Upcoming Public Sector events

Presenter Grant Nicholson will be at the MasterCraft Series – Lunch and Learn – Session 1: AI literacy and basics on 29 July. Photo: Supplied.

Navigating Difficult Conversations
Date: 28 July
Time: 9 am – 12:30 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]

Overview
Discover strategies, tools, and frameworks to communicate effectively in challenging situations.

Identify and address barriers hindering difficult conversations.
Develop practical strategies for effective communication.
Enhance conflict-resolution skills, define objectives, and stay solution-focused.
Craft a personal action plan to apply your new-found skills in various real-world scenarios.

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.

Adaptive Leadership Skills Workshop
Date: Available until 28 July
Time: 9 am – 12:30 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]

Overview
Achieve peak performance to lead with impact and propel career success. These three concise half-day sessions fast-track learning and practical implementation.

Explore resilience tools to effectively navigate setbacks.
Gain an understanding of emotional intelligence and its significance in personal and professional contexts.
Develop practical strategies for effective communication.
Craft a personal action plan to apply your new-found skills in various real-world scenarios.

Trainer Dr Karen Whittingham is one of Australia’s leading executive management development specialists. She teaches organisational psychology at UNSW and works with ASX-listed companies and large public sector organisations to drive engagement, inclusion, and performance.

Dr Whittingham has worked with thousands of executives to transition them into senior leadership roles quickly and effectively.

MasterCraft Series – Lunch and Learn – Session 1: AI literacy and basics
Date: 29 July
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

This is the first session in a series exploring artificial intelligence (AI), what it is and how it works for the APS. AI is the great disruptor of our time. In this session, we will explore what AI is, what it isn’t, and how you go about developing the skills to work with it.

Presenter Grant Nicholson is the Australian Government’s digital profession lead capability architect. Grant has more than 30 years’ experience in the Federal Government, including 25-plus years in ICT and digital service delivery. He leads the work on digital capability frameworks, career pathways and skills accreditation for the Australian Public Service.

Grant is the architect behind the APS Career Pathfinder tool and supports the Australian public sector Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) community by providing guidance and resources, running a community of practice and more.

The facilitator is Holly Luck, the stakeholder engagement and support officer at GovAI and a PROSCI-certified change management professional. She brings a practical, people-first approach to supporting public sector teams through technological change. With a focus on accessibility and inclusion, Holly is dedicated to making AI learning straightforward and helping non-technical users build confidence in new tools and systems.

Regarded as a key source of support within GovAI, her collaborative approach and commitment to inclusion have made her a trusted leader in advancing AI literacy across the public sector.

This event is suitable for all staff.

First Nations Women in Leadership Masterclass Series
Date: 29 July – 15 August
Time: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Location: In-person
Brisbane, 31 July – 1 August
Cairns, 12 – 13 August
Darwin, 14 – 15 August
Email: [email protected]

Realise and nurture your natural leadership. Connect with your culture, values and strengths to grow and thrive as a leader. First Nations women hold vital roles as carers, teachers, healers and leaders in their workplaces, families and communities, so it is crucial that there are strong, capable and centred women in these roles.

The Hatchery has partnered with Ngemba woman and audience favourite leader, speaker and facilitator Lil Gordon to deliver a series of immersive and culturally informed masterclasses to ensure that First Nations women have the opportunity to reflect, connect and grow into the best versions of themselves and allow their work, life and community to thrive.

Using Lil’s framework of “the five Rs” – Respect, Reflection, Responsibility, Relationships and Reciprocity – you will find your driving purpose, reflect on your values, grow your confidence and cultivate your networks to build your story as a deadly First Nations woman in leadership.

Find your centre, chart your goals, lead people authentically and step into your power at this unmissable learning opportunity. Join Lil to learn how to create the world that you want to live in: one that will continue to grow and thrive for generations to come.

Lil is also a seasoned executive leader and consultant. Aboriginal education and training has been her main field, along with effective and balanced leadership in building capability with Aboriginal people. She also builds understanding and capacity with non-Aboriginal people to recognise their potential in the ‘’bigger picture’’.

Executive Assistant Upskilling & High-Performance Virtual Seminar Series
Date: 29 July – 12 August
Time: Noon – 2 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]

In an increasingly busy and complex world, the role of the assistant is more important than ever. Build effectiveness, confidence and influence to truly own your role. Grow as a successful executive assistant and business partner.

