Work with Purpose: A podcast about the Australian Public Service.

EP#67: A Great Exhaustion or A Great Inspiration?

September 26, 2022 00:05 - 51 minutes - 47.4 MB

The pandemic has significantly changed the public and private sector workforce, with a rapid shift towards flexible and dispersed work. We now face challenges such as changing expectations of government and the community, talent shortages and the evolving employee value proposition. In this new normal, organisations have had to reposition their infrastructure and rethink the role of leadership and culture. In this episode, we are joined by Belinda Casson, Acting Chief Operating Officer a...

EP#66: Workforce Transformation

August 29, 2022 02:00 - 52 minutes - 48.1 MB

Change has become the new normal, whether it is in response to an external shock, or internally generated to capitalise on an emerging strategic opportunity. With change, comes a need for workforce transformation. Given the risks and opportunities that leaders face today, what skills do leaders need in order to successfully lead workforce transformation? In this episode, we are joined by Adam Canwell, the Australian Lead of People Advisory Services Partner: Victoria at EY, Dr Andrew White, ...

EP#65: Why be a public servant?

August 15, 2022 02:00 - 38 minutes - 43.8 MB

Working in the public service means to serve for the country and the future of its people. The public service is a critical function of Australia’s democracy; however, it is a complex and challenging environment. With the last couple of years of the pandemic, the Australian public service has shifted rapidly from a competitive environment to a more collaborative one between Departments. In this episode, we are joined by Harinder Sidhu, Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand at the Depa...

EP#64: Data and Digital Strategy Intersections

August 01, 2022 03:56 - 37 minutes - 34.2 MB

The new federal government has made the performance of the Australian Public Service a priority. A key part of this is the capacity of public servants to acquire and manage data and to effectively identify and adopt new digital technology. To deliver on those improvements, it is integral for those in digital and data to work together. This has been evident over the last couple of years, to deliver COVID-19 vaccine statuses and case numbers to the public in a timely manner. In this episode, ...

EP#63: The Questacon Experience

July 18, 2022 02:00 - 33 minutes - 30.5 MB

If you speak to almost anyone in Australia, they have probably heard of Questacon. Whether it’s on your year six excursion to Canberra or during the school holidays, it is a fun vibrant place where kids can learn about all things science and technology. However, a lesser known fact about the well-known tourist attraction is that it’s wide range of staff are all members of the APS. From working at the information desk, presenting science shows and even chatting about science in the galleries...

EP#62: What makes a great First Nations public servant

July 04, 2022 01:00 - 54 minutes - 49.7 MB

The public service offers opportunity to contribute to positive outcomes for Australian communities and to pursue rewarding careers. It also comes with challenges, obstacles, ethical dilemmas, and racism for some of our First Nations public servants. Our conversation for this episode is an important one, with our guests exploring the push and pull factors for First Nations people in the Australian Public Service. It’s brought to you in NAIDOC Week, and as we are being encouraged to stand up...

EP#61: Future of the APS

June 20, 2022 00:03 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MB

Australia, like all countries, has experienced rapid change over the last few years which has altered people's expectations of government and the way they access government services. A new government at the federal level also means change – a need to adapt to new priorities, connect with stakeholders and build new relationships. In this latest episode, we’re joined by Australian Public Service (APS) veterans, Andrew Podger AO, Professor of Public Policy at the Australian National Universit...

EP#60: Making meetings work

June 06, 2022 04:10 - 34 minutes - 32 MB

Meetings can consume a large part of our working day, so we expect them to be productive and meaningful. While many of us ‘endure’ hours of seemingly wasteful meeting time, we need to remember that meetings are essentially a platform for unlocking the potential of people working collectively. They are a place where organisational culture forms and takes hold. In this week’s episode, we’re joined by Sean Innis, Principal of Damala St Consulting and Fellow of the Australian Studies Institu...

