Twelve Speeches 2016

130 Pages·2017·3.55 MB·English

IPAA PRESENTS
Twelve
Speeches
2016
A YEAR OF SPEECHES FROM
PUBLIC SERVICE LEADERS
INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AUSTRALIA
Twelve Speeches 2016
OUR BOOK OUR ORGANISATION
‘Twelve Speeches 2016’ IPAA is an organisation that works in
partnership with the public sector, the private
Institute of Public Administration Australia
sector, academia and other institutions, to
(IPAA) ACT Division.
provide a platform for debate and discussion
This publication is a collection of edited about improving and striving for excellence in
transcripts. The views expressed in this public administration in Australia.
document are those of the speakers, and should
IPAA is a not-for-profit organisation that was
not be attributed to IPAA.
founded in 1952. We are governed by an elected
All speaker roles are as at the time of Council under the leadership of the President,
the address. Dr Gordon de Brouwer PSM. Our funding comes
from membership fees, events and sponsorship.
OUR MISSION
CONTACT US
To promote excellence and professionalism in
public administration. Drew Baker
Chief Executive Officer
IPAA ACT
Unit 4, National Press Club
16 National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600
02 6154 9800 · www.act.ipaa.org.au
CREDITS
Design by Swell Design Group
Photography by RLDI or provided by
departments to IPAA
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Institute of Public Administration Australia
FOREWORD
Twelve Speeches 2016
Foreword
IPAA occupies a privileged position with leaders from across the public sector. Our purpose is to
promote excellence and professionalism in public administration, through the provision of a
platform to discuss and debate issues of relevance to the sector.
Each year IPAA delivers a program of events to the public sector in Canberra. 2016 was a significant
year with 50 events held. Over 7,500 attendees engaged with IPAA, a doubling over the previous year.
Twelve Speeches 2016 showcases leaders who shared the stage during 2016, presented in
chronological order:
- Our year opened with The Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP, who delivered the Prime Minister’s Address
to the APS at the Great Hall at Parliament House.
- We hosted four Secretary Series events during the year, providing an opportunity for Secretaries
to reflect on their portfolios and the challenges facing the public sector.
- We were honoured to host valedictory addresses for Jane Halton AO PSM and Peter Varghese
AO, as they reflected on their collective contribution of 71 years to the Australian Public Service.
- Our annual conference ‘Thinking Big’ in November hosted a further three Secretaries and
included a speech by Senator the Hon Arthur Sinodinos AO.
- We closed the year with the Annual Address to the APS by Dr Martin Parkinson AC PSM.
I am pleased to share the collective wisdom and thoughts of this distinguished group.
We appreciate the support provided to IPAA and look forward to working with you in the
years ahead.
Dr Gordon de Brouwer PSM
President IPAA ACT
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CONTENTS
Twelve Speeches 2016
Contents
PAGE 2 PAGE 76
Prime Minister’s Address to Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence
the Australian Public Service in Public Sector Management
THE HON MALCOLM TURNBULL MP SENATOR THE HON ARTHUR SiNODiNOS AO
Prime Minister Cabinet Secretary, Parliament of Australia
PAGE 16 PAGE 82
The Modern Public Service: An Empire Thinking Big
of Rules or a Commonwealth of Ideas? FRANCES ADAMSON
MiCHAEL PEZZULLO Secretary, Department of
Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs And Trade
Immigration and Border Protection
PAGE 28 PAGE 88
Parting Reflections The Role of Government
PETER N VARGHESE AO in Innovation
Secretary, Department of GLENYS BEAUCHAMP PSM
Foreign Affairs and Trade Secretary, Department of Industry,
Innovation and Science
PAGE 39 PAGE 94
Leadership within the Identifying and Developing
Australian Public Service Future Leaders
MARTiN BOWLES PSM FiNN PRATT AO PSM
Secretary, Department of Health Secretary, Department of Social Services
PAGE 56 PAGE 100
Secretary Valedictory Differences and Similarities in
JANE HALTON AO PSM Small and Big Organisations
Secretary, Department of Finance DENNiS RiCHARDSON AO
Secretary, Department of Defence
PAGE 66 PAGE 110
Digital Disruption and IPAA Annual Address
a Culture of Innovation to the Public Service
DR HEATHER SMiTH PSM DR MARTiN PARKiNSON AC PSM
Secretary, Department of Secretary, Department
Communications and the Arts of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
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THE GREAT HALL
PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA
WEDNESDAY 20 APRIL 2016
Prime Minister’s
Address to the
Australian Public
Service
The Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP
PRIME MINISTER
‘Of course innovation and technology go hand in hand.
