Presenter Megan Doherty will speak at a virtual event titled “Lunch and Learn — Session 10: Accelerate software development with AI” on 22 October. Photo: Supplied.
Core Issues in Regulatory & Risk-Control Practice
Date: 21 – 24 October
Time: 9 am – 1 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
An engaging four-part course with Professor Malcolm K Sparrow, the CIRRP seminar covers fundamental questions in regulatory design and examines specific contemporary puzzles currently demanding attention from Australasian regulatory bodies. It thus provides a suitable orientation for newcomers to the regulatory business, and is appropriate for practitioners at any rank — from the front line to the boardroom, and every level of management in between.
It also offers seasoned regulatory professionals an opportunity to examine the broad array of possibilities in terms of regulatory strategy and practice and to use that richer picture as a backdrop for reflecting on their own experiences and considering their aspirations and plans.
Please note that this program emphasises management and practice of risk-control operations (i.e., regulatory practice) as opposed to the reform of law itself (regulatory policy). It is also oriented more towards social regulation (provision of safety, health, and security) rather than economic regulation (managing the efficient functioning of specific markets). You will have opportunities, both during class discussions and outside class time, to raise other issues you currently face and to draw on your own professional experience.
Malcolm K Sparrow is a leading international expert in regulatory and enforcement strategy, security and risk control. He is the Professor of the Practice of Public Management at Harvard’s John F Kennedy School of Government.
SES Integrity Masterclass
Date: 22 October
Time: 9:30 am – 1 pm
Duration: One 3.5-hour face-to-face session
Location: Australian Capital Territory – MoAD (Old Parliament House)
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
The SES Integrity Masterclass is aimed at providing SES leaders with access to current thinking and practical applications towards embedding pro-integrity culture across the APS. The content addresses the importance of integrity in the workplace by examining current, real-world issues through a practitioner-led approach.
Developed by the APS Academy in partnership with key APS integrity agencies and academic partners, it has been recognised in the “Louder than Words: An APS Action plan” as an “excellent integrity product” with the recommendation for “Secretaries to support all SES to undertake” this course.
Successful completion of this course involves both prework (available online at a time that suits you) and attendance at an interactive, facilitated workshop.
This content is suitable for SES Band 1 – SES Band 3.
Lunch and Learn – Session 10: Accelerate software development with AI
Date: 22 October
Time: 12:30 pm – 1 pm
Duration: One 30-minute face-to-screen session
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
As the Australian Digital Health Agency continues to expand its software engineering and data modelling capabilities, the pressure to deliver secure, standards-compliant, and user-centric solutions has never been greater. To meet this growing demand, we turned to AI — not just as a tool, but as a strategic enabler of speed, quality, and innovation.
One of our key implementations has been GitHub Copilot, integrated directly into our development environments. We use it across three modes — ask, edit and agent — each tailored to different stages of the engineering workflow. With access to a wide range of large language models, we can align AI capabilities with specific use cases, from code generation and automation to quality assurance and design research.
Presenter Megan Doherty is the director of software engineering at the Australian Digital Health Agency, where she leads the strategic direction and delivery of digital solutions that support Australia’s evolving health landscape. With more than a decade of experience in government technology leadership, Megan is known for driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and delivering high-impact outcomes in complex environments.
Under her leadership, the agency has successfully integrated GitHub Copilot into its development workflows — transforming how engineering teams write, review, and optimise code. This initiative has accelerated delivery timelines, improved code quality, and empowered teams to focus on strategic problem-solving. Megan’s approach to AI adoption balances innovation with governance, ensuring alignment with public sector standards and security requirements.
This content is suitable for all staff.
APS6 – EL1 Women in Leadership Masterclass
Date: 22 – 23 October
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Ngunnawal Country, Canberra, ACT (exact location TBC)
Email: [email protected]
This transformative program strengthens and accelerates your APS leadership development. Lift your APS career by becoming an inclusive and trusted leader who delivers with impact.
Choosing to lead at the APS6 – EL1 level is a watershed moment in your career, and the skills and behaviours that you cultivate now will become the cornerstones of your APS senior leadership in the years to come. This intimate and engaging masterclass is designed to provide you with the crucial skills and behaviours to step out of being a technical expert and ready yourself for more senior leadership.
This highly engaging two-day masterclass has been specifically designed for women in APS 6 – EL1 leadership roles to build your understanding and capability to deliver more of what your SES requires of you. It will help you navigate the APS context, be more influential, find your voice, have greater confidence leading diverse and hybrid teams, and set yourself up for success for the rest of your career.
Seasoned Commonwealth public service leadership coach and facilitator Kylie Holyland will take you on a journey of lightbulb moments that strategically grow key skills to excel in the APS. Carve out your own leadership plan, network with peers at the same stage as you and walk away refreshed, inspired and more confident in your leadership and the path ahead.
Kylie is a confident, accredited coach, trainer and facilitator, great at delivering short courses and workshops tailored to emerging leaders in the APS. Her particular specialty is in helping people understand who they are, their strengths and talents, and what they need to let go of to confidently step into their own light.
