By Dr Robert Jansen, Practitioner and APS Academy Facilitator, and Johanna Parker, Craft Learning Curation and Design, APS Academy
Australian public servants are building their capability to partner and engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities through a new learning program being developed by the APS Academy. Experienced practitioner Dr Robert Jansen led the first pilot workshop for EL2, EL1 and APS6 staff on 9 December 2024, with Jake Budd, Assistant Secretary, First Nations Languages and Regional Programs, DITRDCA. Overwhelming positive feedback was received from participants who appreciated the open conservations, the first hand experiences, and the opportunity to network with peers across the APS.
9 December 2024 workshop, APS Academy.
“Exceptionally well informed and experienced facilitators/workshop leads who made participants comfortable sharing their thoughts. Their approach exemplified the core tenets of engagement and partnership they were trying to communicate.”
9 December 2024 workshop participant
“The workshop also gave me valuable information about focussing on the stakeholder’s perspective and needs in planning engagement and partnerships, considering power imbalances and cultural issues, and genuine partnerships. There was a good discussion about needing improved coordination within and across agencies.”
9 December 2024 workshop participant
This is just the start of the APS Academy working with practitioners to develop and deliver learning activities in Engagement and Partnership Craft. Further workshops and updated resources will become available throughout 2025.
Want to be involved?
Our aim is to support public servants to increase their confidence and cultural knowledge to work in successful partnerships with First Nations people. To do this we also want to hear from you about how the APS Academy can support you and your staff to build your Engagement and Partnership Craft capabilities. Do you want to talk to us about how we can develop a training workshop that is specific to your agencies partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations?
We also want to know about the resources available in your context and learn about any key documents, reports and training tools you use that you might like to share more widely across the APS.
Get in contact through the Craft Learning Curation and Design team to start these important conversations.
Explore more
Charter of Partnerships and Engagement | APS Reform - sets out principles for how government should put people and business at the centre of policy, implementation and delivery.
National Agreement on Closing the Gap - when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a genuine say in the design and delivery of services that affect them, better life outcomes are achieved. It recognises that structural change in the way governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is needed to close the gap (Preamble 4).