Michael Callan, CEO of the Australian Fraud and Anti-Corruption Academy, will be one of the speakers at the Embedding Fraud and Corruption Control into Public Programs briefing on 4 September. Photo: Supplied.
Dealing with Change
Date: 28 August
Time: 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
Duration: One six-hour face-to-face session
Location: Hobart, TAS
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
This is an intensive course exploring change at the personal and organisational levels. Understand concepts of resilience and develop techniques to be adaptable and responsive. Share thoughts and ideas on dealing with change.
Participant benefits:
- Understanding why change is a constant in the public service.
- Identifying your own beliefs, assumptions and understanding about change.
- Being aware of the different responses individuals may experience during change.
- Apply tools and strategies for managing change.
This content has been provided by the APS Academy, and is suitable for APS 1 – EL2.
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 on her background in organisational change, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Positive Psychology, Amanda guides individuals, teams, and leaders towards embracing neurodiversity.
Appearing Before Parliamentary Committees
Date: 4 September
Time: 10 am – 2 pm
Duration: One four-hour face-to-screen session
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
Do you need to appear before a parliamentary committee in your current role? Do you provide support to someone who does this? Learn about the committee system and the role you have to provide honest and accurate testimony.
Appearing Before Parliamentary Committees takes an in-depth look at parliamentary committees that scrutinise decisions and the information flow between the APS, the parliament and the public. This program will help you to prepare effectively and communicate information clearly. You will also have the opportunity to participate in a simulation of the committee process to crystalise your knowledge.
This learning experience has been provided by a third party in consultation with the APS Academy, and is suitable for EL 2 – SES 3.
Briefing and Responding to APS Decision-Makers
Date: 4 September
Time: 9 am – 5 pm
Duration: One eight-hour face-to-screen session
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
This program takes an in-depth look at decision-making and covers the skills required to design, develop and deliver a briefing. Understand the development and role of Question Time briefs, ministerial talking points for media engagements, ministerial adviser briefings, hot-issues briefings, ministerial submissions and second-reading speeches.
Experience ”real-life” briefing scenarios that simulate the high pressure and stakes of a government briefing. Learn effective briefing techniques and workshop approaches that build relationships with senior APS decision-makers, ministers and advisers.
This content has been provided by the APS Academy, and is suitable for APS 5 – EL 2.
Understanding Government
Date: 4 September
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 provides an understanding of the system of government and its operations as fundamental to working effectively in the APS. To successfully support ministers, parliamentary secretaries and the whole of government, all APS staff need to understand the APS’s role and the processes that underpin the Australian system of government and correspondingly, their roles and responsibilities within this system.
This content has been provided by the APS Academy, and is suitable for APS 1 – APS 6.
Procurement and Contract Management Basics
Date: 4 September
Time: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Duration: Three-hour face-to-screen session
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
Procurement and Contract Management Basics aims to provide APS employees with an introduction to Commonwealth procurement and the fundamental knowledge and skills essential for contract management.
Awareness and understanding of the Commonwealth Procurement Framework is essential to ensure compliance when APS employees are required to commit and expend federal funds through procurement and undertake contract management activities.
This course has been designed to build the procurement and contract management capabilities of employees as the Commonwealth seeks to deliver more strategic value-for-money outcomes when buying goods and services.
This learning experience has been provided by the Department of Finance, and is suitable for all staff. This includes officials who are new to procurement, may need a refresher, or who want to move to a role in procurement. It also will benefit officials working in procurement on an ad hoc basis, as well as regular procurers, and delegates.
APS Unlocked
Date: 4 September
Time: 1 pm – 2:30 pm
Duration: One 90-minute face-to-screen session
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
APS Unlocked brings together new and returning members of the APS to engage with experienced APS leaders and practitioners, who will share essential information and tips for a successful and productive career in the APS. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and build their APS network to ensure they gain the knowledge, confidence and capability needed in the early days of their APS career.
This content has been provided by the APS Academy, and is suitable for APS 1 – EL 1.
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]
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.
What’s in it for you?
- Actionable insights from senior leaders in the public sector, academia and advisory on emerging risks and integrity challenges.
- Practical strategies for embedding ethical governance into policy and program design.
- Real-world examples of what’s working – and what’s not – in fraud and corruption prevention.
- Networking opportunities with peers and experts committed to advancing transparency and accountability.
- Professional development that supports your role in governance, risk, and compliance – whether you’re shaping policy or implementing controls.
Speakers include:
- Michael Callan, CEO, Australian Fraud and Anti-Corruption Academy
- Sara Deady, Partner, McGrathNicol.
Chair: Andrew Heath FGIA FCG, Director of Strategy and Governance at the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.
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.
Leadership Strategies Series 2025: Online
When: 9 – 10 September
Where: Online (via Teams)
Cost: Ticket prices vary; find out more at Kim Vella Leadership
As a leader in the public service, do any of these 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.
Defending Australian Territory with Dr Andrew Carr
Date: 17 September
Time: 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Location: National Library of Australia
Cost: Entry to this event is free, but bookings are essential. Tickets are available on the National Library of Australia website
A 2025 National Library of Australia Honorary Fellow, Dr Andrew Carr discusses his research on the history of Australian defence policy. During his fellowship, Dr Carr explored the personal papers of Australian politicians, as well as defence and diplomatic officials from the 1960s to the ’80s, to better understand how they thought about protecting the continent.
In discussing the history of Australia’s defence policy, Dr Carr aims to address the shortfalls in our understanding of both the policy and the way the nation’s elite have considered the geography of this nation.
Dr Carr is a senior lecturer in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University. His research focuses on Strategy and Australian Defence Policy. He has published widely and has a sole-authored book with Melbourne University Press, as well as edited books with Oxford University Press and Georgetown University Press. He is currently a member of the ANU-Defence Strategic Policy History Project, writing a history of Australian Defence White Papers from 1976-2020.
Dr Carr’s current research is concerned with how a country as large and diverse as Australia can be defended. Since the 1970s, this has been the formal primary task of the Australian Defence Force. However, Australian views on their security, as well as scholarly attention, have remained focused on overseas deployments and alliance relationships. This has led to shortfalls in our understanding of both Australian defence policy and the way the nation’s elite have thought about the geography of Australia.
Dr Carr’s fellowship research will also inform the central chapters of a longer, comprehensive history of Australian defence policy, with a focus on territorial security.
Watch online
The conversation will also be available online. Please make a booking and we will send you a direct link to the livestream event via email. Or you can join through the library’s YouTube channel.
