Doctor Liming Zhu will share some of his own experience in integrating AI into workflows. Photo: CSIRO.
Managing Performance & Difficult Conversations
Date: 25 – 27 August
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Cliftons Adelaide
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Essential communication and conflict-resolution skills to effectively and proactively manage performance.
- Understanding the risk of employee disengagement (and what it looks like).
- Providing proactive and effective performance feedback.
- Preparing for tough conversations.
- Essential conflict-resolution skills.
Mastering Difficult Conversations & Feedback
Date: 27 – 28 August
Time: 9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Location: Meanjin | Cliftons Brisbane & Online
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Empowering you to have more genuine, effective and constructive engagement within your team and organisation.
Attend this two-day masterclass to transform your performance to navigate difficult conversations well and deliver excellent feedback. Prepare for, lead and facilitate difficult conversations with skill, confidence and empathy.
Difficult conversations are tricky, but they cannot be avoided. It is essential for leaders to have the confidence to identify and manage problems at work early on, before they escalate. Without the confidence to navigate difficult conversations, leaders may find themselves avoiding or delaying and actually perpetuating the problem.
Generally speaking, this leads to more frustration, internal confusion and resentment and despite all this avoidance and delay, you still have to have the (now even more difficult) conversation.
Facilitator Eleanor Groat is an engaging and experienced host who has held a lifelong fascination with what makes people ‘’tick’’. She brings a unique perspective on human behaviour with a 20-year career in this field across the corporate, law enforcement, mental health, education, and not-for-profit sectors. A committed developer of leaders and teams, Eleanor is the founder of Your Best Asset.
MasterCraft Series – How can empathy be used in public service? Insights from research and practice
Date: 28 August
Time: 1 pm – 2 pm
Duration: One one-hour face-to-screen session
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
Empathy’s critical interpersonal and societal role makes it highly relevant for public servants.
In this event, the presenters – Dr Assel Mussagulova and Dr Colette Einfeld – will discuss findings from their recent research project on empathy in non-frontline public servants. They will provide examples of how empathy can be used successfully in policy work and help benefit the public in meaningful ways.
Dr Mussagulova is a lecturer in public policy and public administration at the University of Sydney. Her research interests lie at the intersection of public administration, human resource management, and public policy. Her research focuses on what drives individuals to join the public service and what sustains or hampers their desire to create public good while employed in the public sector.
Dr Einfeld is a postdoctoral research fellow at ANU’s College of Asia and the Pacific. She is interested in knowledges, evidence, and ethics in policymaking, and how these are negotiated in approaches such as nudge and co-design. Her research increasingly focuses on how different knowledges or epistemologies are considered in policymaking in the Global South, specifically South-East Asia. She also writes about methodologies and the experiences of ‘’doing’’ interpretive research.
This content is suitable for all staff.
Strategic Thinking & Advanced Problem-Solving Workshop
Date: 28 – 29 August
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Rydges South Bank, Brisbane
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Apply a structured systems thinking approach to analysing problems and formulating strategy.
- Apply practical, outcome-driven models for strategic decision-making.
- Explore a systematic approach for problem analysis and strategy formulation.
- Understand your role as a leader in empowering others to address challenges.
- Overcome common roadblocks to resolve complex problems.
Trainer Deborah Bispham is a seasoned expert in change management, with more than 25 years of experience in both the private and public sectors. She specialises in guiding organisations and individuals through successful transformations, utilising her skills in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), LEAN, and Agile methodologies. Her innovative strategies and leadership development initiatives ensure change is effectively implemented and sustained.
With a deep understanding of change dynamics, Deborah inspires individuals at all levels to embrace change, resulting in smooth transitions and high-performing teams.
Lunch and Learn – Session 2: AI for Personal Efficiency
Date: 29 August
Time: 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Duration: One one-hour face-to-screen session
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the great disruptor of our time. In this session, explore how AI can be used for personal efficiency in the workplace. The panellists will share some of their own experiences in integrating AI into workflows. Learn just how easily time and production efficiencies are gained by using AI tools in your everyday activities.
The presenters are Dr Liming Zhu, Georgia Conway and Zak Kazakoff.
Dr Zhu is a research director at CSIRO’s Data61, the AI/digital arm of Australia’s national science agency, and a conjoint professor at UNSW. His research division innovates in AI engineering, responsible/safe AI, blockchain, quantum software, privacy, and cybersecurity, and hosted Australia’s Consumer Data Right/Open Banking standards setting.
Ms Conway is the engagement lead for GovAI, with a strong background in strategic communications, digital marketing, and supporting teams through change. She is passionate about making AI feel approachable and practical, showing how it can boost productivity, streamline work, and strengthen engagement. She helps teams achieve real, meaningful results with AI tools in a public sector setting.
With degrees in computer science and economics, Zak Kazakoff is a Department of Finance policy officer who aims to bridge the gap between tech and policy. His workshop exemplifies that bridge, providing tangible insight into the low-level detail while anchoring it in the context of our day-to-day work in the public service.
