Work with Purpose: A podcast about the Australian Public Sector

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.

To serve the public in the face of a rapidly-adapting health threat, the Australian Government has evolved to match.Collaboration across federal, state and territory lines is heightened, and set to continue as the APS looks to strengthen its culture of communications and data sharing to support effective service delivery, as Philip Gaetjens, Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, discusses with contentgroup CEO David Pembroke on this episode of Work with Purpose.Philip has a distinguished record, serving as the Chief of Staff to two former Treasurers, Peter Costello and Scott Morrison, and the Secretary of the Treasury before being appointed to his current position as Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in September of last year.Philip is joined by PM&C Graduate, Eleanor Kay, to reflect on the rapid pace of change inside the APS, and how he sees data, communications and a shared purpose of serving the Australian people driving the APS of the future.Discussed in this episode:Changes in technology across the public serviceMinimising the economic impact of COVID-19The impact of the health crisis on AustraliansBuilding a culture of data usage and exchange across the APSThe role of leadership communications in workplace motivation and wellbeing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fiji’s coordinated response to COVID-19 with Bernadette Welch Work with Purpose – Global Perspectives explores the important work Australian Public Servants do around the world to deliver not just for Australians, but for the people of many other countries. It is an important and critical part of Australia’s role in the world in diverse areas such as health, trade, agriculture, defence, national security, and diplomacy.In this first episode of Work with Purpose – Global Perspectives, IPAA’s National President Dr. Gordon de Brouwer PSM, is in conversation with Bernadette Welch PSM who until recently, was the Fijian Government’s permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services.Fiji is made up of over 300 islands and around 130 of them are populated. So, when it comes to providing health and medical services, there are unique challenges.Discussed in this episode:The emergence of the pandemic and Fiji’s quick responseThe implementation of Fiji’s COVID-19 TaskforceBuilding trust with the community with effective communication tacticsWorking with the World Health OrganisationThe importance of a good working relationship across government including the Military and Police ForceThe continuity of delivering services while dealing with a global pandemic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In South Australia perceptions and trust in the public service has doubled over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and now sits at around 60 to 70 per cent.In this episode of Work with Purpose — A National Perspective, Erma Ranieri, the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment, talks about how the South Australian public service has responded to the pandemic and is working to strengthen the resilience of its workforce.Discussed in this episode:Innovation employed during the emergency response to the pandemic.Rapid deployment of public servants to areas of need.Speed in which the public service has adapted to different ways of working.How mental health support has been provided to people across the public service.The central role the public service has played in protecting the citizens of South Australia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Federal Parliament staff including security and hospitality workers joined the Services Australia response to the COVID-19 pandemic as committee rooms in the Parliament building were converted to makeshift call centres.In this week’s episode of Work with Purpose we speak with the Secretary of Department of Parliamentary Service, Rob Stefanic and his deputy, Cate Saunders about how their team rallied around APS whole of government effort to help the Australian people.As the heart of the Australian democracy, Parliament is a critically important institution.But as a “city within a city’’, the Federal Parliament building is also normally a thriving tourist destination attracting thousands of visitors from across Australia and around the world each day.  Discussed in this episode:What questions are being asked within the ‘Wall Room’The Parliament’s Pandemic Plan Ensuring the continuity of Parliamentary services IPAA Future Leader questions  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Service delivery has fundamentally changed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Queensland, the government hasn’t waited for its citizens to come to them, it has actively pushed services out to the community.In this episode of Work with Purpose — A National Perspective, Dave Stewart, Director-General of Queensland’s Department of the Premier and Cabinet, talks about how the public service has come together to support the response of the Premier, Cabinet and Ministers in managing the COVID-19 health and economic crises.Discussed in this episode:Fundamental shifts in the way people are deployed across the public service.Adapting to nimbler ways of working.Maintaining connections between staff and the onus on managers to manage.Moving to virtual Cabinets and changes to Queensland parliamentary processes. Dramatic and rapid change in relationships within the Federation.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The critically important relationship between business and government in managing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a consistent theme of the Work with Purpose podcast.In this week’s episode we bring together the leaders of two organisations, one private sector, one government, who have been working in Australia’s best interests not since the beginning of the pandemic but well before.Steven Worrall is the Managing Director of Microsoft Australia. Steven joined Microsoft in March of 2014 as Director of Commercial and Public Sector markets. He previously worked for IBM for 22 years.Larry Marshall has been the CEO of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) since January 2015. CSIRO’s mission is “to solve the world's greatest challenges through innovative science and technology’’. Larry holds 20 patents and has served on 20 boards of high-tech companies operating in the United States, Australia, and China.In this week’s episode which was recorded during Science Week, Steven and Larry discuss the similarities in each others' missions and how their teams are working together in the best interests of the Australian community.Discussed in this episode: -         The importance and the role of business and government working together-         The importance of digital literacy-         The Microsoft and CSIRO collaboration -         Developing a vaccine -         ‘’Team Australias'’’ resilience in a post COVID-19 environment Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.