Hannah Gadsby (left) and Patricia Karvelas will be among the guest speakers at the LGBTQIA+ Leadership & Allyship Summit at Rydges Melbourne on 19 June. Photo: Supplied.
Building and Leading High-Performing Teams
Date: 17 June
Time: 9 am – 5 pm
Duration: One eight-hour face-to-face session
Location: Australian Capital Territory – MoAD (Old Parliament House)
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
This course helps managers create and maintain high-performing teams whereby work is aligned with government priorities. Learn how to analyse and describe high-performing teams, identify the enablers and barriers, and explain the management practices required.
Examine team strengths and areas for improvement, and plan pathways to build a high-performance culture in the workplace. Benefit from meeting and sharing thoughts, experiences and ideas with other managers about building and leading high-performing teams.
This content has been provided by the APS Academy, and is suitable for APS 6 – EL 2.
NSW Public Sector Women in Leadership Summit 2025
Date: 16 – 20 June
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Intercontinental Hotel, Sydney
Email: [email protected]
Overview
- Empowering women leaders to shape the future of the NSW public sector.
- Gain exclusive insights from influential NSW public sector leaders.
- Strengthen your leadership confidence and resilience.
- Explore strategies to embed innovation, inclusion and integrity.
- Expand your network and collaborate on real-world challenges.
Speakers include:
- Chief Digital Officer, Revenue NSW, Karen Ho
- Chief executive officer, Sydney Local Health District, Deborah Willcox
- Assistant Commissioner, Australian Taxation Office, Karen Price
- Chief executive officer, Lake Macquarie City Council, Morven Cameron
- Deputy Secretary, Strategic Policy, Science, & Engagement, NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Alison Pepper.
Inside Look Webinar Series
Date: 16 June
Location: Online (via Teams)
Cost: Free, bookings are essential
Kim Vella Coaching’s free Leadership Strategies Series will equip leaders with insights into leadership challenges and teach them how to close the gap. In today’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world, public sector leaders face unique challenges that demand more than traditional leadership approaches.
The Inside Look Webinar Series is a monthly opportunity to explore one key “gap” holding leaders back from thriving in their roles.
Each session focuses on a specific leadership challenge, offering insights into why it matters and how leaders can begin to close the gap. Topics include:
- The Wellbeing Gap: Balancing performance with sustainable leadership.
- The Confidence Gap: Leading with clarity, courage and conviction.
- The Collaboration Gap: Building partnerships that create meaningful change.
- The Expert to Orchestrator Gap: Transitioning from technical expert to leadership orchestrator.
As a result of this webinar, you will:
- Gain clarity on the leadership challenges unique to today’s VUCA environment.
- Reflect on your own experiences and begin identifying ways to bridge the gap.
- Connect with peers and explore insights that empower leadership growth.
The Inside Look Webinar Series is your chance to step into a community of reflective leaders and gain a taste of the transformative insights offered in the Leadership Strategies Series 2025.
Leadership Strategies Series 2025: In-person
When: 17 – 18 June; 22 – 23 July
Where: East Hotel, 69 Canberra Avenue, Kingston
Cost: Ticket prices vary; find out more at Kim Vella Leadership
As a leader in the public service, do any of these points resonate with you?
- I feel overwhelmed all the time, like I’m spinning plates that could drop at any moment.
- I’m always under pressure with competing priorities, limited resources, and an ever-changing geopolitical landscape.
- I’m worried the hard work I put in isn’t recognised.
- I walk into meetings and feel anxious about what to say.
- I don’t usually think about my wellbeing. I just want to make it through another week.
- I feel like I’m never enough, and don’t know what could change that.
If any of these do resonate with you, you’re not alone.
The skills every public sector leader needs to thrive in today’s environment are next level – yet they’re rarely taught. Instead, we rely on outdated leadership models that leave you feeling stressed, exhausted, and helpless.
Join respected executive leadership coach Dr Kim Vella, with the support of esteemed industry professionals, for a new leadership skills pathway: The Leadership Strategies Series.
This workshop series gives you access to 32-plus hours of in-person collaborative learning, including:
- Cutting-edge leadership strategies.
- Coaching from PS experts and industry professionals.
- Advanced psychometric tools.
- Personalised assessments.
- Individualised feedback.
- Tailored action plans.
This series is delivered in two stages: Essentials level and Enhanced level. Each level comprises two full-day workshops, with a six-week break in between to apply your new skills. You’ll also have the opportunity to join a facilitated peer mentoring session during this time to discuss challenges and insights.
Become the APS leader you can be – confident, balanced, insightful, and authentic – by levelling up your leadership skills with the Leadership Strategies Series.
Improving Indigenous Education Outcomes Conference
Date: 17 – 18 June
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Pullman Cairns International | Gimuy
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Use strengths-based approaches to amplify outcomes for First Nations students. Close the educational gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.
