Welcome to the Work with Purpose series, with the latest episode featured below. Work with Purpose explores the important role the Australian Public Service and supporting organisations are playing in the Government’s response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and priorities for the future. The series is produced in a partnership between contentgroup and IPAA ACT, with the support of the Australian Public Service Commission.
PUBLIC SECTOR UNEARTHED EPISODE #1 | Bringing public service stories to life
From mentoring to inclusion networks, our new Work with Purpose spin-off series, Public Sector Unearthed, showcases the stories of public servants who are achieving grassroots culture change and reform.
In this teaser episode, our series hosts Megan Aponte-Payne and Brock Phyland talk with Anna Ryan, Head of Communications and Engagement at the Australian Public Service Commission, and Caroline Walsh, CEO of IPAA ACT to give you a little taster of what's to come. Caroline and Anna share their personal stories about joining the public service, some of the great bottom-up initiatives they have seen in their careers, and how leaders can support their staff to start their own.
This episode's Unearthed wisdom: If you want people to drive change on the ground, create an environment of trust and psychological safety.
Caroline Walsh
Caroline Walsh joined IPAA in September 2020, after a 20-year career spanning the Commonwealth and state public sectors. She has held senior roles covering policy, reform, regulation and service delivery. Caroline was most recently at the Australian Public Service Commission, where she held a number of Group Manager roles over 4 years, covering Inclusion, APS reform and employment policy.
Anna Ryan
Anna Ryan is a communications, change and engagement practitioner who worked in the Australian Public Service for over 15 years. She has a passion for the APS and the people who work in it, and has been involved in many change projects for the Australian Government most recently at the APS Reform Office. She recently moved to the Australian Public Service Commission where she heads up the engagement and communication team.
Megan Aponte-Payne
Megan (“Meh-gen”) Aponte-Payne is an international trade specialist who currently works in the Office of Supply Chain Resilience at the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. She has previously worked at the Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and before that, headed up an NGO supporting international students and migrants. Megan is a coach and mentor, and has been a member of the IPAA Future Leaders Committee since 2020. She is especially passionate about leadership and cultural change in organisations.
Brock Phyland
Brock Phyland is a director in the Transform, Engage, Design (TED) Team at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Working over a number of years in the collaborative-design space, Brock enjoys facilitating and engaging directly with veterans and their families to better deliver support and services for the wider veteran community. Brock has been a part of the Future Leaders Committee since 2021 and thoroughly enjoys working and collaborating with other enthusiastic colleagues from across the whole APS and wider industry on events that challenge your thinking and make a difference.
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EPISODE #92 part 2 | Driving capability uplift in the Australian Public Service
In part two of this special episode of Work with Purpose, we continue our conversation with Dr Rachel Bacon, deputy secretary at the APS Reform Office, and Dr Subho Banerjee, head of APS Academy and Capability. We explore some of the mechanisms that are supporting capability uplift – the Capability Reinvestment Fund, new in-house consulting model, and the APS Academy. Rachel and Subho also discuss some of their top tips on how to drive capability uplift as a leader in the APS, including being prepared to have meaningful and hard conversations, approaching each task with curiosity, and being a role model that others can look up. Listen |
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EPISODE #92 part 1 | Exploring capability uplift in the Australian Public Service On this episode of Work with Purpose, we sit down with Dr Rachel Bacon, deputy secretary at the APS Reform Office, and Dr Subho Banerjee, deputy commissioner and head of the APS Academy and Capability, to explore the nuances of capability within the public service. They discuss the role of the Secretaries’ Board and the capability committee in setting strategic priorities, including attracting talent, embracing technological advancements, and fortifying leadership integrity. Tune in to discover how the APS is taking a decentralised, outward-facing approach to drive continuous improvement in public service. Listen |
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EPISODE #91 | Connect, care, contribute: Public service for public good |
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EPISODE #90 | Unpacking Australia's first wellbeing framework On this episode of Work with Purpose, join us as we host two distinguished experts, Leanne Wells, freelance health policy consultant, and Professor Rosemary Calder AM, a professor of health policy at Victoria University. They will unpack Australia's wellbeing statement, what it means for Australia’s communities, and how it might shape their future. Further, the conversation explores challenges for the frameworks, and the broader question of how it can truly make a difference on the ground. Listen |
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EPISODE #89 | How to embed psychological safety in Australia's workplaces |
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EPISODE #88 | Making Australia's workplaces carer-inclusive |
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EPISODE #87 | Cultural responsiveness and why it matters with Lisa Conway |
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EPISODE #86 | Collaboration for public purpose with Helen Sullivan |
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EPISODE #85 | Australia's reconciliation journey with Brendan Moyle |
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EPISODE #84 | How is the public sector using generative AI? |
EPISODE #83 | Building digital capability in the public sector |
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EPISODE #82 | How government experts self-sabotage |
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EPISODE #81 | Rebuilding trust and integrity after robodebt On this episode of Work with Purpose, together with two public service leaders – Kathy Leigh, Head of Service and Director-General of the Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate, ACT Government and Dr Gordon de Brouwer PSM FIPAA, Secretary for Public Sector Reform – we examine the impact of robodebt, discuss how the public service might reinforce its values around integrity, and rebuild courage and pride in its work. Listen |
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EPISODE #80 | Why mentoring matters On this episode of Work with Purpose, guest host and Institute of Public Administration Australia ACT CEO Caroline Walsh speaks with two inspirational female leaders, Tania Rishniw, Deputy Secretary, Primary and Community Care Group, at the Department of Health and Aged Care, and Nina Davidson, Deputy Director-General Intelligence at the Office of National Intelligence about how mentoring can benefit women during their careers, and what a great mentoring relationship should look like. Listen |
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EPISODE #79 | Time, trust, turf: Building effective partnerships |
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EPISODE #78 | LGBTQIA+ pride in the public sector |
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EPISODE #77 | Embracing neurodiversity in the public sector |
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EPISODE #76 | Revisting 'Working across jurisdictions' |
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EPISODE #75 | Revisiting 'What are we doing about bullying and harrassment?' |
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EPISODE #74 | Revisiting 'Workforce transformation' On this episode of Work with Purpose, we are joined by Adam Canwell, the Australian Lead of People Advisory Services Partner: Victoria at EY, Dr Andrew White, a Senior Fellow in Management Practice at Saïd Business School, Oxford University, and Harinder Sidhu, the Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Listen as they discuss recent research on the skills needed to lead workforce transformation, and its relevance to the Australian public service. Listen |