Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service, Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General
It is my great pleasure to join you in celebrating the Awards for Excellence in Risk Management.
Today, we gather at this iconic venue, the National Museum of Australia - a treasure trove of stories and resilience.
Just imagine, every artefact here has survived challenges of time and circumstance. Floods, fires, and perhaps even a few butter-fingered curators. Reminding us that good risk management is both an art and a science.
Just as the Museum preserves Australia's history, your risk management efforts ensure that we protect our future. Navigating the uncertainties of today with the same foresight and determination. So, while this venue celebrates the risks of the past, I applaud you for managing the risks of today and tomorrow.
About risk
Risk, as we know, is inherent in all government activities, and we cannot provide essential services to the public without engaging with risk. It challenges us, evolves with the times, and demands agility in how we prepare for and respond to what lies ahead.
Managing risk is a skill many public officials practice daily - often without even realising it. As any parent managing young children can attest, even a family outing requires strategies to mitigate hunger, thirst, and grazed knees!
Last year when I spoke at this event I spoke about fictional superheroes who deal with risk management in each one of their adventures and crime fighting crusades.
Today, I want to talk about the world of cinema. I am sure many of you at this time of year have started re-watching the 2003 classic Christmas rom-com Love Actually.
Hugh Grant's Prime Minister in the film delivers the iconic line: 'I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around.'
Well, I myself have a sneaky feeling that if you look for it, risk management actually is all around.
There are the foreseeable risks; like Alan Rickman being a jerk and breaking all of our collective hearts to the sound of Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now.
There are also unforeseeable risks. I am sure most people here in our land of 'Oz' do not live their lives aware of the risks of being crushed by a house from Kansas in the middle of a tornado.
This is to say, some risks are almost as unforeseeable as me switching up my cinematic references there to include the Wizard of Oz.
From Wandsworth (the dodgy end) to Munchkinland, none of us can escape the potential risks inherent in the work we do. Because Risk is about dealing with Wicked problems, and managing risk won't always make you popular. But together we work every day to manage those risks.
For the APS, risk management is about embedding risk awareness into how we deliver services and implement policies. Ensuring that we continue to meet the expectations of the Australian public. And that, unlike, the Wizard of Oz himself we have substance behind the curtain to back it up.
About the awards
Participating in these Awards is an opportunity to celebrate and share your achievements across the Commonwealth, so that others can learn from your example.
The Awards acknowledge the innovative strategies used to manage risk, which is essential to the successful implementation of government programs and policies. Whether your nomination resulted in an award or not, the contributions made by every entity strengthen our collective ability to manage risk effectively.
Awards recipients
It is a privilege to be here today to give my huge congratulations to today's Award winners and all participants!
I extend a warm welcome to you all. And I commend your work in embedding risk management into your organisations culture, processes, and decision-making at all levels.
To those quietly achieving excellence behind the scenes, I encourage you to share your efforts and apply for the Awards next year. By learning from one another, we continue to improve our collective capacity to manage risks across the APS.
Importance of integrity and risk management
Today, I would like to talk about our Government's transformative APS Reform agenda, and how it interconnects with risk management.
But before that, I want to reflect a little bit on what integrity, this year's Awards focus, means. In doing so, I will take us back to Love Actually and Alan Rickman - I want to also talk a little bit about trust, and the consequences of that trust being broken.
While we celebrate our successes today, the challenges we face continue to persist. The APS, as the backbone of our nation, relies on public trust to deliver services and policies that impact millions of lives.
Recent events, however, have shown that maintaining this trust requires constant vigilance and a commitment to integrity at all levels. Risk management is crucial for achieving objectives and navigating uncertainty in this increasingly volatile world.
Public trust in democratic institutions is weakening due to misinformation, making it a government priority to address through reforms. Given this, it is pleasing to see the Commonwealth Risk Committee's focus on "maintaining and enhancing trust in the APS," as they analyse the underlying causes of distrust.
The recent Covid Response Inquiry Report indicates that eroded public trust makes future pandemic management more difficult compared to 2020. We have also seen how seemingly small decisions, made in mere minutes, can have far-reaching consequences that take years to unravel.
High-profile incidents, such as the PwC scandal and Robodebt, have affected public sector institutions. Emphasising the need to drive a culture of transparency, accountability and integrity.
The outcomes of the Robodebt Royal Commission highlighted how failing to manage risks effectively can have devastating consequences. It exposed a critical lesson: a narrow, technical view of integrity is not enough.
Public servants must adhere to the APS Code of Conduct, particularly when interacting with the public. We need public servants who not only understand the rules, but who actively apply ethical decision-making in all aspects of their work.
