Day 1 Program

All sessions will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams.

We are excited to welcome 70+ experts from academia, the public sector and industry to the Digital Government Festival. We will keep updating this page as we confirm a few final speakers.

If you're ready to secure your free place at the Festival click HERE.

8:30am Conference Start

Welcome to Festival | Timothy Kariotis

Welcome to Country | Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Georgina Nicholson

Keynote | Harriet Shing, MP

Challenges and opportunities: the new frontiers for tech and innovation (Link).

Harriet Shing is a Member of the Victorian Legislative Council and has represented Eastern Victoria Region since 2014.

Prior to her election to the Victorian Parliament, Harriet had worked as a lawyer, senior policy adviser, and industrial relations specialist in the Victorian private, public, and not-for-profit sectors.

Harriet is the Parliamentary Secretary for Creative Industries, Digital Government, Equality, and Water.

She has previously served as the Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Services, and Mental Health.

9:15am | Keynotes

Brendan Reilly | Digital Transformation Agency

A Digital Government Strategy for Australia (Link).

Brendan Reilly is the Branch Manager of the Digital Strategy, Policy and Architecture Branch in the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA). The DTA, as a trusted advisor for digital and ICT investment, drives strategic whole-of-government digital policy and advice. The Digital Strategy Branch sets future focused priorities and shapes the whole of government digital strategies, including architecture, to enable a connected, integrated and future ready public service.

Since leaving the private sector in 2009, Brendan held a number of positions in the Department of the Treasury until 2017 before moving to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and then to the Digital Transformation Agency in 2018.

Laura Munsie | Australian Government Attorney-General's Department

The Road to RegTech: Improving Compliance with Modern Employment Awards (Link).

This presentation will discuss the Regulatory Technology Roadmap for Modern Awards, which was developed in 2021 by the Attorney-General's Department, following a co-design process with key stakeholders. It will outline the current and future program of work, and discuss some of the key benefits and challenges involved in driving innovation and uptake of technological solutions that can help employers understand and apply modern awards to ensure staff are paid correctly.

Laura Munsie is the Director of the Usability Section in the Industrial Relations Strategy Branch of the Australian Government Attorney-General's Department. The Usability Section focuses on how users interact with the industrial relations system, and has a key focus on how technology can help employers and employees to navigate employment laws. Prior to taking on this role, Laura has over 15 years’ experience in a wide range of policy and legal roles in the Australian Public Service.

10:00 am | Morning Tea Break

10:15am | Panel Discussions

Stream 1: The Road to RegTech & Rules-as-Code: Identifying RegTech's Place in the Regulatory Reform Ecosystem

The use of information technology to make regulatory compliance and enforcement more efficient and effective - also known as RegTech - emerged post-global financial crisis in the banking and finance sectors. RegTech has now spread to other sectors of the economy, with an increasing number of regulators considering where RegTech fits within their broader regulatory toolbox. Within the sphere of RegTech, rule-as-code is just one approach proposed to simplify and streamline regulatory enforcement and compliance. This panel will explore the RegTech and rules-as-code journey, focusing on the process of developing a RegTech and Rule-as-Code plan that situates it within a broader regulatory strategy. (Link)

  • Laura Munsie | Australian Government Attorney-General's Department.

  • Anshu De Silva Wijeyerante | Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

  • Alex Roberts | IP Australia

  • Luke Bassett | Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

Stream 2: Why Public Sector Professionals Need to be Cybersecurity Leaders

Digital technology is transforming the public sector. Alongside this transformation is an increasing prevalence of cybersecurity threats. Addressing these threats require both technical and human approaches to cybersecurity. This panel will explore the key role of people, systems and organisational culture in managing cybersecurity risks. How do we enable all public sector professionals to be cybersecurity leaders – no matter their role, background, or expertise? Can the public sector be an exemplar of cybersecurity ‘best practice’? (Link)

  • Shane Moffitt | Department of Premier and Cabinet (Victoria).

  • Glenn Archer | Australian National University.

