www.sa.ipaa.org.au

In June this year I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Institute of Public Administration New Zealand (IPANZ) new professionals conference in Wellington as part of a sister-relationship between IPANZ and IPAA. Along with Louise Beehag from the NSW Department of Premier & Cabinet I was representing IPAA and the Australian public sector. Phew. No pressure!

The conference theme was ‘Making a Difference’, inspired by a John F Kennedy quote that ‘one person can make a difference and every person should try’. The two day program was perfectly balanced between encouraging us to make a difference as a unified public sector and making a difference as individual public sector employees.

New Zealand shares the current global experience of post-financial-crisis uncertainties and heavy cuts to government budgets. I was however

pleasantly surprised to find that the morale of the sector and the public’s trust in the sector are both very high. The real challenges are in doing more with less, or even just to do the same with less in the face of budget cuts. Tony Ryall, Minister of State Services, reminded us that “every $1 you spend was hard-earned by a New Zealander”, and the same goes for every Aussie dollar we spend in our public sector. Valerie Wheeler from The Treasury told us that the greatest opportunities for increased productivity are in operational change – the processes and how people do their work. If you have ‘ground-up’ knowledge of how your department works then you are in a unique position to identify and drive efficiency changes. The advice we gained on how to make a difference as an individual was refreshingly candid and insightful. Len Cook, IPANZ President, told us that you have to be a bit cheeky and to some heroes. Iain Rennie, the State Services Commissioner, told us that the public sector needs renaissance men and women who bring new waves of ideas but you also have to deliver. Minister Ryall asked us to reflect on the fact that we are recession stricken and this will shape the future leaders we will become – will we become risk-averse or will we become collaborators who work together to do more with less? Brendan Boyle, CE of Department of Internal Affairs, told us to have courage – it’s a core skill – and to look for the formative ‘tough’ roles in our 30’s. And finally Dr Karen Poutasi, CE of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, encouraged us to ‘go the extra mile – there won’t be many traffic jams’.

IPAA SA looks forward to extending the same gracious hospitality to our IPANZ

colleagues in October when Adelaide hosts the 2010 IPAA national conference.

Focal Point IPAA’s Member NewsletterWinter Edition

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COAG and The Changing Nature of Federalism. Wednesday 1 September.On the Couch with Pauline Peel; Driving community reforms across all government jurisdictions. Wednesday 8 September.Economic Outlook Lunch with the Treasurer, Hon Kevin Foley MP Wednesday 22 September.An Hour in the Room: Brenton Caffin, CEO Australian Centre for Social Innovation. Monday 11 October.

Upcoming Forum Checklist:

IPAA Supporting Young ProfessionalsBy IPAA Professional Member, Erin Faehrmann.

Further reading – biannual ‘Kiwi Counts’ survey is an all-of-government national survey asking New Zealanders about their perceptions and experiences of public services - http://www.ssc.govt.nz/display/document.asp?DocID=7636

www.sa.ipaa.org.au

Vale IPAA Council Members, staff and members extend our sympathies to the family and friends of Mr Ted Correll who passed away earlier this year.

Mr Correll was a long-term IPAA member who contributed 44 years to the Public Sector. Joining the sector as a Junior Clerk, Mr Correll worked his way to Deputy Director at the SA Tourist Bureau before retiring in 1978.

With the IPAA National Conference 2010 just a few months away, the conference program is almost finalised.

Facilitating the panel discussions will be the highly respected journalist, Liz Jackson, from the ABC’s Four Corners program, while Chief Justice James Spigelman of the Supreme Court of New South Wales has been confirmed to deliver the conference’s closing Garran Oration.

Topics over the two days in October cover a broad spectrum of themes critical to public sector employees working at both state and federal level, and especially focus on bringing about greater communication and information sharing between equivalent departments in each state.

The program topics range from harnessing the opportunities of social media and new technologies to the global

pressures forcing greater governmental responsibility.

With keynote presentations, panel discussions and a range of social functions rounding out the two days, the conference will provide an unparalleled opportunity for public sector employees

to meet and exchange ideas with their interstate and inter-departmental counterparts in an informal and relaxed setting.

The two-day conference will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre, starting on Thursday 21 October and is open to all IPAA members.

2010 National Conference Program Announced

With the recent state government departmental shuffle we welcome Department for Water and Department of Environment and Natural Resources as Corporate Members of IPAA.

If you work within these departments we recommend you update your contact details via the IPAA web site to ensure you still receive all your member benefits.

We also welcome Department of Planning and Local Government who has recently joined the network of Corporate Members.

Department changes

Keynote Presentations include:The global pressures for Governments to review and • share responsibilitiesThe new social media and its possibilities for social • democracyChristine Nixon: Intergovernmental cooperation • in practice – the response to the February 2009 Victorian bush fires.

Panel Sessions discussing:Responsibilities, Inter-Governmental Frameworks, • Service Delivery – How can we gain from shared responsibilities without losing accountability?New Technology: Opportunities and Challenges• Meaningful Conclusions Reached and Possibilities • Moving Forward

For the full program of sessions and registration information, please visit www.ipaanationalconference.org.au

LEFT: Liz Jackson.RIGHT: Chief Justice James Spigelman

Conference Highlights

Feedback from recent IPAA forumsOn the Women in Senior Management forum held in June:“Brilliant and inspirational speakers... absolutely fantastic!”