This means considering the potential consequences of our actions, engaging with risk, and being willing to speak up when we see something is not right. It is important to learn from failures without stifling innovation.
Proper risk management can support innovation, helping government services meet community expectations.
Building pro-integrity culture in the APS
So, how do we build a more robust integrity culture in the APS?
A question that should resonate deeply with each of us.
Enhancing integrity is a core pillar of the APS Reform Agenda. As we face increasingly complex challenges, we must recognise the crucial role risk management plays in uplifting the integrity culture within the APS.
A robust risk management framework is not just about identifying and mitigating potential threats. It is about fostering a culture where risk is acknowledged, discussed, and managed proactively at all levels. This is where integrity intersects with the other three pillars of our APS Reform agenda.
Think about it - a workforce that embodies integrity in everything it does is a workforce that's more likely to identify and address potential risks early on.
Let me give you an example. We have embraced a new approach to commissioning work, prioritising our internal APS workforce for core tasks, especially those involving some element of risk.
Instead of shying away, we are equipping our people with the skills and confidence to manage these risks effectively.
Putting people and businesses at the centre of policy and services demands a deep understanding of their needs and concerns. This includes understanding the potential risks they face and designing solutions that mitigate those risks. By actively seeking and responding to needs of the public, we can improve not only the quality of our service delivery, but also the transparency of our decision-making.
Being a model employer means creating a workplace culture that values integrity and empowers people to speak out in its defence. This means providing clear guidance, training, and support to ensure every public servant understands their role in upholding the APS Values and Code of Conduct.
Building the capability of the APS is key to effective risk management. This includes investing in specialised skills. Skills like procurement and contract management to ensure we engage with external providers in a way that upholds our integrity standards.
We must also equip our people with the skills to navigate complex ethical dilemmas and make informed decisions in the face of uncertainty. The APS Academy plays a vital role in this regard, offering targeted training programs that enhance technical and soft skills competencies.
The Government has taken significant steps to strengthen integrity in the APS, including the introduction of stewardship as a core APS Value. This concept captures the notion of responsibility for how an institution performs now and into the future. It requires us to consider the long-term impacts of our actions, and to act as responsible stewards of the public trust.
But our work does not stop there.
We are currently consulting on stage 2 of the APS Reform to explore how integrity initiatives can be better implemented into its design and development.
This includes:
- Introducing expanded inquiry powers for the APS Commissioner to investigate alleged Code of Conduct breaches.
- Extending the APS Values to other government entities covered by the PGPA Act to promote greater consistency and accountability across the public sector.
- Implementing a balanced approach to managing post-employment conflicts of interest for Agency Heads, Senior Executive Service, and designated APS positions.
- Developing an APS Integrity Data Dashboard that maps pressures and assesses integrity maturity levels.
- Strengthening the transparency of agency customer feedback to drive greater accountability and responsiveness.
The APS Integrity Taskforce has given a number of recommendations to support behaviour of a higher standard across the service. They emphasise the importance of championing ethical leadership, psychological safety, and clear systems and accountability to good behaviour. They have also highlighted the need for a more strategic and coordinated approach to integrity across the service. These initiatives will help embed a culture of integrity and risk management across the APS.
Conclusion
As discussed today, through the APS Reform, the Government is committed to building a strong and trusted APS. This sends a clear message that fostering a pro-integrity culture is not just a matter for senior leaders - it involves each public servant and is a collective responsibility.
As we saw, bolstering integrity requires continuous improvement, vigilance, and a willingness to learn from mistakes.
Like the Scarecrow - we need a brain, so we can be smart about how we prepare for potential risks.
Like the Tin Man - we need a heart, to invest in our people and in good organisational culture.
And like the Lion - we need the courage to be open about our failures, in order to learn from them.
If we make risk management central to an organisational culture, integrity risks can be better identified and managed. The examples set by today's winners inspire us to uphold the highest standards of integrity in the public service.
Thanks to all the participants again for their valuable contributions and dedication to advancing risk management. Your efforts support the Australian Government in putting integrity and trust at the centre of everything we do.
In closing, I encourage everyone to continue advocating for good risk management and to engage with your colleagues. To share lessons learned from others and promote a culture that embraces innovation and accountability.
By working together, we can meet the challenges of tomorrow and build an APS worthy of the trust placed in it by the Australian people.
And in the style of Bill Nighy this Christmas, I will end with the following:
I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes.
Risk management is all around me, and so the feeling grows.
Congratulations to all of you for the work that has brought you here today.
I will now hand back to Richard for the Awards presentation.