EP#59: Australia's place in the Asia-Pacific

May 23, 2022 02:33 - 37 minutes - 33.9 MB

We are currently experiencing a reset of the strategic order and rules that have governed our region for more than 70 years. China is challenging American dominance. We’re seeing the rise of other powers such as India and Indonesia, and a more assertive Japan. This, compounded with climate change, stress on the natural systems and food sources, has created a strategic environment that Australia hasn't had to deal with before. Policy makers – in fact all Australians - need to reconsider how w...

EP#58: Working across Jurisdictions

May 09, 2022 02:00 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MB

The devastating 1926 Australian east coast bushfires were a critical point in history that highlighted the imperative for governments to collaborate across jurisdictions. At that time, Victoria and New South Wales worked together to establish insurance populations of species to ensure their ongoing survival. Over 100 years on, and with a whole new spectrum of environmental issues at the fore, all levels of governments are still refining how to work together to get the best outcomes for thei...

EP#57: Leading from a Distance

April 26, 2022 06:38 - 36 minutes - 42 MB

Before the pandemic, the APSC reported that 22% of APS employees were working from home or utilising flexible working arrangements. As we all know, when COVID-19 hit the nation, this number grew substantially to 56%. In 2022 Australians are slowly learning how to work in the context of the pandemic. This means that for many flexible working arrangements are becoming the norm, including those in the APS. So, the question is posed, do we have to be in the office or even the same city as our of...

EP#56: Planning for Uncertainty

March 28, 2022 01:02 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MB

COVID-19 has accelerated the uptake of digital technology and brought about a greater awareness of wellbeing and productivity, particularly in times of crisis. It has forced a new way of working for teams, organisations and individuals. So, what are the lessons that we've learned from the past couple of years and what do we need to do to ensure that we can create and sustain high performing organisations throughout this time of change? What are the building blocks for improving performance a...

A National Perspective – EP#6: What are we doing about bullying and harassment?

March 15, 2022 01:00 - 41 minutes - 38.4 MB

The vast majority of public servants behave respectfully and civilly to their colleagues, but employee surveys of public servants across the country repeatedly show that bullying and harassment is still a significant issue. There is strong evidence that it weakens institutions, undermines productivity and innovation and poisons workplace culture. So, what does workplace bullying and harassment look like and what can be done to tackle it and make sure that we have safe and respectful workplac...

EP#55: Reducing Domestic Violence

February 28, 2022 01:00 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MB

One in three Australian women have experienced physical violence. One in four Australian women have experienced violence by an intimate partner. One in five Australian women have experienced sexual violence. These statistics merely touch the sides of a very serious and significant problem. The Government is now in the consultation stage for the 2022-2032 National Action Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children. Drawing on experience and lessons learnt from the current Natio...

EP#55: Australia’s place in the Asia-Pacific

February 14, 2022 01:00 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MB

We are currently experiencing a reset of the strategic order and rules that have governed our region for more than 70 years. China is challenging American dominance. We’re seeing the rise of other powers such as India and Indonesia, and a more assertive Japan. This, compounded with climate change, stress on the natural systems and food sources, has created a strategic environment that Australia hasn't had to deal with before. Policy makers – in fact all Australians - need to reconsider how w...

EP#54: Women in Economics

January 31, 2022 04:45 - 32 minutes - 36.9 MB

The number of women in the field of economics in Australia is unproportionally low. How can we address this issue and encourage more women to work in the field of economics? And what are the consequences if we don’t? In this week’s episode we are joined by Cherelle Murphy, Chief Economist at Austrade, and Dr Leonora Risse, Senior Lecturer in Economics at RMIT University and National Chair of the Women in Economics Network. Discussed in this episode: Creating a career in economics. Impro...

Summer Retrospective: Respecting Indigenous Communications

January 20, 2022 01:00 - 40 minutes - 37.2 MB

Happy Holidays! It’s been a big year for the APS and we hope you all have a restful and well deserved break. Here at WWP we are also taking a much needed break. We will be back in your ears shortly, but in the meantime here is one of our favourites from the year, an insightful conversation on indigenous communications with Letitia Hope, Ray Griggs and Justine O’Brien. Happy listening and enjoy the break. Discussed in this episode: Engaging and connecting with Indigenous audiences. Cadenc...

