Public Sector Perspectives

IPAA Victoria presents Public Sector Perspectives, a podcast featuring conversation with incredible people highlighting the interesting work in government and across the Victorian Public Sector.

Public Sector Perspectives is a government podcast hosted by IPAA Victoria, with 50 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

IPAA Victoria hosts Public Sector Perspectives, a government show with 50 episodes published.

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  Public Sector Perspectives

  Victorian Small Business Commission: How small teams are using AI task assistants

  Sep 14, 202627 min

  What can small teams do when only one or two person is carrying a broad communications and engagement workload? In this episode of Real Talk: AI in the VPPS, Cate Pratt, Nick Edrington and Tim Symons from the Victorian Small Business Commission share how AI task assistants are supporting a small public sector team while keeping people firmly at the centre of the process.

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  Public Sector Perspectives

  Using AI to support frontline workers with the right problem statement

  Jul 22, 202621 min

  In this episode of Real Talk: AI in the VPPS, Will Babington, Head of Enabling at the Building and Plumbing Commission, shares how an AI-powered solution helped frontline social workers access critical information faster and with greater confidence. Drawing on his experience leading a major AI project at The Salvation Army, Will discusses how the team focused on solving a real operational challenge- reducing the burden of navigating multiple systems - so staff could spend more time supporting people in crisis. Speaking with Kate Fraser, Will explores the importance of starting with the problem, not the technology, involving end users in the design process, and ensuring AI enhances rather than replaces human expertise. He also shares practical lessons for leaders looking to implement AI responsibly and at scale.

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  Public Sector Perspectives

  Fellows Feature: in conversation with Commissioner Ro Allen AM

  Jun 26, 202627 min

  In this edition of Public Sector Perspectives, we talk to Ro Allen AM, new IPAA Victoria Fellow and Victoria’s Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commissioner. In a 30 year career across the public and community sector Ro has been a powerful voice for human rights and social justice in Victoria. Ro was Victoria's inaugural Commissioner for LGBTIQA+ communities, and they've also worked widely across the public and community sectors, including being a former Chair of the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria and Chair of the Adult Community and Further Education Board. As a young person, Ro experienced the trauma of religious conversion therapy, an experience that deeply shaped their commitment to human rights advocacy and has driven their work in investigating and addressing those practices. In this discussion you’ll hear Ro’s thoughts on: - the unique role that Commissioners hold in our Westminster system of government and how they exercise the power their position gives them -why they always welcome seeing an inclusive lanyard or badge in public sector workplaces - what gives them hope about building a more inclusive community at a time when political debate is becoming more polarised - and why Melbourne based public servants should think twice before wearing jeans to a meeting with regional colleagues. You can find out more about the work of Victoria’s Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission here: https://www.humanrights.vic.gov.au/ There is a full list of IPAA Victoria’s newly appointed Fellows here. You can see IPAA Victoria’s upcoming events here: https://www.vic.ipaa.org.au/events/, and you can stay in touch with what we are doing by following us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/institute-of-public-administration-australia-victoria

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  Public Sector Perspectives

  Karen Dermody: using AI to support policy advisors in the Department of Education

  Jun 24, 202619 min

  In this episode of Real Talk: AI in the VPS, Karen Dermody, Director Digital Design and Innovation at the Department of Education shares a practical case study of how AI is being used to support policy advisors working in a complex, high-stakes environment. Speaking with Kate Fraser, Karen outlines how her team introduced an AI assistant to help navigate hundreds of policies, reduce cognitive load, and deliver faster, more consistent guidance to schools. The conversation explores how the project was designed to amplify, not replace, human expertise, with strong emphasis on trust, transparency, and continuous feedback. Karen highlights the importance of clear guardrails, daily iteration, and close collaboration between policy experts and technologists to improve accuracy and build confidence in the tool. This episode offers insights for public sector leaders on implementing AI responsibly, demonstrating how organisations can scale expertise while keeping human judgement at the centre.

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  Public Sector Perspectives

  International Women’s Day 2026 revisit - Karen Fletcher

  Apr 22, 202625 minS0

  In this special edition of Public Sector Perspectives, we talk to Karen Fletcher, CEO of Flat Out and guest speaker at IPAA Victoria’s International Women’s Day event. Flat Out helps women and gender diverse people work to get out and stay out of prison. But they also work with the public sector at systems level helping to improve to the way that our systems responds to the unique needs to women as they leave the corrections system. In addition to leading Flat Out, Karen’s career includes more than 13 years working in the Victorian public sector. In this discus...

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