We need to really make sure that we amplify our voices as women and make sure that we let people know that we are women of strength and that we’re strong. And we’re going to continue to fight for what we want.

— Aunty Geraldine Atkinson, Elected Co-Chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria

Following the momentous IPAA Victoria International Women’s Day Gala on 8 March we have the opportunity to reflect on some of the important conversations that emerged.  During the Gala Dinner there was a very special conversation between Aunty Geraldine Atkinson, elected Co-Chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and Chair Eleanor Bourke AM, Chair of the Yoorrook Justice Commission. Together, they responded to the unanswered questions the audience had on the night and explored themes of treaty, truth-telling and self-determination.

As hard as it is sometimes to hear some of the stories about the trauma that started generations back, it’s still important that those things go on the public record so that the rest of Victoria … and other Victorians can learn why it is that we are calling for treaties.

— Chair Eleanor Bourke AM, Chair of the Yoorrook Justice Commission

Some of the key questions explored included;
–   How do you find the personal strength to stay involved in discussions and hear stories that are incredibly important but that must often also be deeply traumatic?
–  What does treaty mean to you and how will it change the work you do? How does Treaty and truth-telling impact you every day?
–   What are some barriers you all face, as a woman, and as a First Nations person? How did you overcome them?
along with many more thought provoking questions.

If you haven’t already engaged with this special episode of the Public Sector Perspectives podcast you can listen now below.

In follow-up to this key conversation between Ms Bourke AM and Aunty Geraldine Atkinson there was still a lot to unpack and explore. In the follow-up episode of Public Sector Perspectives, they chatted to Elly Patria, Deputy Secretary, First Peoples – State Relations, Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Victoria, to explore the Treaty Framework in Victoria and the opportunities for First Nations Women in Public Service. This conversation highlighted her personal reflections and lived experience in how the Treaty process shaped her opportunities.

If you would like to learn more about the topics explored in these podcast conversations you can find more information on the IPAA Victoria website.

The 2022 Hawkes Oration brings together public servants from the Northern Territory to hear Professor Ruth Wallace, Dean of the College of Indigenous Futures, Education & the Arts and Director of the Northern Institute at Charles Darwin University, deliver on the topic of “Indigenous co-design: opportunities, challenges and risks”. Professor Wallace’s research interests relate to the links between social policy that addresses the concerns of people and systems remote from core decision making processes. This work is situated in regional and remote areas of Northern Australia and Indonesia, with a specific focus in research approaches to improve service delivery and adaptation, undertaken with Aboriginal people in remote and regional areas.

About The Hawkes Oration

In 2002, the Northern Territory Division of the Institute of Public Administration Australia inaugurated a regular series of speeches on the major issues of the day as part of its contribution to the development of public administration in the Northern Territory.

The Division decided to honour its long-serving President, David Hawkes, by naming the series after him. Not only did he make a significant contribution to the work of the Division over many years, he also played a major role in the development of public administration in the Territory. His leadership was instrumental in placing the Territory at the forefront of innovation in the public sector in the 1990s.

David Hawkes was Commissioner for Public Employment for thirteen years between 1989 and 2001 and was, at his retirement, the longest serving Commissioner in Australia. In his earlier career as a public sector union official, he played a major role in the development of redeployment and voluntary redundancy arrangements in the Australian Public Service. These arrangements were later used to good effect in the Territory over many years as a means of managing structural change.

David is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration and continues to contribute to the work of the Institute in his retirement.

Previous orations have been delivered by luminaries such as Natasha Stott Despoja, Peter Shergold, Fred Chaney, Annabel Crabb, Professor Simon Maddocks and the Honourable Clare Martin.

Biography of This Year’s Orator, Professor Ruth Wallace

Professor Ruth Wallace is the Dean of the College of Indigenous Futures, Education and the Arts and Director of the Northern Institute at Charles Darwin University, the Territory’s own university. The College brings together interdisciplinary knowledge and expertise in the areas of Indigenous knowledge practices, human geography, disaster preparedness and management, education, languages, educational tertiary enabling, humanities and the creative industries. The Northern Institute is a regional leader in high quality social and public policy research. The institute’s research aims to understand regional development and provide strong evidence for policy development, capacity building, and responding to the needs of governments and communities across the region.

Ruth was the first woman to be awarded the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Agriculture and Life Sciences Scholarship. Her research interests relate to the links between identity, marginalised learners, and the development of effective learning and workforce development pathways. This work is situated in regional and remote areas of Northern Australia and Indonesia, with a specific focus in research approaches to improve service delivery and adaptation, undertaken with Aboriginal people in remote and regional areas.

Ruth’s research connects to digital systematic learning pedagogies, and approaches to workforce development through remote-based enterprises. Ruth leads the workforce development research theme of the Northern Institute at Charles Darwin University and focuses on collaborative approaches to workforce development and engagement with community, governments and industry that are sustainable and scalable. Ruth has extensive experience in educational practice development and as a teacher at all educational levels.

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.

(previously Cultural Diversity and Awareness for Public Sector)

Grow your understanding and awareness of the Indigenous Community in South Australia. You will build a depth of understanding for the spiritual relationship Indigenous Peoples hold to their land and how you can work empathetically and effectively with these groups. Cultural awareness is vital for all SA public sector employees and this training presents a valuable opportunity to learn from an experienced facilitator with first-hand knowledge.