The Institute of Public Administration and the Equal Opportunity Commission hosted the Forum for South Australian executives, managers and supervisors on the 28th August 2015.

The way we work is changing. In recent years there has been a growing appreciation that organisations must respond to these dynamic shifts that are occurring within our society. Traditional patterns of working that involve ‘fixed pace, fixed time’ work no longer serve the current or future needs of the workplace and our society more generally. In light of this, a more flexible approach to working is required.1

The purpose of this Forum was to consider ways to create a more productive, dynamic and flexible public sector workforce that is able to adapt to the future needs of the State Government and the community.

Equal Opportunity Commissioner Anne Gale hosted the Forum and discussed the outcomes of the Flexible Workplace Futures project. Other speakers included the Department of the Premier and Cabinet’s Chief Executive Kym Winter-Dewhurst, who will shared his views on establishing a modern public sector in the context of flexible work, and Dr Eva Balan-Vnuk of Microsoft, who discussed the concept of technology as an enabler of activity-based working. You would also have heared from the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment, Erma Ranieri, who provided an industrial perspective, and Valuer-General Delfina Lanzilli, who discussed the implementation of flexible work at the State Valuation Office.

The Forum will considered strategies for increasing productivity, achieving workplace diversity and modernising the public sector.

New research shows that organisations that are more innovative, productive and perform better financially, are those that are more diverse. Around the world, organisations are applying technology and smarter ways of working to ensure that they are maximising their available resources. Smart leaders from governments in Scandinavia to internet giants like Google and well known Australian companies including Telstra, Commonwealth Bank, Aurizon, Qantas and Atlassian are tackling this for its major productivity benefits.

Guests joined international cluster expert Rodin Genoff, and Narelle Hooper, former editor of the Australian Financial Review’s BOSS magazine, as they explored the latest research on how gender and diversity drives innovation, and as they provided practical steps that individuals and agencies can take to accelerate innovation.

Guests also had the opportunity to hear the Premier and the Minister for the Public Sector explain why we need to strengthen our focus on building a more representative and diverse workforce, and why we need to reignite our efforts on achieving South Australia’s Strategic Plan Target 52, which aims for equal representation in executive positions in the public sector. Despite some progress, women still remain underrepresented in leadership roles. We know that the numbers of women in leadership need to be improved to make our State a leader in this space.

With your input, we will reshape the future of gender equity in South Australia and make our public sector fit for the 21st Century.

Each of us has a responsibility to make sound, transparent administrative decisions. Unfortunately, public sector leaders do not always make these sorts of decisions.

In less serious cases, uninformed or ill-considered decisions can lead to major financial problems, delays, and unsuitable solutions – and also adversely affect individual employees.

In the worst cases, these decisions can lead to complaints of corruption, misconduct and maladministration. These complaints have the potential to result in criminal charges.

To ensure you are aware of your obligations as a decision-maker, IPAA is invited you to hear from:

The Hon. Justice Greg Parker, President, South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
“Administrative law principles applicable to decision-making”

The Hon. Bruce Lander QC, Independent Commissioner Against Corruption
“The Role of Administrators:

in considering complaints in relation to potential issues of corruption, misconduct and maladministration in public administration; and

in dealing with matters that have been referred to a public authority by the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption”

The session was chaired by Erma Ranieri, Commissioner for Public Sector Employment, and you were given the opportunity to ask questions to the panel of speakers.