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Embracing best practice, innovation, technology and collaboration to design evidence-based and user centric public policy
Public policy failures are costly, they lead to reputational damage and have major risks and impacts on human life, the environment and the economy. Today’s disrupted and complex climate requires a renewed focus on designing and developing evidence-based public policy that drives positive impacts and outcomes.
Despite this, analysis in recent years shows Australia’s Government failing to undertake best practice policymaking due to a reactive and ad-hoc approach that’s not built on a solid foundation and is influenced by short term political gain, leading to poor policy quality, policy failure and the loss of confidence in public institutions.
These findings come from the Institute of Public Affairs who in 2019 analysed 20 public policies and found both state and federal governments failing to apply best practice. Only 7 of the 20 policies assessed met the recommended standards, the other 13 policies failed the test.
The Public Policy Design and Development Summit is designed to help policy makers embrace best practice, innovation, technology and collaboration to design evidence-based and user centric public policy. Senior policymakers and strategists from across Australia’s Government will gather to share practical insights and case-studies into the ways their departments and agencies are working towards designing and developing evidence-based user centric public policy.
Hear from 15+ public sector policy experts:
Misha Kaur
Assistant Commissioner, ATO Design
Australian Taxation Office
Jason Lange
Executive Director, Office of Best Practice Regulation
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Dr. Peta Smith
Executive Director, Strategic Policy and External Relations
Department for Education SA
Eleanor Williams
Director, Centre for Evaluation and Research Evidence
Department of Health and Human Services VIC
Angkana Whiley
Executive Branch Manager
Data and Analytics, ACT Government
Rachel Maiden
Director, Policy Lab
NSW Department of Finance, Services and Innovation
Thea Snow
Director – ANZ
Centre for Public Impact
Assoc. Prof. Brigid van Wanrooy
Director
Analysis & Policy Observatory (APO)
Beth Webster
Pro-Vice Chancellor - Research Policy and Impact
Swinburne University of Technology
Djarwan Eatock
Senior Policy and Research Officer – Aboriginal Rights
Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission
Celia Tran
Senior Community Engagement and Policy Adviser
Victorian Multicultural Commission
Julie Mitchell
Deputy Director-General, Policy Planning and Investment, Queensland
Department of Transport and Main Roads QLD
Claire Havens
Policy Lead - Climate Change Coordination
Sustainability Victoria
Susan Edwards
Director Early Years Strategic Policy, Early Childhood Education and Care
Department of Education, Northern Territory Government
Anslem Cox
Director of Policy, Digital Sourcing
Digital Transformation Agency
Alexandra Geddes
Director, Strategy
Service NSW
Jane Crofts
Founder
Data to the People
Professor Sharyn Rundle-Thiele
Founding Director, Social Marketing
Griffith University
Dr. Taylor Willmott,
Research Fellow Social Marketing
Griffith University
Erin Hurley
Research Fellow, Social Marketing
Griffith University
Agenda
- Conference Day 1Mar 02, 2021
- Conference Day 2Mar 03, 2021
- Conference Day 3Mar 04, 2021
- Workshops Day 1Mar 09, 2021
- Workshops Day 2Mar 10, 2021
Best Practices for Evidence Based Policy Design
8:50am
Opening remarks from the Chair
9:00am
Evidence-based policy or policy-based evidence?
• Would you take medicine if its efficacy was determined by anecdotes and politics? Why do we allow this for economic policy?
• What does evidence-based policy offer?
• What is best practice?
• Is Australia asleep at the wheel?
Professor Beth Webster
Director of the Centre for Transformative Innovation and Pro Vice Chancellor (Research Translation)
Swinburne University of Technology
9:30am
Case study: Effectively defining the problem – the Australian Government’s Impact Analysis framework
• An overview of Governments Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) requirements
• How to approach the. very first step – problem definition
• What PM&C for in assessing the trade-offs and costs and benefits of new proposal
Jason Lange
Executive Director, Office of Best Practice Regulation
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
10:00am
Morning break
10:30am
Case study: Ensuring evidence is at the centre of the policy making process
• Ensuring proper independent evaluation of policies and programs
• Using evaluation findings that are credible, relevant, accurate, and timely to decide what programs improve, expand or cut
• Creating a culture of continuous improvement and developing incentives for using research evidence to make programs more effective
Julie Mitchell
Deputy Director-General, Policy Planning and Investment, Queensland
Department of Transport and Main Roads QLD
11:00am
Case study: Investigating and evaluating the effectiveness of policy interventions
• Having a clear understanding of who wants evaluation results and what purpose they serve
• Ensuring you have the practical time, resources and expertise available
• Applying a fair and ethical framework to help guide the evaluation process
• Ensuring stakeholders needs are considered and the evaluation purpose is achieved
Eleanor Williams
Director – COVID-19 Directions Policy (Cabinet)
Department of Health and Human Services VIC
11:30am
Panel Discussion: Is evidence-based policy making really achievable?
