The AHRI Public Sector Day was the third and final day of the AHRI National Convention and Exhibition (NCE) held in Sydney from the 19–21 August. While the first 2 days of the event featured broader keynotes, insights, and deep-dive sessions, the Public Sector Day provides a dedicated agenda for HR professionals to explore leadership, culture and strategic HR through a public sector lens.
For Erin Prothero, Director of the APS HR Professional Stream team and AHRI ACT State Council Vice President, the event was an important reminder of the role HR professionals need to play in shaping team culture, wellbeing and performance – not only in their teams, but more broadly across their organisations.
Many topics were covered, but for Erin, there were a few really important take aways.
’Jacqui Curtis PSM, the ATO’s Chief Operations Officer and Head of the HR Profession, challenged us to really take the gathering as an opportunity to be connected and engage in conversations about things that really matter in the HR profession' said Erin.
’She challenged us to reflect on what might be holding us back from making a real difference in our agencies, and what meaningful steps we could take towards driving change.’
Culture was one of the key discussion topics. A number of sessions focusing on how it’s built and maintained, and how HR professionals cannot create culture for an entire organisation, but they can (and must be) drivers and enablers.
’Colin Ellis, who’s a bestselling author and culture consultant, delivered a keynote address focused on intentional culture design – reminding us all that good workplace culture doesn’t just happen,’ said Erin.
’He emphasised that middle managers, in particular, have a key role to play – reinforcing organisational values, setting consistent expectations, and creating a shared purpose for their people.
This flowed really nicely into a couple of panel discussions. In the first, Tracey Taylor, Michelle Lim, and Colin covered strategies for lasting cultural impact. They ran through a range of topics, from ethics and shadow values, to trust as leadership currency, to importance of safe mechanisms for staff to speak up.
In the second, Rachel Balmanno (Deputy Secretary, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing), Jo Talbot (First Assistant Commissioner, Workplace Reform and Diversity, Australian Public Service Commission), Anna Dawson (Organisational Psychologist – Psychosocial Safety Specialist), and Jacqui spoke about feedback and vulnerability, how you carry yourself as a leader, and psychological and psychosocial safety. A lot of it came back to being authentic and connecting with your people. As a manager or HR professional, this is essential!’
The technological elephant in the room – artificial intelligence – was also discussed at length. ‘Donna McGeorge (author and workplace productivity thought leader) came in with a bunch of practical ways to simplify work and embrace AI.
Her message was clear. Productivity is about doing less of what doesn’t matter, and AI should make things easier, not harder.
I think all professionals are working to embrace and get the most out of AI right now, and there’s so much room in the HR space to harness what it has to offer us. If we use it well, I do believe it’ll help us do more and better for our people and organisations!’
Bringing it all together, the message was really clear – it’s about people, authenticity, and connection.
‘I came away from the day feeling energised, and with a number of practical and actionable suggestions to put into action back at work,’ said Erin.
‘As HR professionals, and as managers, we play an especially critical role in shaping organisational team culture, wellbeing, and performance in times of change.
As managers, we need to lead with purpose, and recognise that our people need us to show up for them. This means making space to connect, making sure the environment is psychologically safe, giving and asking for feedback, and always being open and collaborative.
Leadership is privilege and a responsibility, both for us professionals and as managers – so let’s approach each day with that in mind!’
Keen on the next AHRI event? Visit the AHRI Calendar of events to find upcoming conferences, webinars and networking forums.