In this episode of Real Talk: AI in the VPPS, Will Babington, Head of Enabling at the Building and Plumbing Commission, shares how an AI-powered solution helped frontline social workers access critical information faster and with greater confidence.

Drawing on his experience leading a major AI project at The Salvation Army, Will discusses how the team focused on solving a real operational challenge, reducing the burden of navigating multiple systems, so staff could spend more time supporting people in crisis.

Speaking with Kate Fraser, Will explores the importance of starting with the problem, not the technology, involving end users in the design process, and ensuring AI enhances rather than replaces human expertise. He also shares practical lessons for leaders looking to implement AI responsibly and at scale.

In this episode of Real Talk: AI in the VPS, Karen Dermody, Director Digital Design and Innovation at the Department of Education shares a practical case study of how AI is being used to support policy advisors working in a complex, high-stakes environment.

Speaking with Kate Fraser, IPAA Victoria’s Executive Director, Program Delivery, Karen outlines how her team introduced an AI assistant to help navigate hundreds of policies, reduce cognitive load, and deliver faster, more consistent guidance to schools. The conversation explores how the project was designed to amplify, not replace, human expertise, with strong emphasis on trust, transparency, and continuous feedback. Karen highlights the importance of clear guardrails, daily iteration, and close collaboration between policy experts and technologists to improve accuracy and build confidence in the tool.

This episode offers insights for public sector leaders on implementing AI responsibly, demonstrating how organisations can scale expertise while keeping human judgement at the centre.

In this episode of Real Talk: AI in the VPS, Kate Fraser sits down with Professor Eduard Hovy, Executive Director of Melbourne Connect and Professor at the University of Melbourne to explore how generative AI is reshaping the Victorian public purpose sector.

IPAA Victoria’s Executive Director, Program Delivery, Kate Fraser, sits down with engineering and technology leader Dr Bronwyn Evans AM to explore how reverse mentoring is helping organisations navigate rapid technological change. Drawing on decades of experience across engineering, standards, advanced manufacturing and AI, Bronwyn shares her insights into how younger, digitally fluent professionals can challenge assumptions, strengthen leadership capability and accelerate responsible tech adoption.

Through real examples spanning governance, innovation, intergenerational collaboration and culture change, this conversation offers a grounded, human perspective on why reverse mentoring is becoming a strategic tool for the public purpose sector.

This episode of Real Talk: AI in the VPS brings together three young public purpose professionals from our Young Professional network (YIPAA), Nikolai Sas, Lucy Kelly and Mia Sieber, for an open chat about how AI is showing up in their day‑to‑day work.

In this episode of Real Talk: AI in the VPS we explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the way government works. Host Kate Fraser sits down with John Batho, Deputy Secretary of Digital and Government Services, for a frank discussion on the opportunities and challenges of AI in the Victorian Public Service (VPS).

In the first episode of Real Talk: AI in the VPS we speak to Máiréad Doyle. In 2024, Máiréad received a Churchill Fellowship to investigate how AI technology influences the spread of misinformation and disinformation during elections. Her report, published in September 2025, examined global use of AI in election disinformation and offered recommendations for Australian government bodies. These insights are the focus of today’s episode.

Máiréad recently retired as Executive Director, Governance & Enabling Services at the Victorian Electoral Commission, where she led corporate strategy, planning and governance. A chartered mechanical engineer, she built a 30-year career in executive leadership across private, public and not-for-profit sectors.

In this episode Public Sector Perspectives, Dr Steve Hodgkinson talks about the potential impacts of AI on the way the public sector works.

Drawing on his long experience in the sector, including his current position as Chief Digital Officer for Victoria Police, Steve offers some very practical advice on how public servants can safely use the new tools that AI creates and the sort of the traps that you need to avoid. Whilst it’s tempting to see AI is being totally new and different, Steve argues that AI is still just IT and that many of the IT policies and procedures that we have built in the past are still relevant in the AI-enabled workplace.