Course overview

A specially designed one-day course that lays out the fundamentals of policy work and illustrates the public policy process with contemporary examples. This course is especially valuable for young graduate recruits new to the public policy world or for those who have migrated laterally into government from other sectors such as the business world. Professor Andrew Podger will begin by examining the policy development end of the policy cycle, by exploring how the issue is identified, analysing what the politicians or the stakeholders may be seeking as outcomes and working out how best to frame the problems or issues. Andrew will also address the issue of using the best available evidence to shape the policy creation process. This will involve identifying the key stakeholders and includes discussion with influential policy proponents as well as detractors and taking into account their perspectives or vested interests and assessing their potentially constructive contributions to the policy development process. At this stage, responsible and constructive stakeholders could also be engaged for contributions in processes further down the policy cycle such as aiding assessment of the outcomes post-delivery.

Turning policies into programs and selecting the relevant policy instruments may involve close collaboration with delivery agencies and perhaps also require crossing federal-state jurisdictions. The ability to create effective cross-departmental consultation processes is also fraught with difficulties. Eliciting championship from senior officers or Ministers plus having clear budget allocations and accountabilities will facilitate cross-departmental teams working harmoniously with each other to solve issues in policy design and implementation as these arise. The processes involved in policy evaluation will cover not only the delivery aspects and the key performance indicators but also an assessment of policy outcomes in the short, medium and long term. Finally, Andrew will provide valuable advice on how best to effectively frame and present your work within the department, taking into account the limited time-frames and attention available from key departmental decision-makers and Ministers.

Course convenors

Andrew Podger AO is Professor of Public Policy at The Australian National University and an adjunct professor at Griffith and Xi’an Jiao Tong Universities. Andrew’s expertise lies in social policy, particularly health financing, and in public management. Andrew was the Australian Public Service Commissioner for three years and for six years prior to that, he was Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care.

Andrew headed the Departments of Housing and Regional Development and Administrative Services and also chaired a task force for the Prime Minister on the delivery of health services in Australia prior to his retirement from the APS. Andrew was National President of the Institute of Public Administration Australia from 2005 to 2010. He has completed a wide range of consultancies since retiring, both in Australia and overseas. Andrew is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2004.

Australian National Institute of Public Policy, Crawford School of Economics and Government
For further information T 02 6125 2154 E anipp@anu.edu.au

The Australian National Institute of Public Policy and the HC Coombs Policy Forum receive Australian Government funding under the ‘Enhancing Public Policy Initiative’

Course overview

The course will review how budgets are framed in the context of resource challenges. How could we better design and manage programs? How do we manage multilevel programs to achieve mutual outcomes? How do we deal with the issues of trade-offs and demand-driven programs? How do different ways of delivering and marshalling resources affect the outcomes?

Examples of case studies will include administrative budgets meeting efficiency dividend targets ("doing more with less"); the prioritisation or rationalisation process dilemmas associated with the elimination or slashing of programs; and learn the salutary lessons of the adoption of extreme performance measures resulting in counter-productive outcomes. By exploring cases of success and failure, we will gain insights into policy processes, learn how to introduce them successfully and ‘make them stick’, and also explore how incentives and policy can be more effectively aligned.

Course convenor

Dr Robyn Hardy is currently lecturing in procurement with the School of Building and Construction at the University of Canberra. She is also a Director of ACTTAB. Robyn recently retired from her role heading up ACT Government Shared Services Procurement, a division of the ACT Treasury Directorate, responsible for the majority of tendering and contracts for ACT Government goods and services procurements and infrastructure works. She has had a long and varied career in the public service, both in the Commonwealth and the ACT Governments. Robyn completed an undergraduate degree in economics at James Cook University. She has a Masters Degree in Public Policy from ANU and recently completed a PhD in public policy at ANU with Professor John Wanna focusing on "jurisdictional Cost-shifting".

