Deputy Commissioner for Public Groups at the Australian Taxation Office, Rebecca Saint, will be one of the guest speakers at the Public Sector Women in Leadership Summit 2026 at the Hyatt Hotel, Canberra, from 29 — 30 June. Photo: Supplied.
Public Sector Women in Leadership Summit 2026
Date: 29 — 30 June
Time: 9 am — 6 pm
Location: Hyatt Hotel, Canberra
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Be Inspired. Build connections. Lead with impact.
- Position yourself as a future-ready public sector leader.
- Connect with inspiring women and transform your obstacles into opportunities.
- Thrive through change with clarity and confidence.
- Lean into your strengths, own your blind spots, and be better.
Speakers include:
- Chief Operating Officer, Comcare, Leanne Blackley
- Deputy Secretary, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport & the Arts, Jessica Hall
- Deputy Commissioner, Litigation & Legal Services, Australian Taxation Office, Rebecca Saint
- Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Digital Transformation Agency, Lucy Poole.
EOFY Masterclass Private Training Offer
Date: 30 June
Locations: In-person and online
Email: [email protected]
Maximise your remaining L&D budgets. At The Hatchery, we understand that investing in training and development is essential for public sector organisations navigating an increasingly complex and fast-changing environment. These masterclasses are designed to build the capability of public sector professionals at all levels, equipping them with the practical skills and insights needed to deliver stronger outcomes and drive meaningful impact.
Whether you’re developing individuals or strengthening capability across a team, our programs provide flexible options to meet your organisation’s needs. Empower your people to accelerate performance, enhance strategic thinking, and apply new skills with confidence, creating lasting value for the communities you serve.
Join us to accelerate your capability and performance, unlock your potential, gain strategic advantages, and lead with confidence in today’s dynamic business environment. To help you proactively manage your L&D budget this financial year, we are offering bespoke masterclasses to be booked by 30 June and run in 2026.
MasterCraft Series — AI and Trust: Information, Misinformation and Disinformation
Date: 30 June
Time: 1 pm — 2 pm
Duration: One 60-minute face-to-screen session
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
Generative AI is rapidly reshaping how information is produced and consumed, leaving citizens systematically vulnerable to misinformation. The risk is further audience fragmentation and a weakening of social cohesion. Concern about misinformation is particularly high in Australia, where the rapid deployment of AI is accelerating the scale, speed and sophistication of misinformation.
Misinformation flourishes when there is high demand for information but insufficient verified evidence. A robust and sustainable news and information ecosystem is therefore a critical line of defence. Targeted investment in media literacy is necessary to strengthen public resilience.
Drawing on leading research, this event will outline three priority policy responses to address misinformation: strengthening platform regulation, rebuilding the integrity and capacity of the news ecosystem, and equipping citizens with the media literacy skills required to navigate an increasingly complex information environment.
The presenter, Professor Sora Park, is the director of the News & Media Research Centre and an ICA Fellow. Her research focuses on digital media users, media markets and media policy, with a focus on digital and social exclusion and the impact of technology on the distribution of opportunities and privileges in society.
This content is suitable for all staff.
Achieving Value for Money
Date: 30 June
Time: 1 pm — 4 pm
Duration: Three-hour face-to-screen session
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
This course provides a discussion on value for money, what that means and how it applies when conducting procurement and contract management activities. Key rules underpinning the CPRs are achieving value for money, encouraging competition, and accountability and transparency.
When undertaking procurement and managing a contract, the Commonwealth must deliver value for money. When conducting procurement activities and entering, extending, varying or managing a contract, you must justify or defend the decision in a way that the public would agree achieves value for money.
This learning experience has been provided by the Department of Finance. The content is suitable for all staff who are new to procurement, may need a refresher, or who want to move to a role in procurement. It will benefit officials working in procurement on an ad hoc basis, regular procurers, and delegates.
Instant Coffee Connect
Date: 1 July
Time: Noon — 12:30 pm
Location: Online via Teams Meeting
Email: [email protected]
Ready to step out of your usual grind and connect with new people across the public sector? Instant Coffee Connect is your chance to pour yourself into something new and energising.
Each rotation of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (NSW) brings something new to the table — a bold idea, a smooth connection, or that perfect blend of professional and personal chemistry. You’ll walk away with more than just new names on LinkedIn — you’ll leave feeling recharged, inspired, and ready to put that energy back into your role.
Even better, invite a colleague or friend to join you. You’ll each be matched into different pods, then reconnect afterwards to swap stories and compare what you brewed up.