  • Dr Shaanan Cohney | The University of Melbourne

  • Harry Human | BAE Systems Digital Intelligence

  • Ashley Anderson | University of Melbourne

11:15am | Panel Discussions

Stream 1: The Road to RegTech & Rules-as-Code: Identifying RegTech's Place in the Regulatory Reform Ecosystem - An Industry Perspective

The use of information technology to make regulatory compliance and enforcement more efficient and effective - also known as RegTech - emerged post-global financial crisis in the banking and finance sectors. RegTech has now spread to other sectors of the economy, with an increasing number of regulators considering where RegTech fits within their broader regulatory toolbox. Within the sphere of RegTech, rule-as-code is one approach proposed to simplify and streamline regulatory enforcement and compliance. A global market of RegTech companies has emerged over the past decade using innovative technology solutions to transform regulatory compliance.

Join industry experts from Civic Ledger, Convergence.Tech, and Verifier to explore how we approach regulatory reform in the age of RegTech. (Link)

  • Katrina Donaghy | Civic Ledger

  • Lisa Schutz | Verifier

  • Doug Campbell | Convergence.Tech

Stream 2: Designing Digital Government: Applying Emerging and Known Practices to Break Down Silos and Build for Citizens.

This panel will consider how design can be applied to meet the needs citizens by exploring how to apply emerging practices, and how design can be used to break down silos. (Link)

  • Rebecca Sloan | Lead Content Designer at AusPost

  • Kirsty Elderton | Principal Digital & Design, Nous Group

  • Susan Cullen | Design Director, Australian Taxation Office

  • Gabrielle Grist | CX and Service Design Lead at City of Stonnington

  • Mathan Ratinam | Principal Service Designer at Victorian Dept of Premier & Cabinet

12:15pm | Panel Discussions + Workshop

Stream 1: Regulatory Reform: Capability Challenges and Implications for RegTech

On behalf of the Minister for Regulatory Reform, Danny Pearson MP, DTF and BRV have been involved in a range of programs to improve regulatory delivery, including through digitisation. Reflecting on the Regulatory Reform Incentive Fund, and capability improvement programs with regulators, the presenters will cover some key capability challenges experienced with regulators, and how they shape the kinds of RegTech improvements occurring in Victoria. The presenters will share their observations from driving regulatory reforms from central government, with a focus on practical challenges and pathways to reform. (Link)

  • Eliot Palmer | Better Regulation Victoria

  • Alex Richardson | Department of Treasury and Finance Victoria

Stream 2: No-Code Automation for Lawyers: How to Apply Design Thinking Principles to Build Your Own Legal Bot! [75min Workshop - pre-registration required]

Participants will have free access to build a bot on Josef’s no-code automation platform. In this session, learn how the best in-house, law-firms and legal-tech teams are using design thinking to automate complex legal tasks. In less than an hour participants will find out just how easy it is to automate complex regulatory and compliance tasks.

Legal teams no longer need big budgets or IT professionals to implement workflow and document automation. With no-code, lawyers and legal operations professionals can do it themselves.

This is a hands-on webinar for any lawyer, legal ops, or legal tech professional to learn more about how to use no-code in their work.

One of the highest value-add actions legal departments can take today is to implement a scalable, flexible, no-code workflow management solution.” – Brian Hupp, former Head of Legal Ops, Facebook.

Sam Flynn, Chief Operating Officer | Josef (https://joseflegal.com/)

Lunch Break

1:45pm | Keynotes

Melissa Harris | Land Use Victoria

Melissa Harris is the Chief Executive, Land Use Victoria (LUV) which is the agency within the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) responsible for all aspects of land administration including property titles, valuations, subdivisions, land monitoring, surveying, spatial services, government land advice, the $45 million Digital Cadastre Modernisation project and the $37 million Digital Twin Victoria project. She is also Registrar of Titles in Victoria. LUV comprises two divisions, Strategic Land Assessment and Information and Land Registry Services and includes over 500 staff members and management of the $2.7 billion concession deed for the operation of the Victorian Land Registry. (Link)

Katy Cooper | City of Hobart

How futures foresight and futures stories can be used to determine the path for digital transformation in the public sector (Link).

Katy is both a futurist and a 'now'ist. In her current role as Director of City Futures for the City of Hobart, she is focused on engaging, creating and planning our Island Capitals' future stories and its strategic plans/urban designs with a stellar team of professional planners, urban designers, curators and placemakers.