Course overview

David Marshall, a skilled communicator, will demonstrate through the use of carefully researched archival media materials, various instances in which government policy has been either communicated poorly or articulated extraordinarily well. In each case, David will prompt the audience to analyse the weaknesses or strengths of these approaches and the take-home lessons for effective communication. David will also explore with participants the common issues that bedevil policy communication such as uncertainties, indecision by managers or leaders, issues with shared jurisdictions or shared cross-agency ownership of policy programs and how best to articulate policies clearly and get a unified approach approved and understood by all parties and stakeholders. David will also train participants on how to read, assess and respond in turn to any negative public perceptions or feedback in the media. In crafting new releases or messages for public release, David will explain how to anticipate media questioning and public responses and also prepare participants for the ways and means by which the detractors or opponents of government will use the media to attack government policy. Finally, once a policy is freely in the public domain, David will address the methods by which an adopted policy stance should continue to be effectively communicated and promoted in the media.

Course convenor

David Marshall AM heads TalkForce Consultants and Trainers, a company which specialises in handling crisis management, development of high-level media strategies and media training for senior executives within Government agencies and the private sector around Australia. A major client is the Australian Federal Police for whom he provides training in media handling and management. David was a former Chief Executive of The Admedia Group in Adelaide, a company that represented Packer's Channel 9 Network, Consolidated Press magazine and radio stations nationally. He is also a former Chief Executive of the Canberra Tourism and Events Corporation responsible for management of Canberra's four major tourism events: the V8 Supercars, Canberra Floriade, the National Multicultural Festival and the Rally of Canberra. Prior to that, David had a long and illustrious career in electronic media, particularly in radio, where he played an assortment of roles ranging from being an on-air radio personality to General Manager in radio networks throughout Victoria, South Australia, NSW and the ACT including 2DAY-FM in Sydney and FM104.7 and 2CA in the ACT. He is currently Chairman of the Snowy Hydro Southcare Helicopter Rescue Service Trust. David is currently completing a PhD analysing the Liberal Government's media management processes during the Howard years as well as the internal operations of Prime Minister Howard's Press Office.

Australian National Institute of Public Policy, Crawford School of Economics and Government

For further information T 02 6125 2154 E anipp@anu.edu.au

The Australian National Institute of Public Policy and the HC Coombs Policy Forum receive Australian Government funding under the ‘Enhancing Public Policy Initiative’

Course overview

A specially designed one-day course on the responsible exercise of power in government with references to traditional and emerging governance structures, arenas and cycles. What does it mean to be responsible – to exercise power responsibly in the public interest? For that matter, how do we define “public interest”? What are the key dimensions of responsible government in action? How are these dimensions affected by governments, markets and communities as interlocking arenas in the management of public affairs? How will the increasing influence of digital social media impact upon the traditional methods of governance? Will governments and bureaucracies need to become more consultative and empowering of citizens and communities as stakeholders?

The answers to these questions have immense ramifications for the structure, operation and review of government and governance. This course provides a concise but comprehensive overview valuable not only for new APS recruits but also longer-term APS officers seeking to refresh and consolidate their understanding of government and governance in a changing world.

Course convenors

Professor Ian Thynne is an Adjunct Professor in the Crawford School. He has had extensive experience in the design and offering of public sector development programs in Australasia and the Pacific, Hong Kong, and Singapore. In 2009, he and colleagues received a Northern Territory Chief Minister’s Award for Excellence in the Public Sector – for machinery of government courses designed and delivered collaboratively with the NT Department of the Chief Minister and the NT Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment.

Australian National Institute of Public Policy, Crawford School of Economics and Government

For further information T 02 6125 2154 E anipp@anu.edu.au

The Australian National Institute of Public Policy and the HC Coombs Policy Forum receive Australian Government funding under the ‘Enhancing Public Policy Initiative’

Course overview

About 10-20% of Australia’s rapidly expanding aid program is now delivered by government departments and agencies other than AusAID. Several other government departments also have important oversight roles in relation to Australia’s aid program. Aid expertise is now not only a requirement within AusAID, but increasingly across a range of federal government agencies and departments. While many of these other government agencies tasked with aid delivery may have ample expertise in their own areas of technical speciality, key personnel involved may lack a background in aid and are therefore more likely to repeat the mistakes of the past through a failure to heed the significant lessons learnt from a half a century of global aid provision.