Getting started is simple. Register, log on at the event time, then sit back and let the connections percolate. Spaces are limited to keep each pod small and conversation-rich, so don’t let this great opportunity slip.
Public Sector Microsoft Copilot Pro in Practice
Date: 2 July
Time: 9 am — 4:30 pm
Location: Cliftons Melbourne
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Unlock practical, safe and effective Copilot Pro skills for real work.
- Set up and use Copilot Pro correctly within government workflows and compliance settings.
- Create briefs, emails, reports and slides using Copilot Pro to draft, refine and summarise.
- Analyse datasets with Copilot Pro to identify trends and produce clear reporting insights.
- Apply FOI, privacy, bias and human-in-the-loop practices for safe, everyday Copilot Pro use.
Trainer Alex Shteinberg brings rare depth to the intersection of technology, governance and real-world delivery. His career spans global industries and international consulting, giving him first-hand insight into how complex systems succeed or fail at scale, particularly within highly regulated environments.
Alex specialises in embedding Microsoft Copilot and trusted, auditable AI into public sector and enterprise environments. With deep expertise across Microsoft 365, Azure, Power Platform and model-agnostic AI (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini), he designs practical, policy-aligned solutions that enhance productivity while meeting security, privacy and compliance obligations.
Intermediate Power BI Workshop
Date: 7 — 8 July
Time: 9 am — 4:30 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
Overview
A deep dive into data analytics — shape, refine and share reports for informed decision-making.
- Craft data models and implement performance optimisation strategies.
- Explore the Data Analysis Expression (DAX) to address specific business questions.
- Transform raw data into compelling visuals.
- Learn strategies to optimise data models for superior performance.
Trainer Felipe Rego is a leading advanced analytics and data science partner, helping teams build, manage and enhance their data science and visualisation solutions in a strategically aligned, commercially oriented and customer-centric way.
With extensive industry experience as well as analytical expertise, Felipe is often required by marketing, sales, finance, technology and strategy teams to provide support and deliver robust analytical solutions that are easy to use, understand and implement.
Lunch and Learn: GovAI Prompt Library Uncovered
Date: 8 July
Time: 12:30 pm — 1:15 pm
Duration: One 45-minute face-to-screen session
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
The GovAI prompt library, built into GovAI Chat, provides a curated set of prompts aligned to APS roles and common tasks. In this session, Holly Luck walks through how the library is structured and demonstrates how to find, adapt and refine prompts to suit your work.
The focus is on helping you move quickly from a starting point to a usable result — showing how small adjustments can improve quality and relevance.
Holly is a performer-turned-public servant who discovered that change management is mostly choreography: timing, energy and knowing when to bring the audience with you. She leads engagement and change for GovAI and GovAI Chat at the Department of Finance, and has been part of the GovAI program from the start, building the foundations that help public servants adopt AI safely and confidently.
Her approach puts people at the centre of AI adoption, meeting staff where they are, with an emphasis on co-design, practical value and building engagement over time.
This content is suitable for all staff.
QLD Public Sector AO 7-8 Strategic Thinking & Advanced Problem Solving
Date: 8 — 29 July
Time: 9 am — 4:30 pm
Location: Cliftons Brisbane
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Master strategic thinking, empower teams and conquer complex challenges.
- Apply practical, outcome-driven models for strategic decision-making.
- Explore a systematic approach for problem analysis and strategy formulation.
- Understand your role as an executive leader in empowering others to address challenges.
- Overcome common roadblocks to resolve complex problems.
Trainer Michael Collins is one of the region’s leading talents, a leadership and change expert with more than 25 years of experience in roles across Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
He has served in executive positions within the Australian Defence Force and Coca-Cola Amatil. As a trusted adviser, thought leader and seasoned practitioner in leadership assessment and development, Michael combines practical experience with academic insight.
Exclusive Roundtable for Tasmanian Fellow Members
Date: 9 July
Time: Noon — 1:45 pm
Location: Page Seager, Level 2/179 Murray Street, Hobart, TAS
Email: [email protected]
Join us for an exclusive lunchtime roundtable hosted by law firm Page Seager in its boardroom. This event is for Tasmanian fellow Governance Institute of Australia (GIA) members only. Developed in partnership with the Tasmanian State Council and Page Seager, this session will explore current and emerging governance issues, including:
- AI adoption and governance frameworks — exploring accountability, oversight, risk appetite and board-level responsibilities as organisations integrate AI into operations.
- Psychosocial safety and evolving legal risk — examining a recent case on sexual harassment and what it signals for directors, officers and organisational culture.
This event is complimentary for GIA members. Registrations are essential, as places are limited.
