Public Sector Podcast

Hosted by Public Sector Network

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Episodes

100

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

The Public Sector Podcast features live talks, exclusive interviews and roundtables with public sector thought leaders from around the world. This podcast is presented by Public Sector Network, a social enterprise designed to help governments network, benchmark and establish best practice on a global scale through events, online networks and content created for public servants seeking knowledge and fresh insights.

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60 recent

November 1, 2026Episode 20118 min

Dreaming Big – where playfulness meets performance - Adrian Clutterbuck - Episode 201

Join Adrian Clutterbuck,Executive Director Strategy and Transformation, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service as he opens an honest, unpolished account of building an innovation climate at Children's Health Queensland. At its centre is the Imagination Fund: 303 staff ideas, 20 funded, and a clear lesson that the money was never the point. He shares what worked - an asthma model of care that cut ED returns by 50% on under $30k, and an AI scribe now scaling to 2,000+ clinicians - alongside the harder questions: how you run experiments in systems built for control, who pays for AI at scale, and why leaders need the patience to sit in the messy middle. Permission, it turns out, is scarcer than funding. Adrian Clutterbuck, Executive Director Strategy and Transformation, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co

October 25, 2026Episode 20017 min

From Leadership Vision to Public Value: Building a First-of-Its-Kind Digital Service Model In-House - Marco Palermo - Episode 200

Residents coming to the City of Toronto for one benefit applied for one benefit - re-entering the same details each time, and never learning about the other subsidies they qualified for. This week, Marco Palermo, Director, Human Services Integration & Transformation Social Development, Finance & Administration, City of Toronto describes how Toronto's Human Services Integration Unit flipped it: one universal form, with the system scanning the full program catalogue and proactively recommending what residents are eligible for. The results: over 33,000 applications since March with virtually no marketing, and 27.8% of residents walked away with more than they came for. This episode unpacks how - starting with two aligned programs, rewriting a 30-year-old policy, and building a foundation that scaled within a month. Sometimes the breakthrough isn't AI. It's being all in on changing the process underneath. Marco Palermo, Director, Human Services Integration & Transformation Social Development, Finance & Administration, City of Toronto For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co

October 19, 2026Episode 19915 min

Connected WA: Tackling Connectivity, Capability, and Inclusion in Regional Communities

Digital connectivity in regional Western Australia remains one of the state's toughest challenges. This week, Sarah McCall, Principal Policy Officer, Office of Digital Government, Department of the Premier and Cabinet and Stephanie Milan, Manager, Regional Digital Solutions, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development explore what it will take to shift the dial - from infrastructure investment to the priorities that deserve funding first. But connectivity alone isn't the answer: affordability, devices, and digital skills are equally decisive barriers to inclusion. The conversation also looks at designing digital government for the realities of low bandwidth, outages, and offline use, and why local hubs and community partners are critical enablers of access and capability — pointing to a path built on place-based investment and genuine co-design with regional communities. Sarah McCall, Principal Policy Officer, Office of Digital Government, Department of the Premier and Cabinet and Stephanie Milan, Manager, Regional Digital Solutions, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co

October 11, 2026Episode 19813 min

AI That Supports Decisions - Not Replaces Them - Kenneth Kicia - Episode 198

AI delivers the most value when it sharpens human judgment - not when it tries to replace it. This week, Kenneth Kicia, Chief Information Officer, Florida Department of Corrections looks at how leaders can position AI as a practical decision-support layer, helping teams move faster and smarter without handing over responsibility. Kenneth breaks down which decisions benefit most from AI-assisted insight, how executives set clear guardrails for AI-driven recommendations, and what it takes to keep human accountability front and centre when AI informs outcomes. It also covers how to build trust in AI outputs across teams through clarity, consistency, and the right oversight. Kenneth Kicia, Chief Information Officer, Florida Department of Corrections For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co

October 4, 2026Episode 19719 min

MontCo + AI: Delivering Better Public Services with Trust and Transparency - Neil Makhija - Episode 197

Montgomery County is treating AI as a practical capacity multiplier for local government—helping teams respond faster, reduce admin burden, and improve outcomes in high-volume services like elections, 911, courts, and human services. Join Neil Makhija, Commissioner, Montgomery County as he explores how counties can move beyond interest and pilots into resident-centred implementation that delivers more accurate service at scale. Neil focuses on what it takes to operationalise AI responsibly: targeting use cases with immediate public impact, building governance and guardrails that deploy with the system, being transparent about where AI is used while keeping humans accountable, and proactively managing risks like misinformation, bias, and privacy/security. It also highlights the importance of workforce readiness and measuring outcomes so performance improvements are sustainable. Neil Makhija, Commissioner, Montgomery County For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co

September 20, 2026Episode 19534 min

Building a Future-Ready Workforce and Reskilling for the AI Era: Required Skills for 2026-2030 - Episode 195