• What is considered evidence when it comes to policy, where does evidence come from?
• What needs to be done in order to truly achieve evidence-based policy design?
• What are the major barriers policymakers must overcome in order to achieve evidence-based policymaking?
• What skills do policymakers need in order to design evidence-based policy?
Eleanor Williams
Director – COVID-19 Directions Policy (Cabinet)
Department of Health and Human Services VIC
Professor Beth Webster
Director of the Centre for Transformative Innovation and Pro Vice Chancellor (Research Translation)
Swinburne University of Technology
12:00pm
Lunch break
1:00pm
Case study: Towards more robust policy and operational risk appraisals
• Understanding elements of risk across business operations
• Conducting an extensive assessment of risks and outcomes|
• Understanding the perceived risks from citizens and integrating them into your risk appraisal process
• Developing a decision-making process that balances risk and the need to make decisions under pressure
• Identifying opportunities not only to mitigate risk but to enhance service provision and customer experience
Alexandra Geddes
Director – Strategy
Service NSW
1:30pm
What is evidence in policy making and how do we use it?
• The different types of evidence that can be used for policymaking
• The importance of ringing evidence into the decision-making process sooner rather than later
• How to source and use credible and relevant qualitative and quantitative evidence
Assoc. Prof. Brigid van Wanrooy
Director
Analysis & Policy Observatory (APO)
2:00pm
Closing remarks from the Chair and end of day one
Embracing Innovation and Technology
9:00am
Case study: A new design approach enabling governments to respond to complex challenges
• Driving an altitude shift to the purpose, vision and role of ATO’s design capability
• Embracing a shift towards a transdisciplinary approach
• Integrating systems-thinking, design and behavioural insights into policy making
• Thinking more holistically about systems and improving overall system health using behavioural and other interventions
Misha Kaur
Assistant Commissioner, ATO Design
Australian Taxation Office
9:30am
Case study: Towards agile public policy making
• Understanding who makes decisions and creating new sources of authority for governance that is more agile and human-centred
• The role of policy labs and creating spaces within government to prove that new methods of policy development work
• Navigating the challenges for agile policy making in government including risk-aversion, hierarchy and the lack of agile leadership
• The systems and design thinking skills required to drive agile policy development
Rachel Maiden
Director, Policy Lab
NSW Department of Finance, Services and Innovation
10:00am
Morning break
11:00am
Case study: Embracing design thinking approaches to policymaking
• Transforming traditional approaches to policymaking
• Strengthening the problem definition, targeting, development, and implementation processes
• Enhancing public value, driving better return on investment and stronger policy outcomes
Anslem Cox
Director of Policy, Digital Sourcing
Digital Transformation Agency
11:30am
Panel Discussion: Challenges and opportunities for innovation and technology adoption in public policymaking
• What are the challenges and opportunities for innovation and technology in the public policy making process?
• How can policy teams and leaders bridge the skills gaps in policymakers?
• How can experimentation and failure be embraces in an inherently risk adverse process?
• How can policymakers balance the ethical and privacy concerns of data and emerging tech?
Rachel Maiden
Director, Policy Lab
NSW Department of Finance, Services and Innovation
12:00pm
Lunch break
1:00pm
Case study: Embracing data-driven evidence-based policy
• What is data-driven and evidence-based policy?
• The types of data and analytical methods to support policy making
• The skills and tools to acquire, manage, analyse and present data and findings
• The custodianship and privacy challenges associated with acquiring and accessing data
• The importance of time, good quality data, and hierarchy of evidence
• The five steps to doing data-driven and evidence-based policy
Angkana Whiley
Executive Branch Manager, Data and Analytics
ACT Government
1:30pm
Interactive Mini-Masterclass:
Reimagining government and how we get there
This interactive session will guide participants through a reimagining of the role of government, what needs to shift and how we get there. It will invite them to contemplate and discuss the following points:
• What is your role and purpose in government?
• How do you work to fulfil that role and realise that purpose?
• What is needed to create this shift?
• What are the enablers and barriers – and how do we overcome them?