Summer Retrospective: Leading through a Crisis

January 06, 2022 01:00 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MB

Happy Holidays! It’s been a big year for the APS and we hope you all have a restful and well deserved break. Here at WWP we are also taking a much needed break. We will be back in your ears shortly, but in the meantime here is one of our favourites from the year, an intriguing conversation on leadership in times of crisis with Dr David Gruen and Dr Ken Henry AC. Happy listening and enjoy the break. Discussed in this episode: Importance of open and regular communication with staff. Balanc...

EP#53: Productivity and the home office

December 06, 2021 01:00 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MB

The COVID-driven surge to working from home has given us a taste of what different ways of working can look like. Many are enjoying the flexibility, balance, autonomy and other benefits of not working within the constraints of the nine to five office environment. As we come out of the pandemic many workplaces, including the public sector, are trying to figure how to effectively incorporate working from home into business as usual. How do we stay productive when working from home? How do we e...

EP#52: The impact on Infrastructure

November 22, 2021 04:40 - 46 minutes - 52.9 MB

COVID-19 has obviously had a huge impact on Australia. House prices have gone up, offices have moved to home, school has become virtual and let’s not forget the great toilet paper crisis of 2020. Every government department has been working hard to embrace this impact and more importantly begin thinking about how to recover from it moving forward. The infrastructure sector is no stranger to this. Spanning from transport, cities and communications, the pandemic has certainly reshaped its futu...

EP#51: Let’s talk Elections

November 08, 2021 04:40 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MB

The role of the Australian Public Service, as defined in the Public Service Act 1999, is to apolitically, efficiently and effectively serve the Government, the Parliament and the Australian people. With this in mind, what is the role of the APS at Federal election time? What processes and procedures does the APS need to follow to keep the cogs of government turning while continuing to serve key stakeholders during caretaker periods? In this episode we're joined by Dr Stein Helgeby the Parli...

EP#50: Opening the Border

October 25, 2021 04:40 - 32 minutes - 29.5 MB

For almost two years Australia’s border has been closed off to the rest of the world to help protect Australia from COVID-19. Closing this border was not an easy task and opening it won’t be either. Australia’s Border Force are the ones that are set with these difficult tasks. Working day and night, these important members of the APS help protect Australia from an array of pests and diseases, and more recently, COVID-19. In this weeks episode we are joined by Michael Outram, Commissioner at...

EP#49: The EA Journey

October 11, 2021 04:42 - 44 minutes - 51.2 MB

In this special edition of Work with Purpose brought to you by the IPAA ACT EA Committee, we explore what is involved in the role of an EA. What do they do in their day-to-day role? What made them want to be an EA and why should others consider working in these roles that are vital to the running of our APS? In this weeks episode we are joined by Martin Elliffe, Office Manager for Rachel Stephen-Smith, the ACT Minister for Health, Rhana Crago, Executive Assistant to Rosemary Huxtable, the S...

EP#48: Stepping towards a more inclusive APS

September 27, 2021 06:08 - 32 minutes - 37.5 MB

According to the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC), only 4% of the APS workforce identifies with having a disability. Why is this and what can be done to change this statistic to help make the APS a more enabling, collaborative and a more inclusive workplace for those with a disability? In this weeks episode of Work with Purpose episode we are joined by Catherine Seaberg, Assistant Commissioner leading the inclusion group at the APSC and Cain Beckett, Assistant Secretary of Policy...

EP#47: The First 90 Days: Lessons Learned from Public and Private Leadership

September 13, 2021 05:40 - 40 minutes - 46.7 MB

Now more than ever, public servants are being encouraged to take up mobility opportunities and learn from the different experiences offered within the public sector. The benefits of having an open growth mindset and a genuine commitment to understanding different workplace contexts, help us to be more flexible in our roles, and better prepares us for managing the different pathways that our careers take. Diversity of thought and experience also makes for a well-rounded leader. This special ...