Jointly presented by GovAI and the APS Academy, this content has been provided by the APS Academy, and is suitable for all staff.
Neurodiversity for Managers & Leaders Workshop
Date: 2 – 3 September
Time: 9 am – 12:30 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Cultivate inclusivity and team success with this hands-on guide.
- Understand neurodiversity and its importance in the workplace.
- Explore adaptive leadership strategies and address the diverse needs of your teams.
- Identify opportunities to improve team psychological health and performance.
- Develop a tailored action plan to implement and embed neurodiversity-informed leadership practices.
Trainer Amanda Riley is a dynamic facilitator and proud advocate for neurodiversity, infusing her sessions with a blend of personal experience and expert knowledge. As someone living with ADHD, she offers a unique perspective, debunking myths and championing acceptance in the workplace. Drawing from her background in organisational change and a Postgraduate Certificate in Positive Psychology, Amanda guides individuals, teams, and leaders towards embracing neurodiversity.
Her sessions are a blend of research, storytelling and interactive engagement, fostering understanding and appreciation of all types of brains, unlocking untapped potential within individuals and organisations.
Embedding Fraud and Corruption Control into Public Programs
Date: 4 September
Time: 11:45 am – 2 pm
Location: McGrathNicol, Level 9/60 Marcus Clarke St, Canberra
Email: [email protected]
Join us in Canberra for a high-impact member briefing hosted by the Governance Institute of Australia, focused on strengthening fraud and corruption control across public sector governance.
This in-person event will bring together senior professionals from government and regulatory bodies to explore best practices, emerging risks, and practical strategies for embedding integrity into policy and program design.
Attendees will gain insights from leading voices in the field, with opportunities to engage in discussion and build connections with peers committed to advancing ethical governance.
Speakers include:
- Michael Callan, CEO, Australian Fraud and Anti-Corruption Academy
- Sara Deady, Partner, McGrathNicol.
The chair is Andrew Heath FGIA FCG, Director of Strategy and Governance at Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.
EL1 & EL2 High-Performance & Leadership Workshop
Date: 9 – 10 September
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Deep-dive into the essential skills to become a key decision-maker.
- Evolve into a strategic decision-maker.
- Build high-performing, autonomous teams.
- Influentially engage stakeholders on complex and sensitive issues.
- Leverage adaptable leadership to prosper in times of change.
Trainer Rebecca Cattran is an experienced leadership and career coach, facilitator, and organisational change adviser with more than three decades’ experience in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. As a seasoned senior leader, Rebecca has successfully established and managed teams and led corporate functions in organisations with 500 to 5000 people.
Working effectively within and across government organisations, from frontline teams to executive leaders, has provided a sound foundation for her success. Rebecca is the principal of her own boutique business, Popolo Plus, which exists to help people realise their potential.
HEW Levels 7-9 High-Performance & Leadership Workshop
Date: 10 – 11 September
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Develop core skills and refine key leadership capabilities to take charge of your performance and excel.
- Identify and develop your authentic leadership capabilities.
- Build productive relationships and lead proficient, capable teams.
- Implement agile and effective change management strategies.
- Explore career planning and pathways in senior HEW roles.
Trainer Dr Karen Whittingham is one of Australia’s leading executive management development specialists, having worked with thousands of executives to transition them into senior leadership roles quickly and effectively. She is an organisational psychologist passionate about people’s success and facilitating their careers to rise.
She teaches organisational psychology at UNSW and works with ASX-listed companies and large public sector organisations to drive engagement, inclusion, and performance.
Women in Leadership Summit 2025: Banking & Financial Services
Date: 15 – 19 September
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Pullman on the Park, Melbourne
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Find your edge. Lead with confidence to make an impact that lasts.
- Build confidence and sharpen your leadership skills for a high-stakes world.
- Navigate the fast-evolving financial landscape without losing your authentic voice.
- Discover strategies to overcome bias, boost influence, and inspire teams.
- Connect with powerhouse women transforming banking and finance across Australia.
Speakers include Simone O’Brien and Jacqui Cooper.
In 2012, Simone survived a horrific, near-fatal attack by a former partner after months of emotional and psychological abuse escalated into brutal violence. Left with life-altering injuries – including the loss of sight in one eye and her sense of smell – Simone refused to be silenced.
Today, she is one of Australia’s most courageous voices against domestic and family violence, using her story to spotlight coercive control, inspire prevention, and drive change. With grit, grace, and purpose, Simone empowers audiences nationwide to speak up, recognise the signs, and take action to protect women and children.
With five world titles, 39 World Cup medals, 24 World Cup wins, and a record five-time Olympian, Jacqui Cooper is a sporting icon who defied gravity and expectations to become the greatest aerial skier in history. For more than 20 years, she represented Australia on the world stage, turning a bold dream into a record-breaking career.
As the first Australian woman to compete at five Winter Olympics, Jacqui shattered ceilings and redefined what’s possible with vision, grit, and unshakeable purpose. Today, she brings that same energy to every stage – empowering others to lead boldly, back themselves, and rise beyond limits.