An unwillingness to embrace technology is,
to put it bluntly, simply not acceptable.’
PRIME MINISTER’S ADDRESS TO THE AUSTRALIAN
PUBLIC SERVICE – THE HON MALCOLM TURNBULL MP
Prime Minister
Keynote speaker:
The Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP,
Prime Minister
Introductory remarks:
Ms Glenys Beauchamp PSM
Dr Martin Parkinson AC PSM
MS BEAUCHAMP: So to those of you who are watching us right
now from your desks, welcome to the Great Hall
Welcome to the address to the Australian
and the address to the APS.
Public Service from the Prime Minister of
Australia. My name is Glenys Beauchamp. I A transcript of today’s address will also be
am Secretary of the Department of Industry, available on our IPAA ACT web site. I will take a
Innovation and Science, and also, for this little time to tell you about what’s on our agenda
event, President of IPAA ACT. We are for IPAA ACT. We’ve taken the liberty of leaving
absolutely pleased to be hosting such an event. a package of information on your chair.
Hopefully most of you know all about us and
I’d also like to recognise many of my colleagues
what’s coming up but in that package is our
here today. We have here over 13 Secretaries,
Strategic Plan and a calendar of events. I want to
heads of agencies, a number of leaders from
highlight the nomination information for the
academia, media, and those interested in
Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public
public administration. So thank you very
Sector Management; it’s not often we get to
much for your attendance and it’s great to have
celebrate what we do as public servants and
you all here.
public administrators so please look out for that.
I have a few minutes before the Prime Minister
We would like to announce also today that our
arrives so I’ll just give you a quick run-through
annual conference will be held on 9 and 10
of what we are covering today. We will have
November 2016 and we’ve got some great
some opening remarks from Dr Parkinson, the
speakers coming to that, including Catherine
Secretary of the Department of the Prime
Livingstone, who is the President of the Business
Minister and Cabinet, then the Keynote
Council of Australia. Also, we have the Canberra
Address from the Prime Minister, with some
Evaluation Forum happening, with David
time for questions after that. A number of
Kalisch, the Australian Statistician. I think the
agencies have already submitted some of those
Prime Minister is just about ready to arrive, so I
questions and we hope to be concluding by
won’t tell you anything more now.
around 9.45 am, based on the Prime Minister’s
very tight schedule. Please join me in welcoming the Prime Minister
to today’s event. Thank you very much.
We are live streaming on the Internet today to
departments and agencies across the public
sector and to some states and territories,
directly to IPAA members as well. I want to
thank everyone for their support of IPAA.
Also, we had last week an address from
Professor Peter Shergold which we taped and
videoed and made available on our website.1
1 Learning from failure: https://www.act.ipaa.org.au/2016-pastevent-failure
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PRIME MINISTER’S ADDRESS TO THE AUSTRALIAN
PUBLIC SERVICE – THE HON MALCOLM TURNBULL MP
Prime Minister
DR PARKINSON: A second priority is leadership. My expectation,
and I venture to say the Prime Minister’s
Good morning, everyone. It’s a privilege to be
expectation, is that every person at every level
introducing the Prime Minister in his first
will be a leader. Leadership comes in many
major address to the Public Service. So I
forms and the sooner you realise that leadership
welcome you on behalf of IPAA and the Prime
comes in a package the same size and shape as
Minister to this morning’s address. I’d first
you the better. This is a sentiment very much
like to acknowledge the traditional owners and
inspired by someone that many of us in this
custodians of the land on which we gather
room have looked up to for a long time: the late
today, the Ngunnawal People, and to pay my
Tony Ayers AC, who was laid to rest yesterday
respects to elders past and present. I extend
after a very full and productive Public Service
that respect to all other Aboriginal and Torres
career, including 19 years as secretary of a range
Strait Islander People here today.
of departments, including 10 years as Secretary
Successful governments see the political class of the Department of Defence.