“Inspiring and thought provoking”

On An Hour in the Room with Euan Ferguson in July:“These kinds of opportunities are rare, and are a fantastic opportunity for emerging leaders to learn from the experience of others.”

“Listening to successful people is always productive, I would challenge anyone to not to come away with some gems of wisdom.”

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In response to a call from members to address a gap in the development of skills at the executive level, IPAA recently launched a new series of courses aimed at up-skilling senior level public sector employees.

These specially designed courses are ideal for those new to executive positions or for those who wish to focus on particular competencies beyond the basics.

The Leadership and People Skills stream is ideal for those who have worked in the public sector for some time and are familiar with how the sector and government in general operates. Focusing on leadership and strategy, this courses cover the fundamentals of senior management and feature guest presentations from current senior executives. The six course options cover performance management; conflict resolution; strategic thinking; time and

task management; and building focused teams.

The aim of these courses is to provide new executives with a greater understanding of operational efficiency; team management and leadership; the role of the departmental executive; performance management; and conflict negotiation.

The On Boarding stream has been created for senior staff who are relatively new to the sector and are looking to gain a greater knowledge and understanding of its role and function within public administration.

These courses cover topics such as Cabinet submissions; ministerial writing and protocol; the functions of government; policy and politics; and public sector budgeting.

At the end of these courses, participants will have a more in-depth knowledge

and grasp of public sector financial management; the state and federal legislative process; ministerial communications; Cabinet decision-making processes; and the role and influence of the executive in the public sector environment.

Both streams assume that participants already have general business skills at middle to senior level management and courses will focus on work practices that are specific to the Public Sector.

For more information, visit www.sa.ipaa.org.au/PD/ExProgram.asp

Executive Career Development

After consultation across our members, IPAA is simplifying our membership options to ensure everyone has access to the full range of IPAA benefits. Some members may have already received information about these changes. Others will receive more information as their memberships come up for renewal.

The main difference is that younger Members will now have an option to subscribe to IPAA’s journals; Public Administration Today and the Australian Journal of Public Administration. This choice is designed to provide access to the latest research and ideas regardless of a member’s age.

Increasing choices for Professional Members

All Professional Members with journal subscriptions should recently have received the latest copy of the Australian Journal of Public Administration.

This edition features a robust analysis of the recent Moran Review on Public Administration as well as a research article on strategic consultation in South Australia.

The Australian Journal of Public Administration is also available online for Professional Members to access and search.

A library of back issues is also available to members at no charge. To access AJPA online or for more information about the library, please contact membership@sa.ipaa.org.au

The Australian Journal of Public Administration

Welcome to our newest Professional MembersLiz Bawden, SA HealthAlison Bee, SA PoliceSheree Edwards, Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges NRM BoardBrett Foster, SA PoliceAndrew Green, SACE Board of South AustraliaAndrew Hill, Attorney General's DepartmentShane Johnson, SA PoliceJenny Kemp, SA PoliceLisien Loan, Department of Environment and Natural ResourcesAndrew Love, Department of Education and Children's Services

Deborah McLean, SA PoliceElissa Mortimer, Department of HealthJeanne Ottrey, Department of Human ServicesLisa Pettinau, SA PoliceAnthony Ransom, SA PoliceShane Reardon, Australian Tax OfficeDouglas Riach, SA PoliceLeanne Sanders, Department of Education and Children's ServicesSheree Shamaal, ABC Kathryn Sheppard, SA PoliceJerome Teakle, SA PoliceMehrdad Yazarloo, SA Police

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In early June, the Hon. Gail Gago MLC, Minister for the Status of Women welcomed approximately 100 guests to the Intercontinental Hotel to discuss and compare the role of women in senior management.

The Commissioner for Public Sector Employment, Warren McCann opened the presentations with a critical comparison of female numbers in executive roles across the world and through a variety of industries. He then

presented a number of eye-opening statistics with regards to the relationship between the proportion of women in senior roles and the financial stability, revenue success and ethical conduct of their respective companies.

Commissioner McCann rounded out his presentation with a range of strategies for achieving the SA Strategic Plan target of 50% of public sector executives to be women by 2014.

As head of one of the sector’s few agencies where women outnumber men in executive positions, Chris Robinson, Chief Executive of the Department of Education and Children’s Services presented on the success and importance of having a high percentage of women in the senior management team. He also spoke on a number of initiatives within DECS, which foster greater female participation and, importantly, retention in senor level positions.

The former Commissioner for Equal Opportunity, Linda Matthews spoke about equal opportunity and diversity in

senior management positions, as well as her own personal experience of being a female who has successfully climbed the ranks within our state public sector.

And finally, Erma Ranieri, Executive Director, People and Culture, PIRSA highlighted the need for a whole-of-organisation framework to support and encourage a change in culture and thinking. Important in this was open and frank dialogue across all levels of the department, led principally by those women and men already in management positions.

Four key strategies were introduced from the PIRSA model, namely: raising awareness; succession planning; supporting the review of work practices; and providing learning and development opportunities.

Women in Senior Management

The Presentations from the forum are available for Members to download by clicking here.

Focal Point is published by the South Australian Division of the Institute of Public Administration Australia. The views in this publication are not necessarily those of IPAA SA, its Council or of the Editors.

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