Together, they also bring arts, culture, and events to life to showcase our future in action.

Katy is also responsible for shaping the way Hobart Council steps up to future challenges and collaborates to meet the opportunities of a future city through innovation.

She is also interested in building a thriving futures community across Tasmania and Australia.

Marina Troyak | Customer Service NSW

Innovation Procurement Pathways (Link).

The NSW Government is a recognised leader in the delivery of digital government services and was the first to establish a Department of Customer Service. Government digitisation strategies such as Beyond Digital Strategy, Smart Places Strategy, AI Strategy and the Turning ideas into jobs – Accelerating research and development in NSW Action Plan all identify innovation procurement as a key enabler. The NSW Economic Blueprint 2040 aspiration for ‘better government performance’ recommends examination of the NSW Government’s procurement practices to ensure innovation is encouraged.

The NSW Government is creating innovation procurement pathways to make it easier to find and develop the best solutions to problems people face in NSW. Innovation procurement will stimulate growth in research and development and the innovation and emerging technology sector.

NSW Government already has a strong innovation procurement practice in digital accelerators and in agencies with more mature and resourced procurement functions. However, the Innovation Procurement Project through consultation has found that additional tools and resources will allow all NSW Government buyers to confidently engage industry to assess, codesign and/or buy leading edge ICT & Digital products and services with agility, while meeting probity, value and transparency principles. It will provide clarity to industry and reduce barriers to entry for innovation/emerging tech suppliers, stimulating growth in the industry sector. The project is building and testing tools and service enablers that allow buyers to navigate risk and reward, and adapt, trial and scale solutions to meet buyer unique needs to deliver desired project outcomes

Marina Troyak is the Director, Supplier, Policy and Innovation Development within the Digital NSW Division of the Department of Customer Service. Marina is responsible for the development of whole of government ICT policy, strategic change projects (including development and delivery of the Innovation Procurement Pathways), strategic Supplier Relationship management framework and industry engagement. Marina is currently focused on promoting procurement practices that help NSW Government realise its innovation ambition, diversifying the partnership ecosystem and spend, and contributing to the growth of the domestic technology sector.

3:00pm | Afternoon Tea Break

3:15pm | Panel Discussions

Stream 1: Case Study of the Fair Work Commission’s Modern Awards Pay Database API Project

The Fair Work Commission’s (FWC) Modern Award Pay (MAP) Database contains the dollar values for the minimum rates of pay, allowances, overtime and penalty rates in modern awards.

FWC has been working towards an Application Programming Interface (API) in order to provide a single, real-time, source for businesses, agencies and software companies to access and integrate with the FWC’s MAP Database. The APIs allow changes to award minimum rates to be communicated through one information source, enabling payroll providers and software developers to more readily create award compliance solutions. The project forms part of the Australian Government’s Regulatory Technology Roadmap.

This case study explores the process FWC undertook from the establishment of the business case to build the APIs through to the development and user acceptance testing of the APIs. (Link)

  • Trudy Jones | Assistant Director, Modern Awards, Economics & Research Section, Fair Work Commission

  • Matt Lewis | Managing Director at Capability Wise

Stream 2: The Digital Transformation of City Leadership

The expansion of digital infrastructures and digitally-enhanced services has been one of the most defining trends in shaping the current landscape of city leadership in Australian councils from inner metro to regional realities. Taking place around the boom of the ‘gig economy’ and the emergence of digitally-driven patterns of work, entertainment and indeed government, these shifts have been impacting the way in which urban governance is thought of, with increased demands and political-economic complexities ensuing throughout the pandemic. What does this mean for the future of urban governance in our cities? How can we step beyond smart city tropes in city leadership? And, how can Australian councils manage the innovation ecosystems that are emergent across their territories?

This moderated roundtable gathers experts from industry, local government, academia, private sector and The University of Melbourne’s Melbourne Centre for Cities to debate the challenges of this digital transformation and open up a conversation as to what urban policy futures we have ahead of us, and need, in an increasingly digital urban age. (Link)

  • Dr Sarah Barns | Visiting Fellow in the Melbourne Centre for Cities at The University of Melbourne, an industry fellow at Queensland University of Technology, and Director at Sitelines Media.