Professor Stephen Howes has 20 years of experience in global aid programs extending across diverse multilateral, bilateral and non-government aid sectors. His extensive experience as an aid practitioner and researcher in the field makes this a unique learning opportunity for any APS officers involved in regional and global aid endeavours as well as those who aspire to become part of Australia’s international aid effort.

Course convenors

Professor Stephen Howes was formerly Chief Economist at the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). Stephen worked from 1994 to 2005 at the World Bank, first in Washington and then in Delhi, where he was Lead Economist for India. In 2008, he worked on the Garnaut Review on Climate Change, where he managed the Review's international work stream. He continues to work as an advisor and consultant for AusAID and the World Bank on issues relating to aid effectiveness and climate change policy. Stephen serves as a Board Member for the Pacific Institute of Public Policy, and sits on the Advisory Board of the Asian Development Bank Institute. He is the Director of the International and Development Economics (IDEC) Masters teaching program at the Crawford School and Founder-Director of the Development Policy Centre

Australian National Institute of Public Policy, Crawford School of Economics and Government

For further information T 02 6125 2154 E anipp@anu.edu.au

The Australian National Institute of Public Policy and the HC Coombs Policy Forum receive Australian Government funding under the ‘Enhancing Public Policy Initiative’

Course overview

The course will cover key concepts and practical steps in Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), including 'standing', opportunity cost, consumer and producer surplus as benefits, discounting costs and benefits over time; comparison of CBA, financial analysis, cost effectiveness and multicriteria analysis, as well as incorporating risk and uncertainty into the analysis (including the use of 'real options'), and the limitations of CBA. Case studies will be used to illustrate key concepts and approaches.

Course convenor

Dr Leo Dobes is Professorial Fellow at the Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU. Following a D Phil (Oxford), he worked for almost 30 years in various public service positions ranging from the diplomatic service to the Australian Treasury.

In 1992 Leo established an Environment Branch within the Australian Bureau of Transport Economics, publishing a number of important reports on the costs and benefits of mitigating emissions in the transport sector. He is now one of Australia's leading economists on climate change adaptation, and serves as an occasional advisor to the Australian Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.

Foresighting is about situational awareness and understanding the available options based on resources and preferences, anticipating changes and developing counter strategies for each situation. In an increasingly complex and fast moving world, foresighting enables us to identify and analyse societal factors and trends that could potentially impact on society and ensure that Governments are prepared for the future challenges and opportunities created.

Date: 7 March 2012 | Venue: Crawford School, ANU
Cost: $1,210 | Enrol: T 02 6125 2154 E anipp@anu.edu.au

Course overview

The Australian National Institute of Public Policy at the Crawford School of Economics and Government is proud to present a course on foresighting that brings together experts from the ANU Crawford School and CSIRO Futures. The course will provide APS Managers with skills and techniques to facilitate decision-making in complex and uncertain environments using foresighting and scenario planning. Using evidence-based approaches, participants will be taught to identify those critical and uncertain factors that can influence and shape alternate futures. As we face new landscape paradigms dominated by global uncertainties and with Australia leveraging to take advantage of the Asian century, these skills will become an increasingly essential part of policy and strategy development for the APS.

Course convenors

Dr Gary Saliba specialises in the integration and implementation of processes such as futures studies (understanding what the future could look like), strategy development, computer simulation modelling and change management. He consults extensively across a range of government and commercial enterprises worldwide in developing organisational strategies based on plausible futures and aimed at improved responsiveness, flexibility and informed decision-making.