A future-ready NSW Government depends on how well public servants and AI work together, not on people or technology alone. This week, Raffaele Marcelino, Executive Director, Learning and Teaching, Tafe NSW, Jane Lin, Executive Director Data, Strategy and Performance, Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport, Andrew Spiegelman, Head of Data & Analytics, Service NSW, Dan Bowes, Facilitator, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, TAFE NSW explore how AI is reshaping government roles through 2027 and beyond, boosting productivity by supporting frontline work rather than replacing it. Our guests so look at workforce readiness: how teams are starting to use AI, which skills are emerging or missing, and what practical upskilling is needed to build confidence and adoption—through targeted digital and data capability building. Raffaele Marcelino, Executive Director, Learning and Teaching, Tafe NSW, Jane Lin, Executive Director Data, Strategy and Performance, Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport, Andrew Spiegelman, Head of Data & Analytics, Service NSW, Dan Bowes, Facilitator, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, TAFE NSW For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co

September 13, 2026Episode 19421 min

Navigating Responsible AI in Small and Medium Businesses - Lee Hickin - Episode 194

In this episode, Lee Hickin, Executive Director, National AI Centre breaks down what responsible AI actually means for small to medium enterprises in Australia—and why vague advice is one of the biggest reasons SMEs hesitate to adopt. Through the work of the National AI Centre, the talk reframes "responsible" as something practical and achievable, not a heavyweight compliance exercise. You'll hear a simple approach to adoption built around the AI Six: clear accountability, basic risk and impact thinking, transparency at the right level, ongoing testing, and maintaining human control. The episode's core message is cultural: confidence comes from leadership setting clear expectations, investing in capability, and treating AI as "you + AI", not "you vs AI." Lee Hickin, Executive Director, National AI Centre For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co

September 6, 2026Episode 19319 min

Beyond Technology: Transforming Government Operations - Rip Colvin - Episode 193

Government doesn't transform just by buying new tech — it transforms when it modernises operations. Join Rip Colvin, Executive Director, Florida Justice Administrative Commission as he digs into how leaders upgrade the systems, processes, and capabilities that improve execution, strengthen accountability, and ultimately deliver better public services. Rip explores how "back office" functions like finance, procurement, contracts, and administration become strategic enablers; how to simplify complexity without losing transparency or public trust; and how platforms, automation, and digital workflows can reduce admin load, improve visibility, and free teams to focus on higher-value work — while building organisations that are ready for whatever comes next. Rip Colvin, Executive Director, Florida Justice Administrative Commission. For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co

August 23, 2026Episode 19121 min

Executing the Finance Reform Program: Successfully Deploying the Whole-of-Government Finance System - Matt Moffat & Sarah Taylor - Episode 191

This week, we are joined by Matt Moffat, Program Director, Department of Treasury and Finance, Sarah Taylor, Chief Financial Officer & Executive Director, Corporate Services, Department for Correctional Services who look at what it takes to deliver a world-class Treasury capability through a generational uplift—enabling faster, more accurate, and reformed financial services that better meet modern expectations. Matt and Sarah also cover the practical realities of modernising finance systems so government can make better-informed decisions and allocate resources more effectively as population and business growth increases. A key example is the first pilot with the Department for Correctional Services, showing how automation and improved insights can lift productivity and deliver more value back to the state. Matt Moffat, Program Director, Department of Treasury and Finance, Sarah Taylor, Chief Financial Officer & Executive Director, Corporate Services, Department for Correctional Services For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co

August 16, 2026Episode 19034 min

Building a Future - Fit Public Sector Workforce - Josie Cluer - Episode 190

This week we sit down with Josie Cluer, Global Government & Infrastructure Workforce and Citizens Leader, EY, Alexander Evans, Associate Dean for Strategic Development, School of Public Policy, London School of Economics, Robyn Scott, CEO & Co-Founder, Apolitical and Kate Delgado-Kizer, EY Global Government & Infrastructure Sector Insights Senior Analyst who focus on the growing pressure governments face to deliver public value in a fast-changing, digital environment - while managing challenges like skills shortages, demographic change, and intensifying competition with the private sector for talent. Our guests explore why these forces are stretching public services and why workforce capability is becoming central to successful transformation. At the centre of the discussion is EY's first annual Future-Fit Workforce Study, drawing on insights from 14,000+ public servants across 25 countries to define what "future fit" really means and how ready governments are today. The episode shares early findings and practical perspectives on what it takes to build a well-led, well-managed, highly skilled public service. Josie Cluer, Global Government & Infrastructure Workforce and Citizens Leader, EY, Alexander Evans, Associate Dean for Strategic Development, School of Public Policy, London School of Economics, Kate Delgado-Kizer, EY Global Government & Infrastructure Sector Insights Senior Analyst, Robyn Scott, CEO & Co-Founder, Apolitical For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co