, Andy Penn discusses the future of work in Australia; the adoption of emerging technologies like 5G, artificial intelligence and cloud computing; and how industry is partnering with government to accelerate the post-pandemic recovery. In Andy Penn’s opinion, Australia is well placed to capture a bright digital future. From an industry perspective of working with government, enjoy this conversation with contentgroup Founder and CEO, David Pembroke.Discussed in this episode:·        Forecasting the future of work·        Sustaining the pace of technology adoption·        COVID as an accelerator for the move to a digital economy ·        How technologies like 5G, cloud computing & artificial intelligence will enable smart cities of the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the first floor of a Belconnen Tavern to the shadows of Parliament House.Drew Baker’s transformative term as a leader of the ACT Branch of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA), is one of energy, strategy and opportunism.With his trademark eye for detail, Drew grew the organisation’s profile into one of Australia’s most important public sector institutions.In this week’s edition of Work with Purpose, Drew is joined in conversation with David Pembroke, Carmel McGregor and IPAA’s incoming CEO, Caroline Walsh.We learn that it was indeed Carmel who convinced Drew over coffee to take on the role of IPAA CEO and that Caroline and Drew were once EL1 colleagues in the APS.Drew Baker has made a remarkable contribution to IPAA.We hope you enjoy his story.Discussed in this episode:Recognising, celebrating and connecting public servantsThe importance of peer connections and networkingKey achievements of the IPAA ACT team over the past 5 yearsFuture plans for the direction of IPAA ACT Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the largest piece of Australian Government spending in history. Now, Secretary to the Australian Treasury Dr. Steven Kennedy gives an insider’s view of the JobKeeper program.In this unmissable episode of Work with Purpose, Secretary of the Treasury, Dr. Steven Kennedy and CEO of the Commonwealth Bank Matt Comyn is joined in conversation with Jessica Irvine, the senior economics writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and the Age newspapers.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 government fiscal responses to the pandemic.Discussed in this episode:The rationale for JobKeeper and JobSeeker programsAvoiding a fiscal cliff and what happens nextWhere that $60 billion shortfall came fromKeeping people in jobs and homesProviding certainty in uncertain timesUsing business intelligence to assess policy impact Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.