MELBOURNE | NOW CANCELLED

This Mandarin Live conference has now been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.

Walk away with practical, real-world insights from the people shaping Australia’s public sector, from premiers to department heads to future-focused thinkers.

Don’t just sit in the audience. Ask questions, join the discussion, and get perspective from those leading the change.

Meet like-minded public servants, policy specialists, and leaders — the kinds of connections that move careers and ideas forward.

At its core, capability covers everything from recruitment to employee retention, and skills training to continuous professional development. It also includes ethics, craft, stewardship, values and leadership across many government disciplines, including technology, finance, and social services.

MODERN PUBLIC SERVICE CHALLENGES

Examining the risks and demands facing governments in the post-pandemic world, and what citizens require of public sector employees and their leaders.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CAREER PATHWAYS

What it takes to foster growth and excellence within the public sector workforce, and the expertise required to address specific community challenges.

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP AND SOCIETAL IMPACT

How public servants develop their ethical ‘muscle’ while understanding the moral imperative and broader societal responsibilities of working in government.

PUBLIC SERVICE COLLABORATION IN ACTION 

How vital public sector components can work better together and with stakeholders, including communities and private industry, during ‘chaos as usual’.

Deborah Glass was Victorian Ombudsman for a decade from 2014. After being raised in Melbourne, Deborah practised law before moving overseas and into financial services regulation. She became a commissioner of the Independent Police Complaints Commission of England and Wales, heading up criminal and misconduct investigations into police. She was appointed IPCC deputy chair and, in 2012, was awarded an OBE for her service.

Kate has more than 25 years’ experience in both the NSW and Victorian Public Service. Kate has held senior executive roles in various portfolios from Social Policy and Intergovernmental Relations, Police and Crime Prevention, Health, Water and Catchments and Environmental Policy. Prior to Secretary, DEECA, her most recent role was as Secretary at the Department of Justice and Community Safety. Kate has an Honours Degree in Economics, and a Masters of Environment and is an IPPA fellow. She was awarded a Public Service Medal in 2022 for outstanding public service to policy and program delivery in Victoria.

The Honourable Jay Weatherill AO is executive director of democracy at McKinnon, working alongside the Honourable Mike Baird AO to strengthen Australia’s democracy. A former premier of South Australia and long-serving minister, he has also been recognised as an Officer of the Order of Australia for his contributions to early childhood development. Jay currently serves on the Medibank board, the National Gallery of Australia Council, and several not-for-profit and philanthropic organisations. He has also held academic roles and most recently led the Thrive by Five campaign for early years reform with the Minderoo Foundation.

Amanda Stevens has held several leadership roles in federal, state, and local government. She led teams at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission for over 10 years, was executive director in the Victorian Department of Health’s COVID Response, and is currently CEO at the Institute of Public Administration Victoria, the public sector peak body. As well as an experienced board member, Amanda served three consecutive terms as mayor of the City of Port Phillip.

Dr Stephen Duckett is a health economist and honorary enterprise professor at the University of Melbourne. After working at the Victorian Department of Health, he became federal Health secretary in 1994. He was then chief executive of Queensland’s Centre for Health Improvement, and president/CEO of Alberta Health Services in Canada. He spent a decade as director of the Grattan Institute’s health program.

Jenny Macklin is the former deputy leader of the federal Labor Party, and the first woman elected to a leadership position in a major Australian political party. In the Rudd-Gillard governments, she was minister for disability reform, families, housing, and community services. As minister for Indigenous affairs, Jenny oversaw the Apology to the Stolen Generations and developed the Closing the Gap framework. She is now an honorary enterprise professor in social and political science at the University of Melbourne. Her most recent book is Making Progress: How Good Policy Happens with Joel Deane.

Rena has been driving significant reforms in sexual offences, child abuse, family violence and gender equality in Victoria Police for more than 17 years, including as a founding member of both Family Violence Command and the Gender Equality and Inclusion Command. Her key areas of focus have been the specialisation of Victoria Police’s responses to sexual offences. This included coordinating Victoria Police’s transition to Sexual Offence and Child Abuse Investigation Teams and Multi-Disciplinary Centres and the organisation’s response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. She has also helped drive organisational gender equality reforms. 

Robert is an accomplished government executive with more than 20 years’ regulatory experience in the industrial relations field at state and federal levels. He was previously Director of Wage Inspectorate Victoria within the Department of Premier and Cabinet, prior to the organisation becoming a statutory authority on 1 July 2021. Robert Hortle PSM was appointed to the position of Commissioner for a 5-year term on 17 June 2021. Under the Wage Theft Act 2020, Robert is responsible for exercising the duties, functions and powers of the Wage Inspectorate under the legislation it enforces.

