Connected WA: Tackling Connectivity, Capability, and Inclusion in Regional Communities

Residents coming to the City of Toronto for one benefit applied for one benefit - re-entering the same details each time, and never learning about the other subsidies they qualified for. This week, Marco Palermo, Director, Human Services Integration & Transformation Social Development, Finance & Administration, City of Toronto describes how Toronto's Human Services Integration Unit flipped it: one universal form, with the system scanning the full program catalogue and proactively recommending what residents are eligible for. The results: over 33,000 applications since March with virtually no marketing, and 27.8% of residents walked away with more than they came for. This episode unpacks how - starting with two aligned programs, rewriting a 30-year-old policy, and building a foundation that scaled within a month. Sometimes the breakthrough isn't AI. It's being all in on changing the process underneath. Marco Palermo, Director, Human Services Integration & Transformation Social Development, Finance & Administration, City of Toronto   For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co    

Digital connectivity in regional Western Australia remains one of the state's toughest challenges. This week, Sarah McCall, Principal Policy Officer, Office of Digital Government, Department of the Premier and Cabinet and Stephanie Milan, Manager, Regional Digital Solutions, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development explore what it will take to shift the dial - from infrastructure investment to the priorities that deserve funding first. But connectivity alone isn't the answer: affordability, devices, and digital skills are equally decisive barriers to inclusion. The conversation also looks at designing digital government for the realities of low bandwidth, outages, and offline use, and why local hubs and community partners are critical enablers of access and capability — pointing to a path built on place-based investment and genuine co-design with regional communities. Sarah McCall, Principal Policy Officer, Office of Digital Government, Department of the Premier and Cabinet and Stephanie Milan, Manager, Regional Digital Solutions, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co

AI delivers the most value when it sharpens human judgment - not when it tries to replace it. This week, Kenneth Kicia, Chief Information Officer, Florida Department of Corrections looks at how leaders can position AI as a practical decision-support layer, helping teams move faster and smarter without handing over responsibility. Kenneth breaks down which decisions benefit most from AI-assisted insight, how executives set clear guardrails for AI-driven recommendations, and what it takes to keep human accountability front and centre when AI informs outcomes. It also covers how to build trust in AI outputs across teams through clarity, consistency, and the right oversight. Kenneth Kicia, Chief Information Officer, Florida Department of Corrections For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co        

Montgomery County is treating AI as a practical capacity multiplier for local government—helping teams respond faster, reduce admin burden, and improve outcomes in high-volume services like elections, 911, courts, and human services.  Join Neil Makhija, Commissioner, Montgomery County as he explores how counties can move beyond interest and pilots into resident-centred implementation that delivers more accurate service at scale. Neil focuses on what it takes to operationalise AI responsibly: targeting use cases with immediate public impact, building governance and guardrails that deploy with the system, being transparent about where AI is used while keeping humans accountable, and proactively managing risks like misinformation, bias, and privacy/security. It also highlights the importance of workforce readiness and measuring outcomes so performance improvements are sustainable. Neil Makhija, Commissioner, Montgomery County     For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co    

  A future-ready NSW Government depends on how well public servants and AI work together, not on people or technology alone. This week, Raffaele Marcelino, Executive Director, Learning and Teaching, Tafe NSW, Jane Lin, Executive Director Data, Strategy and Performance, Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport, Andrew Spiegelman, Head of Data & Analytics, Service NSW, Dan Bowes, Facilitator, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, TAFE NSW explore how AI is reshaping government roles through 2027 and beyond, boosting productivity by supporting frontline work rather than replacing it. Our guests so look at workforce readiness: how teams are starting to use AI, which skills are emerging or missing, and what practical upskilling is needed to build confidence and adoption—through targeted digital and data capability building.   Raffaele Marcelino, Executive Director, Learning and Teaching, Tafe NSW, Jane Lin, Executive Director Data, Strategy and Performance, Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport, Andrew Spiegelman, Head of Data & Analytics, Service NSW, Dan Bowes, Facilitator, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, TAFE NSW   For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co  

