Radio Interview - ABC Radio North Queensland

Subjects: Opening of APS Academy in Tonwsville
 
MICHAEL CLARKE, HOST: Now today is the official opening of the Australian Public Service Academy, based at James Cook University Townsville campus. The Assistant Minister for the Public Service is Patrick Gorman and he's here with us today. Thank you so much for your time and welcome to Townsville.

PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER AND ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE:  Thanks Michael, and hello to your listeners.

CLARKE: Now I have to be completely honest. I had no idea there was an academy of the Public Service.

GORMAN: So what we're opening at James Cook University this morning is what we call the APS Academy, a campus site here so we can get more people to see the public service when they're on campus and to say, ‘oh, that may be something I want to do.’ But also to make sure that we are reminding people that the public service isn't just based in Canberra. I think about 40% of the public service is in Canberra. There are thousands of public servants here in Townsville, doing a whole range of interesting jobs. Obviously, as you mentioned, defence, you've got people who are doing work for Services Australia delivering frontline services. It's really important that we make sure that those career paths are open to school leavers or people who might be looking at a career change.
 
CLARKE: How will it work for students who are on campus who may be interested in exploring some of those options?
 
GORMAN: If you're on campus, I'd encourage you to pop into the Academy and have a look and have a chat to some of the people there to talk about what a career in the public service is like. We've got public servants who are studying there at the moment, they are completing further studies in things like data and digital. So you can probably catch one of them and ask, 'why did you become a public servant?' Get some real feedback, not just from those, like myself, who might say, this is a great career, but people that are actually doing it. That's a real opportunity to hear firsthand from public servants about the sort of impacts they make. When it comes to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, you are actually doing analysis that helps decide the big economic decisions that our country has to make. When you're working for defence, you are helping keep our nation secure and also often helping in times of crisis. There's so many opportunities in the public service. That's the message we want to want to get out.
 
CLARKE: As I said, before, I wasn't aware of a system like this. Are there other academies around the country? Or are we a bit of a first here?
 
GORMAN: You are not a first, you are a second. We've got one in Newcastle, and what we'll open today here at Townsville is the second because we recognise that our regional centres have so much talent, and we want to make sure that we're in that fight for talent when it comes to the public service, the Commonwealth public service. So we're hoping it's going to be a real success. And I really want to thank James Cook University for the partnership, which has allowed us to set up on campus to build those networks with academics, but also to find students who might be thinking about a public service career. One of the biggest skill gaps we have in the public service is in data and digital. So we need to make sure we're finding all those talented students. Be they in year 12, thinking about what they want to do next, or be they some way through their studies, because we're going to make sure that we've got strong cyber defence, and the capability to analyse data to solve those big difficult problems that we deal with in the federal policy space. And we need the right minds helping us
 
CLARKE: Because once upon a time, it used to be thought of as being quite prestigious, that you then go and work for the public service. And as I said before, maybe they've copped a bit of a battering over the years with people's assumptions of what that job is and the role that they play in Australia. Are we in a situation now where we actually need more people to be in the public service? So we're having a bit of a staffing crisis?
 
GORMAN: I wouldn't use those words. But what we always need is some of Australia's best minds working in the public service. If you think about all the things that frustrates people day to day. You might be annoyed about the roads, you might be annoyed about how services are delivered, you might think that we need to be doing more when it comes to education. All those things somewhere has a policy sitting beneath it, that is helped to be developed by a public servant, decided on by members of Parliament and the Parliament itself. So we do need those best minds helping us. It is a great career. Let me do the pitch to listeners. You get very good conditions, you'll meet amazing people, you will make a positive impact on Australia. And it's so much more than you'd think. As I said, this particular focus for the Academy is around data and digital. I don't think a lot of people would naturally think when they think of the Australian Public Service, they wouldn't naturally think of data, digital experts. But there's so many opportunities there. Careers in defence, huge opportunities, some of which will help you see the world as well. When you look at other options where you might just be helping your neighbours like working in frontline services for Services Australia where you actually are helping people get the support they need, you might help someone who's got to retirement age is applying for their pension. That's a pretty nice impact to make on someone's life. So there's great careers in the public service and I'll always be a champion for it. But what I'd say to listeners is, if you think it might be something you're interested in, pop by the Academy or pick up the phone to an agency you're interested in working with. Find out a little bit more.
 
CLARKE: Well it is being launched today. You're on hand for the special honours and we do appreciate you coming in to Townsville today to have a chat with us. Good luck with the academy.
 
GORMAN: Thank you, Michael.

ENDS