Employment and Workplace Relations secretary Natalie James admits she can be impatient. “I want to do everything, everywhere at once,” she says.
In this instalment of The Mandarin’s Secretary’s Sticky Notes series, our annual series in which we ask departmental leaders five questions about their role and what they expect to face this year, James explains her biggest priorities and challenges for 2024.
What was your 2023 highlight?
Do I have to pick just one? I can’t!
The department achieved so much — a lot of it coming in a rush at the end of the year. The Clean Energy Capacity Study from Jobs and Skills Australia. Did you know we need another 32,000 electricians by 2030 to achieve our clean energy targets? And that only 2% of current electricians are women …hmmm… I see a pathway to a solution here…
The new National Skills Agreement was the first national agreement concluded by this government, replacing the previous arrangement which was unchanged since 2012. This lifts commonwealth investment in TAFE and training by $3.7 billion to $12.6 billion over five years.
The banning of the use of engineered stone — agreed by ministers in December — will save engineered stone workers from debilitating illness and early death.
The passage of key reforms with the first tranche of the Closing the Loopholes legislation — reforms that will make workplaces safer and fairer.
What will be at the top of your agenda for 2024?
We’ve all got a busy agenda. I could say a lot about different projects and reforms, but I’m also focused on how we do our work.
The APS has an opportunity to reduce formality and increase responsibility to all members of our exceptional and committed workforce. And to work in a way that’s more fluid and organised around the project or issue as opposed to just doing it the traditional, hierarchal APS way.
In #TeamDEWR, it’s a work in progress but we’re trying different ways of working across our policy areas, getting out of the “silos” and forming teams around the big issues – the transformation to Net Zero, resetting the way migration and skills systems interact, reforming employment services and ensuring this system is truly integrated with other services our participants need.
I thank #TeamDEWR for being prepared to experiment and call out when the current way of doing things isn’t working.
#moretocome
What is your department’s biggest issue … or opportunity?
We’ve got the opportunity to do something different in how we deliver support to people in our employment services system.
There’s been a parliamentary report that challenges some of the prevailing orthodoxy of the last couple of decades in contracted service delivery on behalf of governments. This includes how we commission and work with service providers to ensure we help people in a way that is culturally appropriate, empathetic and tailored to what people need.
One part of this is to work with those groups who remain at risk of being left behind. In particular, we need to change the conversations with First Nations communities to design support that better meets the needs of those communities and is delivered by First Nations organisations.
What do you expect will be your biggest leadership challenge?
Managing my impatience. I want to do everything, everywhere at once. Like all of us, I know I need to carve out more time to plan, to think beyond the day-to-day.
It’s important to me to prioritise investing in those critical relationships — colleagues, stakeholders, partners, experts and wise heads. This is where the magic really happens — that gem of an idea that comes from a different perspective that offers a new way to solve an old problem and the opportunity to partner with people who can help us solve it.
What advice do you have for those wanting a career in the APS?
Just Do It. Where else do you get access to such a diverse range of work that makes a real difference to people?
Any feedback or news tips? Here’s where to contact the relevant team.