  • Ms Toni Jones | Asia-Pacific Head of Cities and Local Government, and Partner in Charge Industries for Enterprise at KPMG Australia.

  • Associate Prof David Bissell | Director of Research Capability in the Melbourne Centre for Cities, and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow in the Faculty of Science at The University of Melbourne.

  • Ms Kelly Grigsby | CEO of City of Hobart

  • Prof Dan Hill | Director of the Melbourne School of Design (MSD)

  • Prof Michele Acuto | Director of the Melbourne Centre for Cities

4:15pm | Panel Discussions

Stream 1: Procuring AI in Government: Can Governments Set the Ethical 'bar' for AI in Society?

AI and Algorithmic Decision-Making (ADM) technologies are often considered the realm of the private sector – large companies building technologies for us to consume. However, governments are increasingly using these technologies for their own operations; technology to process large amounts of data and to make decisions in the delivery of services. Many government services are also adopting AI solutions to mediate the relationship between citizens and the public sector, which directly shapes people's experience of government. Simultaneously, governments are attempting to regulate the rapidly expanding technology sector in recognition of the ethical issues and questions these technologies raise. This panel will explore how ethics can be considered in the AI procurement process, the alternatives to AI and how this may impact the customer, and how governments balance their role as regulators and procures of emerging technologies. (Link)

Speakers

  • Professor Janine O'Flynn | Professor of Public Management, ANZSOG & Melbourne School of Government.

  • Professor Ian Oppermann | Chief Data Scientist, NSW Department of Customer Service & Industry Professor, UTS.

  • Richard Sargeant | Managing Director & Partner, Boston Consulting Group.

  • Professor Jeannie Paterson | Co-Director, CAIDE.

  • Gabby Bush | Programme Manager, CAIDE.

Stream 2: Using Digital Technologies to Support Civic Engagement with Government.

Active engagement and deliberation are the bedrock of successful public discourse, democracy, local decision making, and community planning. This panel highlights key global trends and the approaches and tools applied for successful community engagement and participation. In doing so we will explore how,

  • approaches may differ when it comes to local context and the plethora of stakeholders,

  • one-way communication differs from real two-way dialogue for decision making,

  • co-creation is applied to enrich local community plans and user-centric urban development,

  • authorities reach out to users to co-design services and prioritise budget allocation (e.g. participatory budgeting) etc.

In doing so this session will address the opportunities and risks of technology in a digital society.

  • Dr. Morten Meyerhoff Nielsen | EGOV Adviser at the United Nations University, Operating Unit for Policy-Driven Electronic Governance

  • Dr Willhemina Wahlin | Research Fellow, Melbourne School of Government

  • Pia Andrews | Strategic Advisor to the Public Sector in AWS

  • Leonardo Puglisi | Founder, Chief Anchor & Managing Director - 6 News Australia

  • Chris Eddy [Facilitator]

Hosted by The Victorian Local Governance Association (Link)

5:30pm | Panel Discussions

Stream 1: Why Should Public Sector Leaders be Digital?

In the words of the Hon. Victor Dominello, NSW Minister for Digital & Customer Service: “COVID has busted sleepy governments into digital action. Now that the public have had a taste of what good looks like, they will punish governments that retreat back to their analogue doona.” In 2022, this reality applies as much to institutions as it does individuals, as Dominello demonstrates every day on LinkedIn. It's time for leaders to stand up and speak out online to help rebuild trust, credibility and connection.

But what steps should public sector leaders take themselves online? How should their voice and efforts differ from those agencies they represent? What do they stand to gain by way of staff engagement, talent attraction and reputation management? And how should they toe the line between personal and professional on social media, where citizens increasingly want to know the people behind the public sector?

This Q&A discussion, hosted by Roger Christie (Founder of Propel and the Government Digital Leaders Network), draws on the expert opinions and experiences of Stephanie Speck (Chief Communications Officer, Victorian Department of Education & Training) and David Pembroke (Founder & CEO of the Content Group) to provide practical advice and insights to help leaders thrive in the online world. (Link)

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