In this episode, Lee Hickin, Executive Director, National AI Centre breaks down what responsible AI actually means for small to medium enterprises in Australia—and why vague advice is one of the biggest reasons SMEs hesitate to adopt. Through the work of the National AI Centre, the talk reframes "responsible" as something practical and achievable, not a heavyweight compliance exercise. You'll hear a simple approach to adoption built around the AI Six: clear accountability, basic risk and impact thinking, transparency at the right level, ongoing testing, and maintaining human control. The episode's core message is cultural: confidence comes from leadership setting clear expectations, investing in capability, and treating AI as "you + AI", not "you vs AI." Lee Hickin, Executive Director, National AI Centre   For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co    

Government doesn't transform just by buying new tech — it transforms when it modernises operations. Join Rip Colvin, Executive Director, Florida Justice Administrative Commission as he digs into how leaders upgrade the systems, processes, and capabilities that improve execution, strengthen accountability, and ultimately deliver better public services. Rip explores how "back office" functions like finance, procurement, contracts, and administration become strategic enablers; how to simplify complexity without losing transparency or public trust; and how platforms, automation, and digital workflows can reduce admin load, improve visibility, and free teams to focus on higher-value work — while building organisations that are ready for whatever comes next.   Rip Colvin, Executive Director, Florida Justice Administrative Commission.   For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co  

This week, we are joined by Matt Moffat, Program Director, Department of Treasury and Finance, Sarah Taylor, Chief Financial Officer & Executive Director, Corporate Services, Department for Correctional Services who look at what it takes to deliver a world-class Treasury capability through a generational uplift—enabling faster, more accurate, and reformed financial services that better meet modern expectations. Matt and Sarah also cover the practical realities of modernising finance systems so government can make better-informed decisions and allocate resources more effectively as population and business growth increases. A key example is the first pilot with the Department for Correctional Services, showing how automation and improved insights can lift productivity and deliver more value back to the state.   Matt Moffat, Program Director, Department of Treasury and Finance, Sarah Taylor, Chief Financial Officer & Executive Director, Corporate Services, Department for Correctional Services   For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co  

This week we sit down with Josie Cluer, Global Government & Infrastructure Workforce and Citizens Leader, EY, Alexander Evans, Associate Dean for Strategic Development, School of Public Policy, London School of Economics, Robyn Scott, CEO & Co-Founder, Apolitical and Kate Delgado-Kizer, EY Global Government & Infrastructure Sector Insights Senior Analyst who focus on the growing pressure governments face to deliver public value in a fast-changing, digital environment - while managing challenges like skills shortages, demographic change, and intensifying competition with the private sector for talent. Our guests explore why these forces are stretching public services and why workforce capability is becoming central to successful transformation. At the centre of the discussion is EY's first annual Future-Fit Workforce Study, drawing on insights from 14,000+ public servants across 25 countries to define what "future fit" really means and how ready governments are today. The episode shares early findings and practical perspectives on what it takes to build a well-led, well-managed, highly skilled public service. Josie Cluer, Global Government & Infrastructure Workforce and Citizens Leader, EY,  Alexander Evans, Associate Dean for Strategic Development, School of Public Policy, London School of Economics, Kate Delgado-Kizer, EY Global Government & Infrastructure Sector Insights Senior Analyst, Robyn Scott, CEO & Co-Founder, Apolitical For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co    

This week, our episode marks a timely moment—20 years since New Zealand signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)—and Victoria Wray, Manager Agency Standards and Integration, Department of Internal Affairs and Shu Run Yap, Principal Advisor, Operations and Delivery Strategy & Enablement, Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People use it as a lens to discuss accessibility and inclusion by design. The conversation focuses on how New Zealand can close the digital divide by moving beyond accessibility as a late-stage fix and instead embedding lived experience and inclusive thinking into the architecture of digital service delivery. You'll hear the "why" and the "how" of the shift underway: treating accessibility as core public service infrastructure (not a procurement checkbox), designing services around choice and equitable channels, and transitioning from legacy web standards to a broader digital accessibility standard that covers apps, documents, and more. The episode also explores feedback-driven innovation—making it easier for people to report barriers, using accessibility statements and clear contact channels, and ensuring AI-enabled services don't unintentionally amplify bias or exclude disabled communities. Victoria Wray, Manager Agency Standards and Integration, Department of Internal Affairs and Shu Run Yap Principal Advisor, Operations and Delivery Strategy & Enablement, Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People. For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co