Work with Purpose: A podcast about the Australian Public Sector

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.

Chris Jordan has driven major change in the Australian Tax Office since assuming his position of Commissioner in 2013. But it wasn’t his first public service role.Straight out of school, Chris followed his father into the N.S.W Police Force where he served on Sydney’s North Shore. It was the skills of observation and communication he learnt on the beat that helped him to turn the ship around. In his view, it was been the cultural “Reinvention’’ of the ATO over the past 7 years that prepared the tax office to deal with the challenges of COVID-19. Chris Jordan is effusive in his praise of his people and their leadership as they have battled with the demands of major bushfires and a global pandemic in 2020.Please enjoy our conversation with Chris Jordan.Discussed in this episode: -         Chris’s public service beginnings as a policeman -         What can the public service learn from the private sector -         Challenging the status quo -         How the ATO is preparing for the future-         What were the biggest challenges when implementing the Job Keeper program -         IPAA Future Leaders Questions  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Innovation does not stand still on ‘’Work with Purpose’’. This week we feature a conversation with IPAA Future Leaders who undertook a hackathon to explore the question “What could, or should the APS look like one year from now?” The IPAA future leaders, as you have seen from the important contribution they have made to Work with Purpose, are the best and brightest in the APS. We would encourage anyone interested in making bigger contribution to the APS to get in touch with IPAA about how to become a future leader. Today’s episode is hosted by the Assistant Commissioner of the Australian Electoral Commission, Matt McMahon who leads a discussion with Director of the Department of Finance, Holly Noble, Associate Director of KPMG, Rachel Martin, and our first returning guest in her new role as Associate Secretary of the Department of Defence, Katherine Jones PSM.  Discussed in this episode: -         Identifying the need for change and reform-         Interdepartmental governance reflections-         The first steps to taking an active role to shape and become a collaborative leader-         Maintaining resilience in a digital work environment-         Delivering old skills in a new digital world Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

National Cabinet has been one of the shining examples of collaboration in Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The gravity, the humanity, and the collaboration demonstrated through this process has been remarkable to observe, with people at the heart of the decisions. In this episode of Work with Purpose - A National Perspective, Sharyn O’Neill shares her experience and insights as the State Recovery Controller on Western Australia’s COIVD-19 response and recovery. She reflects on the flurry of the initial response, on the privilege she has felt in supporting the Premier in meetings of the National Cabinet, and on what the crisis has taught her about herself.  Discussed in this episode:-         The importance of understanding ‘the user experience’ when services go digital.-         The implications of ‘the digital divide’ for regional and remote communities.-         Changing mindsets around different work practices, risk appetite, and accountability.-         Rolling out a partnership approach to COVID-19 with community, business and NFP’s.-         The galvanising experience of working with the National Cabinet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clooney or Pitt? Who would play Secretary Michael Pezzullo in the movie about the change he is driving in the Department of Home Affairs?In this week’s Work with Purpose, Secretary Michael Pezzullo draws on Hollywood inspiration to describe his ambition for the Department of Home Affairs, recalls how by age 11 he had already decided on a career of public service and that the achievements of his Rugby League career at Marist Brothers Kogarah as a hard working second or front rower were “modest but improving with years’’.In a revealing and at times personal conversation, Mike Pezzullo describes the journeys of his parents from post World War Europe to Australia, the inspiration he gets from working with our political leaders and his desire to leave the APS in a better place than when he started.If you are curious about what makes Michael Pezzullo tick, then don’t miss this week’s episode of Work with Purpose.He began his public service career as a Defence department graduate in the late 80’s before heading across the lake to the International Division in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.From there it was to a coveted position on the Ministerial staff of the then Foreign Minister Gareth Evans, before serving as the deputy Chief of Staff to the then opposition leader Kim Beazley.He was made Secretary of the Department in 2014 before taking on his current role Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs in 2017. Discussed in this episode:-         An 11-year-old Secretary deciding he wanted to be a Public Servant-         The Secretary’s COVID experience thus far-         Assisting supermarkets supply systems-         Team Australia coming together-         The future of international education-         Learnings from the Defence operations Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.