and the Public Service as partners; with each,
Before the Prime Minister speaks, what can I tell
with a clear role, contributing in their area of
you about working with him? He is an open
expertise to develop and implement policies and
book. He wants our ideas. He will seek our
programs and to deliver services and regulatory
advice but he will also question our advice and
functions. Improving the wellbeing of
seek the advice of others. He will look at ideas
Australians in this way is easiest done with
from every angle. Sometimes he’ll walk away
professionalism, cooperation and good will
and think about it and come back again. From
on both sides.
what I’ve seen, he won’t be reckless or hasty. He
As public servants, how can we make that feels keenly his responsibilities to the Australian
partnership as productive as possible? First and people. Now, this presents us public servants
foremost, we must be an ideas ecosystem. We with opportunities like we’ve never had before.
provide the government with an engine room to Those who have the courage to seek out ideas, to
conceive, test and implement ideas. That’s what base them on evidence and to advocate for them
we’re all doing, whether we’re in policy, are entering a rich period of possibility.
program, service delivery, regulatory or support
As head of PM&C and of the APS, I want to
roles. Because we deal in the creation,
capitalise on these opportunities to build a
implementation and assessment of ideas, we
smarter, more prosperous and innovative
should be a natural home for innovation and
Australia where each generation builds on the
blue-sky thinking. Yet, sadly, we are not as good
success of the last. But that requires an APS that
as I think we can be or we need to be if we are to
is innovative, flexible and – yes, Prime Minister
deliver what Australians expect of us. This will
– even agile, and an APS that displays leadership
be an ongoing priority for me as Secretary of
at every level. On that note, please join me now
Prime Minister and Cabinet.
in welcoming the Prime Minister, Malcolm
Turnbull, to talk to us about his vision for the
Australian Public Service.
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PRIME MINISTER’S ADDRESS TO THE AUSTRALIAN
PUBLIC SERVICE – THE HON MALCOLM TURNBULL MP
Prime Minister
HON MALCOLM TURNBULL MP, At its most fundamental level our democracy
PRIME MINISTER:
depends on a reliable, dedicated and responsive
bureaucracy. A robust political environment and
Thank you very much, Martin. I am delighted
a well functioning Public Service can and indeed
to be here today to share with you all. As
must coexist. Now, the meaning of ‘responsive’
Glenys Beauchamp just advised me, the three
of course may have changed for the Public
and a half thousand that are watching this
Service from a century ago. My own
event on the Internet, I want to share with you
department’s role has changed significantly
my vision for a 21st century Public Service.
from that which managed the sale of wool to
There are so many great public servants here Britain and on Prime Minister Stanley
today but I just want to acknowledge one in Melbourne Bruce’s directive supplied ships at
particular who has been of enormous assistance sea ‘each day with full reports of the important
and support to me and the government since I cricket matches’. For those of you who are not
became Prime Minister, and that is of course the involved in central agencies and might have
former Secretary of the Department of wondered what they do, there you go, that’s an
Communications Drew Clarke, who is my chief important central agency responsibility.
of staff. I want to thank Drew for his great
A hundred years ago no-one could have foreseen
support and providing the benefit of years of
the breadth that the Australian Public Service
experience and wisdom and providing a very
now encompasses. Now more than 150,000
keen understanding and a strong link to the
professionals with experience in areas as diverse
Australian Public Service so that the Prime
as foreign policy, climate change, aged care,
Minister’s Office and the APS work together;
cyber security, digital transformation, advise on
each, I trust, getting the best out of the other in
and implement public policy. The reality is the
the national interest.
government could not formulate or implement
Now, there’s no doubt that we live in a time of any policy of substance without our
rapid transformation. The world, let alone the Public Service.
APS, is in uncharted territory in many respects.
I can tell you that my government knows and
Just like the economy, the Australian Public
respects the true value of the Australian Public
Service is disrupted by forces which it cannot
Service. We know that we are fortunate to have
control. One might say, therefore, that there has
at our disposal the knowledge, the experience,
never been a more exciting time to be a member
the passion of people who have chosen to serve
of the Australian Public Service. The challenges
the government of the day and in turn the
of these circumstances are many and complex
Australian community who put them there. We
and the best tools we have in times like this, in
want to hear your advice. We want you to tell us
times of volatility, are resilience, agility
what you believe is best for Australia, not what
and adaptability.
you think the adviser in your minister’s office
wants to hear.
‘ As a leader, as a manager, of a business, of
a department, of an agency, of a unit, of a
section, part of your job is as far as you
can to make sure that the people that you
are responsible for are able to get the right
balance between home and work.’
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