Frank Jensen has been instrumental in developing CSIRO Futures and continues his focus on building Government and Industry partnerships to improve their strategic planning by using evidence based foresight methods. Frank joined CSIRO from IBM where he was the Alliance Manager responsible for information solutions aimed at increasing efficiencies, customer values and productivity for large industrial and government clients.

Australian National Institute of Public Policy, Crawford School of Economics and Government

For further information T 02 6125 2154 E anipp@anu.edu.au

The Australian National Institute of Public Policy and the HC Coombs Policy Forum receive Australian Government funding under the ‘Enhancing Public Policy Initiative’

Course overview

Strategic thinking and strategic planning often takes place in separate silos in most public sector and corporate organisations. Strategic planning conducted in such isolation inadvertently creates rigidities that impede or hinder strategic thinking and responsiveness and ultimately impacts upon an organisation’s capacity for resilience and adaptability.

Working in small groups, participants will learn to adopt strategic thinking by first rising above traditional conventions and paradigms, and thinking holistically about the overall landscape and all the external and internal influences or dynamics that impinge upon it. They will then identify and map the critical paths for decision-making under varying circumstances and develop a systems perspective of their operating environment. By also modelling perturbances that test the robustness of the system, this strategic thinking approach will generate novel and imaginative strategies freed of the constraints of conventional dogma. These approaches can then be incorporated into integrated strategic planning processes with the inherent flexibility and adaptability to deal with likely future contingencies.

Course convenors

Dr Gary Saliba specialises in the integration and implementation of processes such as systems thinking (considering issues as a whole rather than just the parts), futures studies (understanding what the future could look like), strategy development, computer simulation modelling and change management. He consults extensively across a range of government and commercial enterprises worldwide in developing organisational strategies based on plausible futures and aimed at improved responsiveness, flexibility and informed decision-making.

Australian National Institute of Public Policy, Crawford School of Economics and Government

For further information T 02 6125 2154 E anipp@anu.edu.au

The Australian National Institute of Public Policy and the HC Coombs Policy Forum receive Australian Government funding under the ‘Enhancing Public Policy Initiative’

Course overview

Professorial Fellow Dr Leo Dobes will review the literature on adaptation to climate change, including the various methodologies being discussed and advocated by a range of stakeholders, including governments at all levels. In particular, the course will address risk management, vulnerability and resilience indexes, and the use of multicriteria analysis and cost-benefit analysis in the context of uncertainty. Participants will also have an opportunity to workshop with their peers and participating experts. Guest Presenter Dr Subho Banerjee, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, will detail the prevailing views of the Federal Government on adaptation policy. Dr Wendy Craik, Presiding Commissioner of the Productivity Commission inquiry into 'Barriers to Effective Climate Change Adaptation' will provide insights into the current stage of the inquiry. Fellow ANU Guest Presenter Associate Professor Andrew MacIntosh will present a detailed case study of the Victorian coastal climate hazard framework with regard to coastal development applications, and with a focus on the risks of regulation and maladaptation to climate change.

Course convenor

Following a D Phil (Oxford), Leo Dobes worked for almost 30 years in various public service positions ranging from the diplomatic service to the Australian Treasury. In 1992 he established an Environment Branch within the Australian Bureau of Transport Economics, publishing a number of important reports on the costs and benefits of mitigating emissions in the transport sector. He is now one of Australia's leading economists on climate change adaptation, and serves as an occasional advisor to the World Bank and the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.

Date: 22 & 23 May 2012
Venue: Crawford School, ANU
Cost: $2,200 GST-incl; Group discounts applicable
Enrol: T 02 6125 2154 E anipp@anu.edu.au

What are the statistics that underlie these statements? Can we take them at face value as public servants? Evidence-based policymaking requires careful analysis of all available data. The aim of this two day course is to demystify official statistics and give attendees the skills and confidence to critically engage with them in their professional and non-professional lives.

Course overview

Evidence-based policymaking requires careful analysis of the available data: what statements can we confidently make and to what extent can we extrapolate data for policy development, analysis and services delivery evaluation?

