The Institute for Public Administration Australia (IPAA) has released its National Strategic Plan 2021-2025. Developed by IPAA’s National Council in consultation with IPAA’s eight Divisions, and designed by IPAA SA’s very own Marketing and Membership Coordinator, Kathryn Oosthuizen. The plan provides a framework to re-focus IPAA’s vision of:

• enriching IPAA offerings at a national level
• building stronger connections between people working in the public sector and the wider public purpose sector and
• increasing membership across each jurisdiction.

This strategic plan provides a foundation to celebrate, reach out and work with others on excellence in public administration and public policy across Australia. It outlines four key objectives with relevant actions associated to them to ensure this plan is delivered effectively. These objectives include:

1. Speaking out as the voice of Australia’s public sectors
2. Supporting professional excellence in Australia’s public sectors and to help build relationships
3. Building national and international partnerships to enrich and expand member offerings
4. Improving our structures and processes to ensure that IPAA’s governance arrangements are fit for purpose

These objectives are underpinned by nine actions that the Chief Executive Officers and Executive Directors of the eight Divisions, and the National Executive Director have been tasked to implement. A key to the success of this plan is developing strategic partnerships which help support the signature events and new initiatives which will be implemented.

Monitoring, evaluation and reporting mechanisms have also been included in the strategy to measure ongoing successes and allow opportunity for refinement as required.

Read the IPAA National Strategic Plan 2021 – 2025 here >. 

For more information about the plan, contact the IPAA National Office at info@ipaa.org.au. See the original IPAA National News article here.

Looking for a podcast to get inspired, learn something new or to confirm that you are going in the right direction? IPAA have some public sector specific podcasts which feature some insightful conversations with local public service professionals.

IPAA Public Sector Podcasts

#1 – IPAA ACT | Work With Purpose Podcast Series

This podcast series explores the important role of the Australian Public Service and their roles in supporting the Government’s response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on priorities for the future and key learnings /takeaways from leaders in the sector.

Available on the IPAA ACT website.

#2 – IPAA ACT | Integrity Series

The Integrity Series is a four-part podcast series produced in partnership between IPAA ACT and the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC). It explores the meaning of integrity and the importance of harnessing integrity as an APS craft to build a high performing and trusted public service.

Available on the IPAA ACT website.

#3 – IPAA VIC | Public Sector Perspectives

IPAA Victoria presents Public Sector Perspectives, a podcast featuring conversation with incredible people highlighting the interesting work in government and across the Victorian Public Sector.

Available on the IPAA ACT website.

The PwC Skilled Service Hub is Australia’s national onshore delivery centre based in Adelaide, it supports clients across Australia to solve their most important problems. Having already hired over 100 new staff since July, the Skilled Service Hub team is continuing to grow and they now have more job opportunities available. The Skilled Service Hub is already in operation across Cybersecurity and Cloud capabilities to help drive economic growth for the South Australian and national economy across a wide range of industries.

PwC is currently hiring 150+ roles through the PwC Australia Skilled Service Hub in the following teams:

• Cloud
• Cybersecurity
• Trust & Risk
• Analytics
• Integrated Infrastructure
• Customer & Experience
• Program and Project Management
• Proposals
• Risk & Independence

Whether you are an intern / recent graduate, Associate, Senior Associate, Manager or Senior Manager there are a range of jobs currently available to grow and develop in the sector. If you know someone interested in a role in the above disciplines, then click the link to find out more information.

You can also read about the PwC Australia Skilled Service Hub launch in May 2021 here >

How can we help communities avoid misinformation and disinformation?

How worried should we be about pervasive data collection and its impacts on our citizens’ privacy and ways of life?

 Is cyber mischief dividing society and threatening trust in government… and even our democracy?

Our lives are becoming more entwined with, and dependent upon, digital technologies.  These technologies are presenting exciting opportunities to improve our citizens’ quality of life, but there are also risks to individuals, society, trust in government and our democracy that need to be addressed.

To better understand how prepared the South Australian Public Sector is for these challenges, Flinders University is conducting a survey.  The responses collected will be used to develop training to equip public servants with the knowledge, skills and mindsets needed to help South Australia thrive in the digital age. This is a vital piece of research that will help support our sector grow and develop, and with your input we can make a real difference in how we move forward into the future. Complete the survey here >

The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and responses are confidential.  It closes at midnight on 1 October 2021.

Once the survey is complete, you have the option to participate in a prize draw to win 1 of 3 Bunnings gift cards worth $40.

The survey is being undertaken by Flinders University and is part of a research project which investigates social cyber awareness in public sector leaders and if it improves through an education program.  Full details of the research project (including confidentiality, privacy, use of the data and contact details for the research team) can be found here. The project has been approved by Flinders University’s Human Research Ethics Committee (Project Number: 4686).

If you have questions about the survey, please contact Tammy Joachin, Lead – Executive Education, Jeff Bleich Centre (Flinders University) on 0401002719 or tammy.joachin@flinders.edu.au

The Institute of Public Administration Australia is pleased to announce that funding has been awarded to three new public administration research projects.

The grants from the Public Administration Research Trust Fund — which IPAA manages in partnership with the University of Canberra’s Centre for Change Governance —  will support research into the ethical application of artificial intelligence, the career pathways of Federal ministerial staff once they leave a minister’s office, and the capabilities associated with the implementation of social procurement.

Caroline Walsh, IPAA’s National Executive Director, said that the three research projects will deliver real-world insights for public servants and those involved in the wider public purpose sector.

“We are really pleased to be able to support these research projects into areas of public administration that are topical and important to the profession, not only now but into the future.”

Grants were awarded to:

• Associate Professor Joshua Newman (Better Governance and Policy, Faculty of Arts, Monash University) for the project ‘Supporting the Ethical Application of Artificial Intelligence in Australian Public Administration’ ($6,000)
• Dr Maria Maley (School of Politics and International Relations, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences for the project ‘Leaving the Ministerial Office: career steps following work as a ministerial adviser’ ($3,000)
• Dr Warren Staples and Dr John Howe (University of Melbourne) and Dr Diep Nguyen and Professor Stephen Teo (Edith Cowan University) for the project ‘ Understanding Capabilities in Social Procurement Implementation’ ($6,000).

Professor Darren Sinclair, Director of the Centre for Change Governance at the University, said that the partnership demonstrated the benefits of university collaboration with a member-based organisation like IPAA that promotes excellence and pride in public service across Australia.

“Public administration is undergoing a period of rapid transformation, with the advent of digitisation and big data, together with new and demanding challenges such as COVID-19, and the need to addresses integrity, diversity and inclusion.

 

It is more important than ever, therefore, for academics to provide research insights to practitioners — this can only happen with funding, which the IPAA has generously provided to three excellent projects”.

The research findings from these projects will be made available by IPAA and the University of Canberra in due course.

More information on the research fund is available from the Public Administration Research Trust Fund page on IPAA’s national website.

To see original article, visit the IPAA National website here.