News
Emerging Leaders talk 'whole of government'
The leaders of today and tomorrow came together at the third annual IPAA Victoria Emerging Leaders Forum (ELF) on 29 May to discuss the challenges, and possibilities, of ‘Being Whole of Government.'
Deputy Premier Rob Hulls and seven secretaries were among the 37 speakers who engaged more than 140 emerging leaders on the complex logistical, political and even psychological issues involved in putting ‘whole of government' in practice.
A session titled ‘Twitter with Secretaries' allowed each attendee to talk candidly about their ideas for an integrated public sector with three of the following secretaries: 
- Justice
- Jim Betts, Secretary, Department of Transport
- Richard Bolt, Department of Primary Industries
- Howard Ronaldson, Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development
- Kevin Love, Deputy Secretary, Department of Sustainability and Environment
- Dahle Suggett, Deputy Secretary, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
True to the theme of day, Fran Thorn, Secretary, Department of Human Services, opened the forum alongside colleagues from local government and the Commonwealth.
Reflecting on the collaborative response to Black Saturday, Ms Thorn asked ‘why can't we be like this all the time?'
The ability to overcome divisions and focus on communities in times of crisis could inform the way we deal with long-term, ‘wicked' problems, such as Indigenous disadvantage.
Deputy Premier Hulls and Penny Armytage came together in a special plenary session to discuss how closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Victorians requires a network of solutions involving strands from different portfolios.
‘To tackle this issue we must be there, on the ground, for the entire journey; from improving literacy and numeracy standards to creating employment and economic opportunities,' Mr Hulls said.
Despite the size of this problem, Penny Armytage provided an example of where government and community have ‘joined-up' successfully.
An agreement signed five years ago between the State, Commonwealth and the once troubled Indigenous community of Lake Tyers has already improved school attendance and job prospects and has led to fewer incidents of crime and domestic violence.
Further case studies of successful ‘whole of government' approaches were explored in three concurrent sessions spanning health, education and environmental management.
At an evening reception on 28 May, Cath Smith, CEO, Victorian Council of Social Services considered the 'paradoxical' role of non-government parties in both filling gaps in service delivery and fragmenting ‘whole of government' approaches.
And the Twitter theme remerged when ELF attendees examined the possibilities of harnessing technology to better facilitate communication across government and improve ties with the community in a plenary session on eGovernment.
Please click here to view the ELF presentations.