EP#46: Growth in the Service

August 30, 2021 05:40 - 44 minutes - 50.9 MB

The pandemic has arguably compelled Australia’s public sector to grow and transform in a way as never seen before. It is more modern, flexible, fit for purpose and up to the task. It should be proud of its stewardship role looking after Australia’s health, social and economic needs throughout COVID-19. Yet there is always more room to grow. In this episode we are joined by Simon Atkinson, Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications as ...

EP#45: The Significance of Public Service Medals

August 16, 2021 05:40 - 37 minutes - 34.2 MB

The Public Service Medal (PSM) pays tribute to public servants who have gone above and beyond to deliver. It pays homage to outstanding service, including service excellence, innovation, leadership and other achievements. In this episode we’re joined by Paul Way PSM, Director General at the Department of Defence, Dr Ros Baxter PSM, Deputy Secretary at the Department of Education, Skills and Employment and Caroline Edwards PSM, former Associate Secretary at the Department of Health and IPAA...

EP#44: Making an Impact

August 02, 2021 05:40 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MB

One of the biggest challenges that we all face in the Australian Public Service is making our voices heard. With over 150,000 APS employees both in Australia and around the world, this can be quite the task, particularly for those considered to be part of a minority group. So how do we get people to listen? How do we ensure that our words and actions are making an impact and what steps need to be taken in order to do this? In this episode we are joined by the Chief Executive Officer of the ...

SPECIAL EDITION: The Tools you Need: The Launch of the APS Academy

July 26, 2021 05:40 - 40 minutes - 36.6 MB

What does it take to be an Australian Public Servant? What are the skills and crafts that we need in order to serve the Australian Public in the best way that we can? The APS Academy is a place for all members of the APS to help teach and expand their skills by working on their ‘craft’ to improve their skills to do just that. Launching last week, today’s guests discuss its importance and the role the Academy will play in the future of the APS. In this episode we are joined by Australian Pu...

EP#43: Leading through a Crisis

July 19, 2021 05:40 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MB

How do you lead a team during extreme and sudden times of crisis? This is something that many people all over the world have recently had to face including those in the Australian public service. Today’s interviewers, Isabelle Franklin and Megan Aponte-Payne from the IPAA Future Leaders Committee delve into this topic asking our guests how they showed leadership in crises such as the 2007-8 Global Financial Crisis and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and how these events have changed them and t...

EP#42: Respecting Indigenous Communications

July 05, 2021 05:40 - 40 minutes - 37.2 MB

When it comes to communicating with Indigenous communities, Government needs to be tailored in its approach to ensure messages are clearly relayed and understood. Effective communication, however, is not a one-way street and cannot rely on words alone. Culturally respectful, trust-based relationships, built over time are imperative to ensure every voice is heard, and Indigenous Australians own the decisions and policies that affect their lives and livelihoods. In this episode we are joined...

EP#41 : Putting a stop to international fraud

June 21, 2021 05:40 - 38 minutes - 35 MB

COVID-19 has created boom time for criminals who seek to deceive for financial and personal gain. These scammers and fraudsters, who've been out in force leveraging the insecurities created byCOVID-19 and the power of digital technology, have launched millions of websites, email, investment employee, supply chain, and charity scams. The global reach of this digital criminal activity has brought governments, businesses, academia, and the third sector to from across the globe together to count...

EP#40: Strategic Thinking in a Crisis

June 07, 2021 04:30 - 31 minutes - 29 MB

This year has seen Australia face many crises including flood, mice plagues and of course the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. And this is off the back of a crisis filled 2020. So we've really witnessed an accumulative impact. It's really timely today for us just to take this time in this episode, to really explore how, as public servants or former public servants, how we can really draw from our own reserves and our own experiences and create that sense of certainty for our future. In this episo...