Differentiation in Teaching & Learning Conference
Date: 22 – 23 October
Time: 9:30 am – 4 pm
Location: Naarm | Rendezvous Melbourne & Online
Email: [email protected]
This conference focuses on applying innovative strategies to drive success for all learners. This includes practical whole-of-school strategies to embed differentiation and inclusive practice at scale. As schools face increasing pressure to improve outcomes for every student, effective differentiation has never been more essential to delivering targeted, impactful teaching.
The Differentiation in Teaching & Learning Conference brings together school leaders, teachers and experts to equip you with practical, real-world strategies to strengthen a whole-school approach to differentiation.
Gain actionable strategies focused on leadership, instructional coaching, neurodivergent inclusion, and using formative assessment to identify learner needs and guide responsive, personalised instruction. Leave with the knowledge and tools to drive sustainable, school-wide improvements in teaching and learning. Over two days, explore methods to build staff capacity, leverage data and embed inclusive practices that support every learner.
Briefing and Responding to APS Decision-Makers
Date: 23 October
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 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.
Essential editing and proofreading skills for the public sector
Date: 23 October
Time: 10 am – 1 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
Proofread, refine and polish with confidence. Perfect your editing and proofreading skills.
Have you ever found yourself staring at a document, unsure, wondering whether your edits are truly improving it, or stressing over whether you’ve found every last error? Editing and proofreading can be challenging. This practical workshop is designed to equip you with the skills and confidence you need.
We’ll tackle the usual dilemmas head-on: How do you determine what’s ”right”? What changes are necessary? How do you ensure the changes match the author’s intent and the reader’s needs? You’ll learn effective techniques for refining others’ writing and also for critically reviewing your own work.
This workshop will give you hands-on practice to develop and sharpen your abilities. By the end, you’ll have the skills to ensure clarity and conciseness and to deliver polished, professional content confidently.
Presenter Bev Sullivan has decades of experience in running written communication workshops for public servants at all levels and from all tiers of government. Her specialty is helping people to use (and tweak) their existing skills and experience to make writing less of a chore and deliver better results.
Supporting Coordinated Emergency Response, Operations and Recovery with AI-Powered Location Intelligence
Date: 23 October
Time: Noon – 1 pm
Location: Webinar
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Australia is experiencing more frequent and severe natural disasters, from devastating bushfires to catastrophic floods. The challenge is not just responding in the moment, but doing so with speed, precision and coordination to protect communities and critical infrastructure.
This webinar will explore how Australian emergency services are harnessing high-resolution imagery and AI-powered insights to transform disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Drawing on case studies including the Brisbane floods and East Coast bushfires, the session will demonstrate how location intelligence supports faster decisions, stronger interagency coordination and more effective recovery planning.
Attendees will gain insight into how state and emergency agencies are:
- Harnessing near-real-time aerial imagery to maintain situational awareness during critical events.
- Using AI-driven damage assessment to prioritise resources, accelerate recovery, and support funding applications.
- Building a shared “common operating picture” to strengthen coordination across emergency, policing, health, and recovery authorities.
- Applying geospatial intelligence to inform long-term resilience and climate adaptation strategies.
With the cost and complexity of disasters on the rise, this session will provide senior leaders with actionable approaches to strengthen readiness, modernise operations and enhance the resilience of Australia’s communities.
Women in Agribusiness Leadership Workshop
Date: 23 – 24 October
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Melbourne
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Nurture your leadership skills and grow your confidence.
- Explore leadership foundations for Agribusiness
- Tackle the challenges of remote and fragmented work environments
- Weather the impacts of change and act as a change agent
- Influence different stakeholder environments, agendas and motivators.
Trainer Michelle Landy is a specialist in leadership, self-growth and communication excellence. She is a highly experienced facilitator, coach, professional development presenter and a master practitioner in neuro-linguistic programming.
She is the author of The Confidence Workout, a book that outlines strategies to develop confidence for work and in life. She was a lecturer in leadership at the University of Technology for 15 years, and a trainer and coach to businesses throughout Australia.
Embracing Neurodiversity: A Workshop for Managers & Leaders
Date: 24 October – 11 November
Time: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Location: In person
Brisbane, 24 Oct | Adelaide, 31 Oct | Sydney, 11 Nov | Canberra, 13 Nov
Email: [email protected]
Learn how to create environments for neurodiversity to thrive. Gain a better understanding of neurodiversity and leading neuro-inclusive teams. The number of people who identify as neurodiverse or have been diagnosed as neurodivergent is rapidly increasing, and it’s likely that neurodivergent people are on your team.
Join us for an essential full-day workshop that will build your understanding of the unique strengths of neurodiversity, how to harness them and how to lead a psychologically safe team.
Facilitator Patricia Falcetta is a highly experienced facilitator with more than 25 years of working in the public and private sectors. Neurodivergent herself, she is a passionate advocate for neurodivergent people and is the founder and director of Social Living Solutions, which specialises in providing support for neurodivergent youth, families and adults.
