The IPAA 2016 National Conference was a provocative look at political, social, and economic reform in Australia. You can watch every plenary session below.

For 50 years Flinders University has been a focus for long term and systematic education and research in the field of public policy and administration.  Its public policy activities have always had a strong collaborative element working with government.

Over the past 50 years the public administration landscape has changed dramatically and the fundamental issues of organising our society to steer new directions, and harness our resources to deliver public value has been highly contestable.  Our public servants have very hard jobs giving policy advice and managing programs

This half day seminar provided pointers to the future, and looked at lessons we can learn from the past.

The session was chaired by Professor Adam Graycar, School of Social and Policy Studies, Flinders University. 

Our two keynote speakers brought knowledge, vision and experience

Dr Zeger van der Wal
The 21st Century Public Manager: Trends, Challenges, and Competencies

Drawing on cutting edge research, Dr van der Wal will outline how public managers, faced with volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity can face future challenges and risks.

He will show that these challenges and risks also provide unprecedented opportunities, enabling public managers to be more entrepreneurial, faster, “flatter”, responsive, and innovative in their ability to respond to citizen needs, policy challenges, and demands and assignments from political and administrative bosses.   In his outline of how to deliver “better” public management he will draw upon his forthcoming book The 21st Century Public Manager. His opening address will cover:

• Key drivers and trends affecting the operating environment of public managers in the 21st century, such as Climate Change, Aging, Ultra-urbanization, Economic Interconnectedness, and Disruptive Technological Change
• Seven clusters of demands, dilemmas, and enablers resulting from these trends, such as Managing Stakeholder Multiplicity, Managing Authority Turbulence, and Managing the New Work (Force)
• The potential of a new paradigm of 21st Century Public Management to complement Traditional Public Administration, New Public Management, and New Public Governance
• The ability of our field to stay relevant to practice amidst rapidly changing and highly dynamic environments and contexts

Mr Kym Kelly
Lessons from the past: Values to lead and Capacity to manage

Following the coffee break we heard from four people closely associated with the School, two who have been involved in teaching, and two Masters graduates

• Dr Cassandra Star,  Associate Professor in Public Policy
• Dr Jo Baulderstone, former Associate Professor in Public Policy
• Mr Phil Fagan-Schmidt,  currently Executive Director, Housing SA
• Ms Barbara Dickens currently with RenewalSA

In the final issue of Public Administration Today ideas around ‘productivity’ were explored. This edition featured articles from notable sector thought leaders on insights across performance, innovation and the relation to productivity. Articles included:

• Important to distinguish between productivity and efficiency: Terry Moran on public service productivity pg 04
• Productivity ‘product’ crisis: Doug McTaggart poses some penetrating questions about whether the public sector can
  improve its productivity without a better understanding of consumers and what they want. pg 06-07
• Productivity Paradox: Janine O’Flynn says looking more broadly to a range of measures of ‘performance’ is much
  more practical and meaningful than a never-ending quest for (the paradox of) ‘productivity’. pg 08-09
• Authentic Productivity: Renu Agarwa, Christopher Bajada,  Paul J Brown, and Roy Green examine why current productivity approaches fail us. pg 10-13

To read the full edition see below…

Edition 42 of Public Administration Today looked at Australia’s public service on the global stage, as well as how we learn from government globally. This issue included articles on topics including…

Competitiveness and productivity: Today asked the Productivity Commission to report on where Australia fits internationally

Innovate to compete internationally: Industry innovation and competitiveness remains a challenge for
Australian business, say Daniel Quinn and Mike Lawson.

International engagement means a safer world: Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (DI&RD) Secretary, Mike Mrdak, says international engagement builds relationships and helps keep transportation – for Australians, overseas travellers and cargo – safe and secure.

Fruitful regional harvest: Australia’s trade diplomacy is on a roll. Over the past 14 months free trade agreements (FTAs) have been
struck with three major Asian trading partners.

Access the full issue below…

As part of Entrepreneurs’ Week, IPAA SA hosted a forum to showcase examples of intrapreneurship in the South Australian public sector, and to explore emerging trends and challenges for achieving change, improving coordination and facilitating innovation.

Attendees gained insight into the role of intrapreneurs in pushing government forward, and were inspired by and learned from some successful SA-based initiatives.

Keynote speakers included Raymond Spencer (Chair, Economic Development Board), Matt Salier (New Ventures Institute, Flinders University) and Kristina Dryza (Futurist).

In the morning, some of the stories were presented both in Pecha Kucha style and conference style, from initiatives including:

• Changing From Within – NSW Child Protection
• Change@SA (Office of the Public Sector)
• Splash Adelaide (Adelaide City Council)
• Ideas Bank (Nucleus)
• Fab Lab
• Health in All Policies (SA Health)
• Growing Festivals
• Investment facilitation for the Iluka project

In the afternoon, an Ideas Marketplace was held for attendees to discuss new ideas and concepts with the people who have already made them happen. Discussions included concepts like open data, participatory budgeting, industry clusters, and citizen juries.

You were invited to contribute to our survey of intrapreneurship in government in South Australia.
Results from this survey were presented by Kristin Alford of Bridge8 and your input informed a shared overview of the challenges and opportunities and how further change and innovation might be supported.

This edition of ‘Public Administration Today’ focused on the topic of ‘community and engagement, which included articles from influential figures across the public sector. Highlighted articles from this issue included…

• Indigenous engagement: greatest challenge, opportunity – from Terry Moran
• When ‘PR’ became ‘engagement: Rhodri Ellis-Jones explores the contribution of market research and public relations to community engagement
• Engaging youth in the top end paying dividends: Northern Territory’s Manager, Community Engagement, Department of the Chief Minister, Siobhan Okely, and the Coordinator of the Chief Minister’s Round Table of Young Territorians, Prue Jezierski, report the on-going success of this community engagement program specific to youth.
• Community engagement writ large!: Thomas Parkes,  reports that community engagement by the Department of Human Services is a massive, never-ending interaction.

To read the full edition please visit below…

Presented By Paul Leistner and Peter Mckinlay

Community or neighbourhood governance is emerging as an important new way in which governments works with communities and neighbourhoods.

This one day workshop will provide an overview of good practice internationally looking at both statutory and non-statutory forms of community governance. It will show how different stakeholders are taking the lead ranging from councils, to higher tiers of government to the private sector, all focused on working with communities to improve community outcomes.

At the end of the workshop you will have a good understanding of the options available for you and your agency. Benefits will include learning how community governance can assist the better management of programmes and expenditure, improve relationships with citizens and communities, and enable better outcomes for your communities.