Statistical data is frequently used to measure performance or assess the effectiveness of government policy and services delivery. However, statistics can also be selectively quoted to bolster or destroy policies. Evidence-based policymaking is the new mantra and this frequently involves delving into statistical data to establish the evidence that may support the various policy options or prescriptions available to the Government of the day. When public servants are evaluating the likely impact of a particular policy at the local level, they may need to turn to census data to develop a community profile or establish a baseline. Can we freely use such data without examining the assumptions that were used to establish them? How confident can we be about the sources and to what extent can the data be extrapolated to support our propositions? Dr Nicholas Biddle will take non-statisticians through an enjoyable exercise of interpreting and understanding statistics and demystifying this field for any befuddled non-statisticians in the APS. Participants will consider their own personal queries or issues and learn through interactive exercises to confidently interpret and analyse such data.

Course convenors

Dr Nicholas Biddle has extensive experience with the development and use of official statistics with a strong background in statistical and quantitative methodology. A Fellow in the Research School of Social Sciences at ANU, he recently returned from a visit to Stanford University. Nicholas worked for seven years in the Methodology Division of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), developing and using official statistics. He is an engaging and enthusiastic presenter with a consistent research and teaching focus on the application and policy relevance of empirical data.

Australian National Institute of Public Policy, Crawford School of Economics and Government

For further information T 02 6125 2154 E anipp@anu.edu.au

The Australian National Institute of Public Policy and the HC Coombs Policy Forum receive Australian Government funding under the ‘Enhancing Public Policy Initiative’

Course overview

Professor Tom Kompas will provide an understanding of the various models of economic growth for better policy-making.

What affects the growth rate? Why can some developing countries achieve double-digit growth while others languish in the doldrums?

Why do developed economies like Australia encounter difficulties at growth rates approaching 4% whereas countries like China and India can still achieve double-digit GDP growth? What are the Australian Government's current policies that will help promote economic growth? What policies won't help? How can policymakers ensure that new policies will be growth enhancing?

Participants will also be acquainted with recent theoretical and empirical developments, the tools with which to analyse policy design and contemporary insights and lessons learnt about how to support economic growth through improved policy-making.

Course convenor

Tom Kompas is Director of the Crawford School of Public Policy and Professor of Economics at the ANU. He is also the Foundation Director of the Australian Centre for Biosecurity and Environmental Economics (AC BEE), and has dedicated much of his recent time to public policy in Australia. He was a. Senior Economist at the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE), a Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities (CERF) project leader on biosecurity and Editor-in-Chief of the Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics. In 2010, Tom was appointed to the Eminent Scientists Group (ESG) in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). Tom's research specialises in economic dynamics, agricultural economics and natural resource and environmental economics. His bioeconomic modelling and biosecurity research has been published in the world's leading international journals (including Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Conservation Biology), and his current work focuses on the major biosecurity issues in Australia and internationally. In 2009, Tom received the 'CSIRO Medal for Research Achievement', in 2004, the 'Crawford Award for Research Excellence' from ABARE, and in 2011 the 'Eureka Prize for Water Research and Innovation'. He is also recipient of numerous awards for teaching including the ANU Vice Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence in 2009. Tom is Dean of the Australian National Institute of Public Policy, and a Board member of the Cairns Institute and the Victoria University of Wellington's School of Government.

Course overview

The course will review why a price was firstly placed on carbon and how the initial price per tonne was worked out. How will these pricing mechanisms eventually work in the marketplace? How will renewable energy, energy efficiency and land-based actions be supported in practice?

What are the cornerstones of the regulatory framework? How will Australia’s carbon market develop, what will be the role of offsets and inter-national trading? How will price limits work, and what prices are expected in the trading phase? How will renewables, low emissions technology and low emissions manufacturing be financed and supported? Finally, what are the prospects for future policy reform?