Join us in shaping the future of First Nations students. The Improving First Nations Education Outcomes Conference is a two-day event dedicated to reimagining Indigenous education through genuine partnerships, cultural strength, and systemic innovation.
Educators, community leaders, and policymakers will gather to discuss how to improve student outcomes, challenge deficit thinking, and create learning environments that truly honour Indigenous knowledge systems.
Featuring keynote speakers, interactive panel discussions and targeted breakout sessions, the conference will address key areas including early learning, teacher development, language preservation, trauma-informed practice, and successful student transitions.
Participants will engage with strengths-based collaborative approaches that centre Indigenous agency and cultural pride.
Media Skills for Executives
Date: 18 June
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Navigate the media landscape with finesse and mastery.
- Articulate your message with clarity and brevity.
- Adapt your communication style to resonate with diverse media audiences.
- Master techniques to shape the narrative and steer conversations towards desired talking points.
- Apply media skills to real-world scenarios through interactive exercises and role-playing.
Trainer Amber Daines has more than 25 years of diverse experience. The founder of Bespoke Co, she brings a wealth of expertise as a former business TV reporter, newspaper journalist, and PR consultant.
Leading a team of five consultants, she serves clients in financial services, cryptocurrency, and industry associations. Amber focuses on media training, crisis PR and reputation management, and hosts her podcast, The Politics of Everything, which has garnered five million downloads and inspired an online course for podcasters.
LGBTQIA+ Leadership & Allyship Summit
Date: 19 June
Time: 9 am – 5 pm
Location: Naarm | Rydges Melbourne
Email: [email protected]
Gather to celebrate and support our community of communities. Now, more than ever, it is time to unite and lead. This is an important moment for LGBTQIA+ rights, inclusion and freedom. It’s time to share perspectives and lived experiences, bust myths and galvanise in allyship both within and outside the community.
The LGBTQIA+ Leadership & Allyship Summit brings together leaders, changemakers and allies to explore the strategies, skills and stories that will shape the future of inclusive workplaces and leadership in Australia. Hannah Gadsby and Patricia Karvelas, both prominent figures in Australian media, will be among the speakers.
From navigating bias and fostering psychological safety to driving meaningful policy change, this summit offers practical insights to create workplaces where everyone – regardless of gender identity or sexuality – can thrive.
Whether you’re an LGBTQIA+ professional looking to advance your leadership journey or an ally committed to building truly inclusive teams, this is your opportunity to gather, unite and lead with impact.
VIC Public Sector Women in Leadership Masterclass
Date: 19 – 20 June
Time: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Naarm | Melbourne
Email: [email protected]
This transformative program is designed to enhance and accelerate your leadership development. Take charge of the next phase of your career, and the skills and behaviours that you cultivate now will become the cornerstones of your senior leadership in the years to come.
This engaging masterclass is designed to provide you with the crucial skills and behaviours to grow and scale your senior leadership for what comes next.
Specifically designed for women in public sector leadership roles from all jurisdictions, this two-day masterclass will give you key tools to thrive as a senior leader and set yourself up for success for the rest of your career.
Former NSW government deputy secretary Alex O’Mara will take you on a journey of light-bulb moments and strategically grow key skills so that you walk away refreshed, inspired and more confident in your leadership and the path ahead.
Writing with Clarity & Impact for Government Seminar
Date: 20 June
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
Do you want to become a more skilful and confident writer at work? Learn to write engaging and accessible content to clearly and accurately communicate your intended message. Read between the lines – learn the art of writing clear, impactful content that engages your audience.
The importance of writing well cannot be overstated. Words, and how we arrange and use them, affect how our audience ‘’hears’’ and ‘’perceives’’ us.
Effective writing conveys your message or information with 100 per cent clarity to your audience. In good writing, everything makes sense and readers don’t get lost. Crafting effective writing requires regular, deliberate practice. Attending this seminar will set you up for success with your writing and readability skills.
Facilitator Megan Hender is an experienced non-executive director with a strong interest in strategy, governance, risk and communication. She serves on several boards and committees, including as chairperson. In 2010, she was elected as a city councillor in Adelaide, where she served two terms, including 18 months as deputy lord mayor.
Megan’s experience working with and for the government gives her the practical insight required to teach and train you to write in a way that will allow well-informed decision-making and provide better-quality information to decision-makers.
Women in Energy & Resources Leadership Summit 2025
Date: 23 – 27 June
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Emporium Hotel South Bank
267 Grey Street, South Brisbane
Email: [email protected]
Overview
- Giving you the tools to lead, innovate and thrive in an evolving industry.
- Overcome challenges and drive growth despite uncertainty.
- Align vision and values to create a high-performance culture.
- Empower yourself to lead with passion and influence.
- Build your circle of strategic and inspiring leaders.
