Dr Andrew Carr, a 2025 National Library of Australia Honorary Fellow, will discuss his research on the history of Australian defence policy at the National Library on 17 September. Photo: Supplied.
Achieving Value for Money
Date: 9 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
This course provides a discussion on what value for money means and how it applies when conducting procurement and contract management activities. Key points underpinning the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPR) 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 made in a way that the public would agree achieves value for money.
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, regular procurers, and delegates.
Future-Ready Finance: Unlocking Efficiency and Transparency through AI and Spend Automation in Government
Date: 9 September
Time: Noon – 1 pm
Location: Webinar
Email: [email protected]
Overview
As government agencies across Australia and New Zealand face increasing expectations for transparency, accountability, and operational efficiency, modernising spend management is no longer optional – it’s essential. Emerging technologies such as automation, AI, and mobile-first platforms are reshaping how finance leaders manage public funds, reduce manual workloads, and ensure compliance.
This webinar will explore the four major trends transforming finance functions in the public sector from 2025 and beyond, including:
- Maximising Government Spend through Digitisation: Automating spend processes to drive efficiencies, reduce errors, and improve real-time visibility.
- Empowering Remote-Ready Finance Teams: Equipping staff with modern tools such as mobile apps and integrated platforms for streamlined, compliant expense management.
- Building Future-Ready Finance Systems: Adopting scalable, intelligent financial platforms that support better forecasting, system integration, and data-driven decisions.
- Strengthening Governance through AI and Analytics: Enhancing compliance, audit readiness, and transparency with advanced spend visibility and risk management capabilities.
Hear from leading agencies already driving impact with modern digital solutions, and gain actionable insights to help your organisation embrace innovation, optimise spend, and ensure long-term sustainability.
Speakers:
- Director – Travel, Credit Cards & Concur Financial Operations Branch – Finance and Investment Division, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Angela Cotter
- Senior Account Director, ANZ at SAP Concur, Christopher Sullivan.
Building Relationships and Engagement
Date: 9 September
Time: 10 am – 4 pm
Duration: One six-hour face-to-screen session
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
Identify and examine internal and external work relationships, their relevance and the importance of achieving mutual success. Aspects of self-awareness, personal effectiveness and maintaining productive relationships – even during difficult times – are explored. Share and develop good ways to plan for and participate in meetings.
This content has been provided by the APS Academy, and is suitable for APS 1 – EL 2.
Writing and Evaluating Tender Criteria
Date: 9 September
Time: 1 pm – 4 pm
Duration: One three-hour face-to-screen session
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
Covering the knowledge and practices relating to delivering effective evaluation outcomes, this course is essential for anyone who will be required to sit on an evaluation panel. It provides a set of tools and techniques to manage sourcing events and their evaluation in a manner that is efficient and accountable and delivers the right outcomes. It includes an overview of the end-to-end evaluation process, including evaluation criteria and scoring methods.
This learning experience has been provided by the Department of Finance, and is suitable for all staff, including officials who are new to procurement, need a refresher, or want to move to a role in procurement. It will also benefit APS staff working in procurement on an ad hoc basis, regular procurers, or delegates. It is suited to officials who manage quotes or tenders, assist in evaluating quotes or tenders, or oversee staff managing quotes or tenders.
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, having spent more than three decades 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 aims to help people realise their potential.
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.
Women in Leadership Summit 2025
Date: 15 – 19 September
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Pullman on the Park Melbourne
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Leadership reimagined – Gain the skills, strategies and confidence to lead with impact.
- Join the wave of women redefining leadership.
- Uncover strategies to challenge and overcome bias.
- Learn how to create balance while continuing to grow your career.
- Connect with inspiring women and expand your network.
Speakers include:
- Chief Corporate Affairs & Marketing Officer, Optus, Felicity Ross
- Chief Marketing Officer, Origin Energy, Catherine Anderson
- Deputy Secretary, Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions, Lill Healy
- Chief People Officer, BAE Systems, Angela Wiggins
- Chief Enterprise Services Officer, Toll Group, Angela Tatlis
- Head of Airport Operations, VIC & SA, Qantas Airways, Jenna Yeats.
APS 5-6 Leadership, Capability & Professional Excellence Masterclass
Date: 16 – 17 September
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm & 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
Location: Ngunnawal Country, Canberra, ACT (venue to be confirmed)
Email: [email protected]
Accelerate leadership skills, exceed expectations and lead a high-performing team. Exceed your work-level standards, thrive in your role and unleash your leadership potential.
Aimed at APS 5-6-level officers and management, this face-to-face two-day masterclass will provide an opportunity to advance core skills and explore the leadership requirements for effective APS 5-6-level professionals.
Practical, engaging and hands-on, this comprehensive masterclass will optimise your professional performance and accelerate your growth as a leader. You will walk away refreshed, inspired and confident in your leadership and the path ahead.
Facilitator Daniel Murray is Australia’s leading expert on strategic empathy. He blends the worlds of business strategy, leadership and emotional intelligence to support business and community leaders to drive high performance by creating more motivated and empowered teams. Daniel shows business leaders how to foster organisational understanding, build deep, trusted relationships and create a culture of commitment through mastery of empathy as a capability.
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
Dr Andrew Carr, a 2025 National Library of Australia Honorary Fellow, 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 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 the question of 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, Australians’ 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.
Women Unlimited Leadership Summit 2025
Date: 29 September – 1 October
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: In-person and online
Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth
Email: [email protected]
The Women UNLIMITED series is built on the belief that true power lies in the collective spirit of people unbound by limits. That’s why we’ve brought together global powerhouses, former US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard and some of the most inspiring minds in leadership, to share their experience in the pursuit of progress.
Over two days, across seven venues and six Australian capital cities, this latest Women UNLIMITED summit will be the biggest in Australia yet.
Discover how other leadership powerhouses are leading the charge in the pursuit of progress, including former director-general and the first woman to head an Australian statutory intelligence agency, Australian Signals Directorate, Rachel Noble; and former host of 7.30, journalist, author, podcast co-host and current Australian Story presenter on the ABC, Leigh Sales.
The biggest leadership event for the public sector in Australia is running concurrently in Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. This year’s theme is ”The Pursuit of Progress”. Each city boasts a phenomenal line-up of speakers. Check the website to choose your preferred location and view each tailored program.
Gain once-in-a-lifetime advice from some of the nation’s most senior female leaders as they share their powerful lived experiences in pursuing progress, and learn from enlightening and empowering discussions on the most critical topics for leaders.
