One of Jim Betts’ highlights of 2022 was telling senate estimates he had never been a member of the Communist Party.
Betts joined the APS last year when he was named secretary of the federal department with the longest name – the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts. Prior to this, he had spent time as a state bureaucrat in the Victorian and NSW governments.
In this instalment of The Mandarin‘s Secretary’s Sticky Notes series, in which we ask departmental leaders five questions about their role and what they expect to face this year, Betts lays out how he’s approaching his department’s wide remit with staff wellbeing front of mind.
1. What’s at the top of your department’s agenda for 2023?
As the name implies, the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts’ agenda is diverse.
In 2023, we’ll be looking to put proper strategic frameworks around the commonwealth’s roles in urban policy, regional development and infrastructure investment, making us an informed and influential investor, not just a writer of cheques.
Key to those frameworks will be the towering priorities of decarbonising our economy and redressing intergenerational disadvantage, not least for First Nations people.
We need to make sure that regulation protects safety and the public interest whilst enabling new technology and services, ranging from online digital platforms to automated vehicles and drones.
We have an ambitious agenda for media reform, strengthening democracy and public interest journalism, extending digital connectivity and delivering the landmark National Cultural Policy – Revive – launched by the prime minister and arts minister on January 30.
2. What do you think the biggest challenge will be for your department in 2023?
The government’s agenda is ambitious and resources are tight after years of compounding efficiency measures. Our people are tired and have been working round the clock since the earliest days of COVID. On the other hand, “if not now, when?”
We have a huge opportunity to make a difference on our watch, but it mustn’t come at the expense of the health and wellbeing of APS staff.
3. What is your biggest leadership challenge?
My biggest challenge, as always, is to extinguish the fear and deference that the hierarchical culture of the APS can engender.
The robodebt royal commission has yet to conclude, but we have seen enough sobering evidence of the harm that fear can do when it creates a culture of silence and complicity. I want a department that is daring, kind, creative, collaborative and inclusive.
And as the referendum draws near, I want my Indigenous colleagues to know that their secretary is on their side, always striving to create a workplace that is safe, respectful and directed at delivering real results in partnership with community.
4. What was the highlight of 2022?
I read 75 novels. I was a consultant for nine weeks. I joined the APS. I got to tell senate estimates that I was not and had never been a member of the Communist Party.
5. What’s your motto for the public service in 2023?
Be kind. Listen carefully and with compassion. Get sh*t done.
Others in the series:
Former DVA secretary Liz Cosson
Health secretary Brendan Murphy
Attorney-General secretary Katherine Jones
Outgoing Education secretary Michele Bruniges
Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water secretary David Fredericks
Any feedback or news tips? Here’s where to contact the relevant team.