Calm, clarity and focus are essential for modern executives to perform in their roles. Therefore, it is vital that you have the skills and capabilities as an assistant to support them and help your organisation function at a high level.

Join facilitator and podcast host Liz Van Vliet in this refreshed seminar series to elevate executive assistants to a new strategic and tactical excellence level. This series is designed to educate you in the skills needed to be the glue in your executive’s network and to empower you with AI tools that optimise your effectiveness (even if your particular organisation is dragging its feet).

As one of Australia’s most trusted administration profession catalysts and strategists, Liz has worked with hundreds of executive assistants, business support and admin professionals over the past seven years. With her E.F.F.E.C.T.I.V.E. Methodology, they have shifted from under-confidence and overwhelm to empowered, strategic and effective linchpin assistants powering their organisations and thriving in their careers and life.

Through these sessions, you’ll strengthen your capacity to collaborate with stakeholders, and adapt to varied contexts. You’ll become the vital, empowering link within your executive’s network, combining mastery, adaptive communication, and technology-driven efficiency.

Negotiation and Influence Skills Workshop
Date: 31 July
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Geelong
Email: [email protected]

Overview
Negotiate with strategy, vision and confidence.

Recognise the importance of negotiation skills in the workplace and everyday life.
Discover your personal negotiation style and strategies to resolve conflict during a negotiation.
Investigate how non-verbal communication, persuasion, influence and culture can impact a negotiation.
Use principled negotiation to respond to critical moments in negotiation simulations.

Speaker Fiona Maggs delivers programs in strategy, problem-solving, sales, negotiations and leadership while also offering executive coaching from emerging leaders to the C-suite. She is a seasoned leader with a wealth of experience spanning more than 17 years at Coca-Cola Amatil and senior roles including sales director at Unilever and managing director at Lumaten Shopper Research Consultancy.

QLD Women in Leadership Workshop
Date: 31 July – 1 August
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Brisbane
Email: [email protected]

Overview
Enhance your effectiveness as a leader in an evolving professional landscape.

Develop your leadership style.
Build confidence to lead authentically and effectively.
Learn the art of confident communication.
Strengthen your ability to influence.

Trainer Deborah Bispham is a seasoned expert in change management, with more than 25 years’ 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.

Ending Coercive Control & Family Violence Conference
Date: 2 – 5 August
Time: 9 am – 5 pm
Location: Gadigal Land | Aerial UTS Sydney & Online
Email: [email protected]

Overview
Accelerating change, driving safer outcomes and strengthening frontline responses to coercive control.

Every year, the need for help escalates. Over the past 12 months, violence against women has been labelled a “national crisis”, but the situation has not improved.

The 3rd Annual Ending Coercive Control & Family Violence Conference addresses critical issues in preventing and responding to domestic violence through improved prevention, intervention, and response strategies.

This must-attend event unites professionals and lived-experience voices to drive critical change with contributions from more than 45 expert speakers over two days. Deep dive into topics with four specialised streams targeting legislative and systemic reform, sexual violence response, child-centred approaches, and coercive control in practice.

Improving Outcomes & Experiences for At-Risk Children
Date: 6 – 7 August
Time: 9 am – 5 pm
Location: ParkRoyal Darling Harbour, Sydney
Email: [email protected]

Children at risk in Australia deserve a brighter future. While there is a growing national effort to improve outcomes for at-risk children, much more needs to be done to strengthen services, systems and support mechanisms, especially in complex cases.

Achieving this requires a collaborative approach that centres the rights and voices of children, addresses intergenerational trauma, and prioritises early intervention. The conference will bring together senior policymakers, practitioners, providers and services to explore innovative strategies to enhance interagency collaboration, focusing on early intervention, prevention, and best practices for promoting permanency and sustainable reunification.

The conference will also emphasise the importance of listening to and prioritising children’s voices in decision-making, while unpacking culturally safe, trauma-informed and community-led healing approaches. Attendees will gain valuable knowledge and actionable strategies to support complex child protection and care cases effectively.

Women in Leadership Summit 2025: Retail & FMCG
Date: 11 – 15 August
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Intercontinental Hotel, Sydney
Email: [email protected]

Overview
Empowering women to navigate change, drive innovation, and thrive in an evolving industry.