Pia Andrews is on a mission to transform governments to become more humane, responsive and effective in the 21st century, at the speed of continuous change, public trust and perpetual urgency. She aims to drive adaptive policy management, policy infrastructure, participatory governance, high trust and legitimate systems and operating models (including AI), citizen-centric design, service agility and real, pragmatic continuous innovation in the public sector and beyond.

Liquid is an independent, Australian-owned strategic design and digital consultancy that specialises in human-centred, digitally enabled government reform. Prior to joining Liquid, Fiona held senior executive roles in the UK and Australian governments, and has led whole-of-government reform and digital transformation projects for more than 20 years.

Dr Leslie Cannold is an ethicist, researcher, writer and educator on gender and ethical leadership. She works with leaders in the private and public sectors to clarify individual and organisational values and engage staff by doing the right thing. Leslie is also the chair/member of numerous Victorian government and international NGO health tribunals, panels and committees, including the Marie Stopes International Ethics in Researcher Committee, the Victorian Board of the Nurses and Midwifery Board of Australia and the Victorian Mental Health Tribunal.

Sean Morrison was appointed Victorian Information Commissioner in February last year. He has significant experience leading legal responses to key Victorian government reforms, including royal commissions and information-sharing regimes. Prior to his appointment with OVIC, Sean was a special investigator at the Office of the Special Investigator and served as general counsel at multiple Victorian government departments.

The Australian Public Policy Institute is a government-university partnership transforming how policymakers and research experts work together. An adjunct professor of economics at the University of Sydney, Libby is a public policy expert with more than 20 years’ experience bringing government and universities together to solve complex problems. She has held senior leadership and advisory roles in government, parliament, university peak bodies, think tanks and private sector consultancy in Australia and the UK.

Ika Trijsburg draws on diverse sector expertise to address complex challenges to democracy. She leads the Disinformation in the City project across five Australian universities, and was lead author of the world first Disinformation in the City Response Playbook in 2024. Ika is Director of Urban Analytics at the ANU Institute for Infrastructure in Society in the Crawford School for Public Policy and Head of Democracy and Diplomacy at Municipal Association of Victoria. She also holds positions with the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Initiative for Peacebuilding at the University of Melbourne. She has provided guidance on disinformation response to key actors globally including cities, national governments, international networks and UN agencies.  

Simon Phemister PSM is the founder and managing partner of Frank Partners. Passionate about creating shared value between government and industry, he has extensive experience helping leaders navigate complexity, shape policy, and deliver meaningful results. Formerly secretary of Victoria’s Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Simon led major reforms across economic development, planning, family violence, and housing. He is chair of RISING, Melbourne’s leading festival of contemporary art.

Karen has held senior leadership and management roles at executive level in Government including her current role as Director for Child Protection in the Gippsland region and previous role as State-wide Principal Practitioner for the Victorian Government’s Child Protection and Youth Justice programs. An accomplished professional with substantial academic qualifications, and the recipient of several professional awards, including the 2025 Public Service Medal, Karen has a career spanning more than 35 years in child and family welfare, and a deep commitment to protecting children, supporting families, and improving outcomes for vulnerable children involved with Child Protection and Out of Home Care systems. 

PUBLIC SERVICE LEADERS

Government decision-makers - secretaries, CEOs, commissioners, CIOs etc - from federal, state and local jurisdictions

SUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTS

Public service managers and practitioners across various disciplines: technology, recruitment, training and more

THOSE WORKING WITH GOVERNMENT

Consultants and contractors who need to understand issues facing the public service

STATE PUBLIC SERVANTS

The Mandarin's Frank and Fearless public sector survey 2024

HEADLINE PARTNER

EXHIBITION PARTNER

EXHIBITION PARTNER

COFFEE CART & NETWORKING PARTNER

"[The Mandarin’s conferences are] a timely intervention into the conversation about the future of the Australian public service”

– BARNEY GLOVER

JOBS AND SKILLS AUSTRALIA COMMISSIONER

1. EVENT DETAILS

Thursday, November 6, Grand Hyatt Melbourne

2. HOW MUCH ARE TICKETS?

Ticket price is dependent on release and if you are working in the public sector. Please visit the checkout page for full pricing information. For group ticket purchases, please contact our team directly at events@themandarin.com.au.

3. CAN THIS CONFERENCE BE USED AS PART OF MY TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT?

Yes. If you need further information to provide for internal sign-off, please contact our team by emailing events@themandarin.com.au.

4. ARE THERE OTHER PERKS OF ATTENDING?

Yes. You will receive a 50% discount on an annual subscription to The Mandarin.

5. HOW CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SPONSORING?

For our media kit and more information, please contact raustin@themandarin.com.au.

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