Course convenor

Dr Frank Jotzo is Senior Lecturer at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Director of the Centre for Climate Economics & Policy, and Deputy Director of the ANU Climate Change Institute. He has been an advisor to the Garnaut Climate Change Review and the Indonesia's Ministry of Finance and written papers for the Prime Minister's Multi-Party Climate Change Committee. Frank is a consultant to the World Bank, and a Lead Author of the Fifth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He is a sought-after commentator and an influential contributor to the public policy debate in Australia and internationally.

Course overview

Illustrating with examples that involved Commonwealth -State negotiations, the course will discuss a range of social, criminal justice, economic, and public safety policy imperatives as well as a range of complex 'machinery of government' processes.

It will track the policy trajectory from initial research and policy development through working party reports, ministerial councils, consultative mechanisms, preparation of Cabinet submissions, drafting of legislation by Parliamentary Counsel, and passage through Parliament and enactment of legislative packages. In the cases to be discussed, policy objectives were successfully achieved and the course offers valuable insights on how policy outcomes can be achieved despite formidable barriers and obstacles in the way.

Course convenor

Kym Kelly held a succession of senior law officer positions in the South Australian Government after 13 years in the Commonwealth Attorney General's Departments in both Canberra and Adelaide. Kym held the positions of Deputy Crown Solicitor and Chief Counsel, and was CEO (Secretary) of both the SA Attorney-Generals' Dept and the SA Justice Dept for 11 years. Kim participated in the negotiation and development of many Federal/State initiatives, including the establishment of ASIC and the NCA. He now provides legal and consulting services for Federal, State and local government agencies.

Adam Graycar is Professor of Public Policy and Director of the ANU Research School of Social Sciences. He was formerly Dean of the School of Criminal Justice, at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. From 2003 to 07, Adam was Head of the Cabinet Office in the South Australian Government where he also had responsibility for Commonwealth/ State relations, and prior to that, he was Director of the Australian Institute of Criminology for 9 years. Adam was Foundation Director of the Social Policy Research Centre at UNSW in the '80s.

Course overview

This one-day course will provide an overview of a framework, along with key concepts and methods, for analysing and responding to complex policy issues, especially:

• scoping and rapid assessment of what is known
• getting input from key stakeholders
• modelling and other tools for understanding and managing complexity
• understanding and dealing with unknowns and risk
• making defensible decisions about how the issue is tackled
• evaluating outcomes.

Course convenor

Professor Gabriele Bammer is director of the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health (NCEPH) at the ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, The Australian National University. She is also a research fellow at the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and the convenor of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security's Integration and Implementation research program. Gabriele is developing the new discipline of Integration and Implementation Sciences to improve research strengths for tackling complex real-world problems through synthesis of disciplinary and stakeholder knowledge, comprehensively understanding and managing unknowns and providing integrated research support for policy and practice change.

Course overview

Too often, stakeholder engagement is reduced to passive "consultative" processes in the rush to find solutions, without any real or deeper appreciation of the underlying challenges being faced. Groups pursue competing "agendas" and the usual suspects engage in stale debates attempting to coerce, intimidate, influence or otherwise convince their way to a solution.

In this one-day course, Paul Porteous will explain the fine art of stake-holder engagement as it applies to matters of community unease, conflict or high political sensitivity and to policy issues of a complex or intractable nature. In this context, stakeholder engagement becomes a joint learning and experimentation process – building partnerships, analysing the undercurrents, teasing out the contradictions, assessing the opportunities and threats, crafting critical interventions and preparing for the inevitable resistance and attacks.

Course convenor

Paul Porteous is Executive Director of the Centre for Social Leadership. He has delivered seminars and courses on leadership for ANZSOG since 2010 and continues to deliver specialised training in Australia and overseas for senior government executives and leaders. Paul's experience includes work as a senior diplomat, representative to numerous international organisations including the United Nations and International Court of Justice, and as a consultant in the United States, South East Asia, Middle East, Europe and Africa. Paul is Visiting Faculty at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and was previously a Fellow at Harvard's Centre for Public Leadership where he received the Dean's Award for Excellence in Student Teaching.