Thea Snow
Director – ANZ
Centre for Public Impact
2:30pm
End of day two
Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement
8:50am
Opening remarks from the Chair
9:00am
Exploring co-design – the art of collaborating with citizens and stakeholders to solve real world complex problems
• Defining what is co-design in public policy
• How and why co-design is a design-led process
• Understanding the philosophy that underpins co-design
• Exploring the practical tools used during the co-design process
• Outcomes and challenges of co-design so far
• The road forward for the co-design process in public policy
9:30am
Preventing bias in the policy making process
• Embracing a truly transparent approach by publishing evidence behind policy decisions
• Opening up the policy making process and early as possible
• Having clear lines of accountability about who is responsible for the quality of evidence used to inform policy
• Challenging decision making where there is poor or misinterpreted evidence
Peta Smith
Executive Director, Strategic Policy and External Relations
Department for Education SA
10:00am
Morning Break
10:30am
Case study: Adopting a citizen-centric approach to policy design and delivery
• Measuring satisfaction – allowing citizens to tell you how policy and services are performing
• Using citizen feedback and combining it with internal data to identify key pain points
• Collaborating between departments to understand the full citizen journey and experience
• Using feedback and journey mapping to improve outcomes across policy design, development and implementation
Celia Tran
Senior Community Engagement and Policy Adviser
Victorian Multicultural Commission
11:00am
Case study: Improving policy design and delivery through partnerships and demonstration projects
• Developing programs that partner with the private and community sector to gather data for future policy design
• Exploring the potential of various social innovation models and technology uptake with stakeholders and partners
• Embracing tailored approaches designed hand in hand with stakeholders
• Evaluating and using shared data to make policy change or scale up solutions
Claire Havens
Policy Lead – Climate Change Coordination
Sustainability Victoria
11:30am
Panel Discussion: Embracing a truly collaborative and co-design approach
• What is true collaboration in policymaking?
• What is the difference between collaboration and co-design?
• What is the promise of co-design, and how should policymakers be upskilling to build effective co-design capabilities?
• How can policymakers get buy-in and navigate the roadblocks to better collaboration and co-design of policy?
Celia Tran
Senior Community Engagement and Policy Adviser
Victorian Multicultural Commission
Djarwan Eatock
Senior Policy and Research Officer – Aboriginal Rights
Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission
12:00pm
Lunch Break
1:00pm
Case study: Rapidly designing policy in a crisis with unknown unknows
• How to ensure engagement and obtain feedback from stakeholders without overburdening them
• Getting the balance right between meeting stakeholders needs and managing their expectations
• Ensuring a robust evidence-based approach despite being under pressure and mid crisis
• Navigating the uncertainty
• Keeping the impact on the end user in mind and at the centre of policy design
Susan Edwards
Director Early Years Strategic Policy, Early Childhood Education and Care
Department of Education, Northern Territory Government
1:30pm
Collaborating across departments, agencies and jurisdictions during the policymaking process
• The operating model and culture required to drive shared ways of working
• Adopting performance measures and incentives that reward collaboration
• The skills required to build effective relationships across whole of government
• Navigating the rules and red tape that hinder collaboration
2:00pm
Closing remarks from the Chair and end of day three
Mini Workshop A
9:30am-12:30pm
Data Literacy: the key to data-driven policy-making
Data literacy is the ability to read, understand, create, and communicate data as information. Data literacy skills are essential for policy makers as it enables them ti inform policy and make decisions that are data-driven and evidence-based.
This workshop will introduce data literacy and how it relates to policy makers. It will explore:
• What is data literacy and how does it relate to policy
• Introducing databilities® – a tool to measure individual and organisational data literacy
• Effectively building data literacy and a data literacy program within policy teams
• Identifying key data literacy competencies with the greatest importance to policy makers
• Putting insights into action – effectively using data to form key policy insights and evidence
Learning outcomes:
• How to build and nurture data literacy in policy making
• A benchmark of how your current data literacy
• Insights into the various tools and techniques you can use to build a successful, engaging and impactful data literacy
Jane Crofts
Founder
Data to the People
Mini Workshop B
9:30am-12:30pm
The Art of Effectively Co-Designing
Public Policy
Co-design is a promising design-led participatory approach to policy making, and a creative way to engage citizens and stakeholders. Co-design enables policy. makers to better design and align policy interventions that meet the needs of those impacted
This workshop will explore the art of effectively
undertaking a co-design approach to
policymaking.
It will explore:
• Getting buy-in for co-design
• Defining the scope of the co-design and
effectively communicating that scope to your
department
• Establishing the co-design team and ensuring
they understand the co-design scope and
principles
• Identifying and inviting potential stakeholders
to participate in the co-design process
• Devising an effective communication plan
• Executing the co-design process – what works /
what doesn’t
Learning outcomes:
• Learn how to get buy-in and support for your
co-design initiatives
• Understand how to effectively plan and
prepare for the co-design process
• Exploring the do’s and don’ts for successful
co-design execution
Facilitators:
Professor Sharyn Rundle-Thiele, Founding Director, Social Marketing, Griffith University
Dr. Taylor Willmott, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University
Erin Hurley, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University
Who should attend?
Policy makers from Federal, State and Local Government, including Executive Directors, Directors, Managers, Officers and Analysts of:
Policy
Governance
Strategy
Service Delivery
Programs
Outcomes
Pricing
Group discounts
Register 3-4 delegates 15% discount off the standard rate
Register 5-7 delegates 20% discount off the standard rate
Countdown
To The Event
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Endorsed by
APO is an open access evidence platform – making public policy research and resources accessible and useable. As a unique public good with a trusted reputation, APO champions open access and evidence-informed decision-making.
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Get in touch with us
Email: spex@akolade.co
Phone: +612 9247 6000
Contact Us
+61 02 9247 6000
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Location
Online