Building a Better Public Service

BRISBANE | AUGUST 21, 2025

Program

8:45AM

GUEST ARRIVAL, REGISTRATION AND NETWORKING

9:15AM

WELCOME ADDRESS AND WELCOME TO COUNTRY

9:30AM

KEYNOTE PRESENTATION

Trevor Watts, Assistant Minister to the Premier for Cabinet and South West Queensland

9:50AM

PANEL

Queensland’s biggest public sector leadership challenges

This will be a wide-ranging discussion that examines the unique issues facing the Queensland public service, including how the three tiers of government work together; how to attract, retain and motivate diverse staff; and the difficulty of managing debt while striving to provide better services for citizens.

Adam Fennessy, Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Linda Colley, Adjunct Professor, QUT
Rachel Hunter, Acting Chair Commissioner, Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission

Moderator: Melissa Coade, News Editor, The Mandarin

10.30AM

MORNING TEA BREAK

11:00AM

PRESENTATION

Maintaining the craft of public service through change and reform

The Queensland public service has always, and will continue to, experience significant change and evolution in line with the community it serves. The Public Sector Commissioner will reflect on his career in the public service and his personal insights on how integrity and the craft of professional public service is now more important than ever.

David Mackie, Commissioner, Queensland Public Sector Commission

11:40AM

PANEL

The collaborative public servant: working with industry, dealing with complexity

This session will explore how public servants can work effectively with a range of stakeholders, including engaged communities, private industry, and other government employees, especially during times of crisis.

Major General Jake Ellwood, CEO, Queensland Reconstruction Authority
Suzi Woodrow-Read, Queensland Public Sector Commission
Graham Fraine, Director-General, Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing and Regional and Rural Development

Moderator: Andrew Wills, Director, Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) Queensland

12:20PM

FIRESIDE CHAT

In conversation with Peter Coaldrake

Peter Coaldrake, Reviewer, Let the Sunshine In

Moderator: Peter Gearin, Editor-in-Chief, The Mandarin

1:00PM

LUNCH BREAK

1:50PM

PRESENTATION & Q&A WITH JASMINA JOLDIĆ

Jasmina Joldić examines how Australia’s unique blend of the Westminster system and unwritten constitutional conventions compels ministers and secretaries to continually renegotiate the ‘rules of the game’ that define the exercise of power, mechanisms for accountability, and the role of the public service.

Jasmina Joldic, Adjunct Professor, School of Government and International Relations & ANZSOG Practice Fellow

Moderator: Melissa Coade, News Editor, The Mandarin

2:30PM

PANEL

Let’s get real: Attitudes to AI in Queensland’s public sector

Nathan Bines, Executive Director, Data and AI, Data and Digital Government, Department of Customer Services, Open Data and Small and Family Business
Stefan Hajkowicz, Research Consultant, Analytics and Decision Sciences Data 61, CSIRO

Moderator: Fiona Armstrong, CEO, Liquid

Presenting the results of The Mandarin’s recent AI survey, with particular attention to Queensland-based results. What challenges do public servants face in using technology to enhance productivity and provide better user experiences?

3.10PM

AFTERNOON TEA BREAK

3:40PM

PRESENTATION & Q&A

From earning trust to designing trustworthy institutions

Trust in government is often viewed as a reputational asset, measured by polls or media sentiment and often managed reactively - especially in times of crisis, failure or scrutiny. In this interactive session, Cranlana CEO Matt Finnis challenges us to focus instead on trustworthiness as a strategic public sector capability - the anatomy of which must be understood, developed and sustained across people, culture and systems.

Matt Finnis, Chief Executive Officer, Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership

Moderator: Peter Gearin, Editor-in-Chief, The Mandarin

4:20PM

PANEL

Serving both state and place

This session will examine the effectiveness of place-based government approaches, what to consider when defining state-wide policy issues in this context, and how public servants can develop the expertise to understand specific challenges in local communities.