By the Australian Tax Office
The APS Academy (part of the Australian Public Service Commission), rolled out one of the Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) training packages, in-person in Hobart—a rare face to face delivery. The two-day course on Engaging Stakeholders was over-subscribed and well attended. The course enabled participants to understand the most appropriate stakeholders and forms of engagement, and work through scenarios to develop their analysis, planning and engagement skills.
This offering was a collaboration between the APS Academy and the Australian Government Leadership Network (AGLN) of Tasmania, supported by the ATO. We spoke with ATO Assistant Commissioner Sarah Welch, Chair of the AGLN (Tas) about how this came about.
Why did you want to trial delivery of a course in Hobart?
I wanted to improve access to APS Academy offerings for APS staff here. The APS Academy has lots on offer, much of it available virtually and some delivered in-person, at cost, in Canberra. Of course, there is a valuable role for virtual training, but some courses are more appropriately delivered face-to-face because a good portion of their value comes from learning with others. Not everyone can travel though. It’s challenging (if not prohibitive) for people with parenting or caring responsibilities, and travel to Canberra takes time and money. Reflecting on this, I wondered, “could we bring the trainer to the participants, instead? And could we do it in a cost-effective way?”.
How did this initiative come about?
After moving back home to Hobart a few years ago, I saw that inter-agency connection doesn’t come quite so naturally and easily here as other places that I’ve worked. So, I’ve been on a bit of a mission! I joined the AGLN (Tas) and have had the opportunity to interact with many APS staff based in Tasmania. A few shared with me their experiences of the challenges they face to access training for their people, which got me thinking about how we might improve things.
Keep in mind, I work as a tax lawyer, so let’s just say this was straying far from my field of expertise! With the help of some wonderful APS leaders from all walks of life, I refined my questions into an idea and pitched it to the APSC. Dr Subho Banerjee (Deputy Commissioner of the APS Academy) graciously let me bend his ear when he was visiting Hobart and agreed to a trial.
Tell us about the APS in Tassie?
There are 45 Commonwealth agencies with a presence in Tasmania, but most of them have fewer than 20 staff each. That can be great in some ways – on average, Tasmanian based APS staff have more experience than staff in other states and territories - but it also presents some challenges too. I’ve seen that small teams here can be overlooked or feel disconnected from centralised Learning and Development (L&D) teams, and that presents access barriers to professional development.
Will there be further Hobart based offerings?
Yes, we are planning another course to be delivered in Hobart at the ATO site again. Keep an eye out for Briefing and Responding to APS Decision Makers in August. Registrations will open once we have settled the details.
Any last messages?
Thank you to the 9 agencies that supported their staff attending Engaging Stakeholders in Hobart and thank you to the course participants for coming with willingness to learn. I saw some great connections formed between the participants and I hope that’s just the start. Connections across the APS are important and go to supporting better decisions and delivery of government services. For any Tasmanian based APS staff, please feel free to connect with me and our local Network via our private LinkedIn group.