EP#39 : A Look into the Future: The APS Workforce Strategy 2025

May 24, 2021 05:40 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MB

The OECD says that the context and challenges of the public sector are changing at such a rapid pace that the capabilities of public servants must keep up. It's a first-order issue as organisations seek to understand just what are the skills, the knowledge, the behaviour, and the attitude that they will need in their people to successfully compete and operate in a digitally-enabled data-led mobile world. The APS, being the diligent enterprise that it is, has been thinking and planning about ...

EP#38: Women in Leadership: STEM edition

May 10, 2021 04:30 - 47 minutes - 43.9 MB

In 2020, a year of uncertainty and risk, the Australian public saw the APS rely on the minds of scientists, and others that work within STEM, like they never have before. A field that in the past has been predominately filled by men, is starting to see some powerful and influential women rise to the top. How did they make it? What choices and career moves did these women make to assist in rising to roles of leadership and how do they advise some of Australia’s most senior politicians on how ...

SPECIAL EPISODE: Work with Purpose Anniversary Edition

April 29, 2021 05:40 - 39 minutes - 45.8 MB

This month marks the one-year anniversary of Work with Purpose. To celebrate, we’re releasing a special highlights edition featuring some of the remarkable insights shared with us over the past year, from some of our most popular episodes with speakers from across the public sector. In this special episode, we pay homage to the Australian public sector as it took centre stage delivering the Australian Government's agenda supporting the Australian community and the economy throughout the COV...

EP#37: A Positive Outlook

April 27, 2021 02:00 - 37 minutes - 34 MB

Whether you work inside or outside of the APS, it is safe to say that 2020, for the most of us, was quite the challenging year. With our work, home and day-to-day lives being forced to change at such a rapid rate, people around the globe learnt to adjust. However along with this, the world didn’t put the rest of life’s challenges on hold, meaning that some of us had a lot of weight to carry on our shoulders. So when our shoulders are sore, and we’re starting to feel ‘a bit over it’, how do w...

EP#36 : Building Confidence in the APS

April 12, 2021 05:30 - 41 minutes - 38.3 MB

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 Ag...

EP# 35: Collecting and Protecting Australia’s Memories

March 29, 2021 04:40 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MB

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 Dire...

EP#34: Supporting Mental Health in a Crisis

March 15, 2021 04:30 - 38 minutes - 35.4 MB

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 A...

Why the APS Professions are important to the sector and Australia - with Dr. David Gruen, Jacqui Curtis and Randall Brugeaud

March 11, 2021 04:50 - 49 minutes - 57.1 MB

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 Commis...

EP# 33: Flexible Responders: Taskforce Toolkit and the APS Mobility Framework

February 15, 2021 04:50 - 41 minutes - 38.4 MB

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 mo...

EP# 32: A Rising Threat: Cyber Security in the APS - with Hamish Hansford

February 01, 2021 03:00 - 30 minutes - 28 MB

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...

2020 Retrospective | An Extraordinary APS - with the Australian Centre for Agricultural Research

January 17, 2021 21:00 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MB

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 pass...

2020 Retrospective | Behind the Scenes of Australia’s Largest Ever Spending Program - with Dr. Steven Kennedy and Matt Comyn

January 03, 2021 19:50 - 44 minutes - 41 MB

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...

2020 Retrospective | The Dynamic Duo - with Professor Brendan Murphy and Caroline Edwards

December 21, 2020 04:50 - 43 minutes - 40 MB

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...

EP# 31: Trust in Government after 2020: Where do we go from here? - With Michelle Grattan AO and Professor Mark Evans

December 07, 2020 04:25 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MB

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 discu...

A National Perspective–EP#5 A well-earned tipping point with Jodie Ryan

December 03, 2020 04:55 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MB

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...

EP #30 Workplace health and safety: a common sense approach with Sandra Parker PSM and Sue Weston PSM

November 23, 2020 04:55 - 36 minutes - 33 MB

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 app...

EP #29 National service, individual purpose with Liz Cosson, AM CSC

November 09, 2020 04:50 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MB

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 Australi...

Work with Purpose: A podcast about the Australian Public Service.

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