Matt O’Brien

Matt O’Brien is the First Assistant Secretary, Finance and Property Services, Department of Parliamentary Services, Parliament of Australia. The Finance and Property Services Division provides ongoing maintenance services to support the Parliament, building occupants and visitors as well as financial advice and services to the department. Matt also leads the DPS Innovation Framework and implementation. Matt commenced with DPS in April 2020. Prior to this, he was the Chief Operating Officer at Canberra Girls Grammar School. Matt has a strong background in corporate and financial management spanning 20 years. He has held senior leadership roles in the education, government and not-for-profit sectors. He previously sat on a number of boards and advisory groups primarily in the not-for-profit sector. Matt has qualifications in commerce and industrial relations, is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a Fellow of CPA Australia.

Synopsis

DPS have developed a Mission Guided Innovation System that can address both our strategic and tactical challenges faster, and with higher solution value, than what was previously possible. This is an "open innovation system" that identifies strategic and tactical challenges, and engages with teams to explore and validate ideas and solution to address these challenges.

Andrew McBride

Andrew McBride has held the position of Manager, Information Technology for the Victorian Department of Parliamentary Services for 5 years. Andrew is responsible for providing innovative and timely technology and communication solutions to a dispersed and local customer base including Members, Electorate Offices and Parliamentary staff. His IT team is responsible for the business analysis, project management, design, procurement, installation, implementation and ongoing maintenance of all technology solutions.

Synopsis

In this panel session, managers from the Parliament of Victoria’s Information Services area will discuss opportunities for artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve or replace existing services. Focusing on several current case studies, panellists will explore what they have learned from failures, where they are seeing success, and some of the challenges and opportunities in this space for Parliamentary services in the future.

Carolyn Macvean

As Manager of the Parliamentary library since 2014, Carolyn’s role is to implement the ongoing transformation of research and information services for and on behalf of Members and staff of the Parliament of Victoria, while overseeing the capture and preservation of Parliament’s heritage past.

A knowledge and information professional for over 30 years, Carolyn’s previous role was CEO of a regional library corporation. Other employers include the University of Melbourne, the CSIRO, and State and local governments where she held senior management positions.

Synopsis

In this panel session, managers from the Parliament of Victoria’s Information Services area will discuss opportunities for artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve or replace existing services. Focusing on several current case studies, panellists will explore what they have learned from failures, where they are seeing success, and some of the challenges and opportunities in this space for Parliamentary services in the future.

James Scott

James Scott has worked in broadcast production since 1998 and has been managing Hansard since 2011. Combining these two occupations with network infrastructure and project management activities has allowed James to redefine service delivery for the Parliament of Victoria.

Synopsis

In this panel session, managers from the Parliament of Victoria’s Information Services area will discuss opportunities for artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve or replace existing services. Focusing on several current case studies, panellists will explore what they have learned from failures, where they are seeing success, and some of the challenges and opportunities in this space for Parliamentary services in the future.

Sue Klein

An experienced Records and Information manager, Sue has worked across all three tiers of government and has seen many of the changes in how we manage, use and process information. Sue is implementing a machine learning (AI) solution at the Parliament of Victoria to manage unstructured information - the "dark matter" of an organisation.

Synopsis

In this panel session, managers from the Parliament of Victoria’s Information Services area will discuss opportunities for artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve or replace existing services. Focusing on several current case studies, panellists will explore what they have learned from failures, where they are seeing success, and some of the challenges and opportunities in this space for Parliamentary services in the future.

Matthew Smith

Three years into a Civil Engineering degree, Matt’s inner geek got its way and he changed lanes to pursue a career in IT. He embarked on a 20-year career in higher education during which he worked as a Research Assistant, Software Engineer, Director of Facilities Management and CIO at Universities in Victoria and NSW.

In 2015 the promise of unpredictable weather and rolling lockdowns proved too much, and he left the Northern Rivers of NSW to return to Melbourne and take up the role of CIO with the Victorian Parliament.

In 2015 the promise of unpredictable weather and rolling lockdowns proved too much, and he left the Northern Rivers of NSW to return to Melbourne and take up the role of CIO with the Victorian Parliament.

As the CIO, Matt is responsible for the IT, Library, Hansard, and Broadcast functions at Vic Parliament and continues to drive the Parliament’s digitisation strategy to support a resilient, intelligent and flexible workplace.

In his capacity as Deputy Secretary, he has overseen the implementation and operation of the Member’s office budget compliance framework, Parliamentary Adviser industrial agreement development and Parliament’s Risk and Audit activities.

Synopsis

In this panel session, managers from the Parliament of Victoria’s Information Services area will discuss opportunities for artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve or replace existing services. Focusing on several current case studies, panellists will explore what they have learned from failures, where they are seeing success, and some of the challenges and opportunities in this space for Parliamentary services in the future.

Kelly McFadyen

Kelly provides leadership and strategic direction for the Corporate Services Division. Kelly works with the executive and senior managers to provide professional IT, Finance, People, Property, Security and Corporate Planning services across Parliament. Kelly brings 23 years’ leadership experience in corporate services, strategy and governance in both the private and NSW public sectors.

Synopsis

Human-Centred Workplaces are workplaces that prioritise people. Research has shown that if we actively prioritise people (over profit), our values (over rules), our ethics (over compliance) and develop a culture of trust and gratitude, then discretionary performance will increase!

At the Parliament of NSW we want every team member to be themselves, to feel valued and part of a community. Our goal is to create a workplace where our team members can grow - free to inspire and be inspired. This presentation will offer you an overview of the approach that the Department of Parliamentary Services team in NSW is adopting to create a Human Centred Workplace.

Juliet Burston

With a career in Customer Experience spanning over 20 years, Juliet’s ability to place herself in the shoes of her customers is both her super power and her passion! Juliet has extensive experience working in the Tourism and Hospitality industry where she successfully implemented human centred workplace culture and customer satisfaction programs.

Since joining the Department of Parliamentary Services May 2021, Juliet’s focus has been on building and implementing a strategy that will drive a human centred workplace within the Parliament of NSW.

Synopsis

Human-Centred Workplaces are workplaces that prioritise people. Research has shown that if we actively prioritise people (over profit), our values (over rules), our ethics (over compliance) and develop a culture of trust and gratitude, then discretionary performance will increase!

At the Parliament of NSW we want every team member to be themselves, to feel valued and part of a community. Our goal is to create a workplace where our team members can grow - free to inspire and be inspired.

This presentation will offer you an overview of the approach that the Department of Parliamentary Services team in NSW is adopting to create a Human Centred Workplace.

Nadia Taggart

Nadia Taggart is the Director Cyber Security Strategy and Operations at the Australian Parliament. Nadia’s team is responsible for cyber security incident response, digital forensics, cyber threat intelligence, cyber threat hunt and emulation, and cyber security engineering. Nadia has over a decade of leadership experience in a variety of contexts, ranging from cyber security, information operations, communications security and ICT delivery, through to driving educational reform programs in schools. Nadia has a Bachelor degree in Psychology and Sociology, a Master of Teaching and a Master of Cyber Operations. In 2016 Nadia moved an executive role with one of Australian’s largest independent schools, to ICT Management. Before joining DPS, she was a Director within the Department of Home Affairs, driving evidence based and intelligence informed strategic change in cyber security. Prior to that she worked at the Department of Defence in Information Warfare and with Defence’s ICT Security Branch where she led whole of Defence reform to uplift Defence’s ability prevent and respond to cyber security incidents. Nadia’s eclectic background and broad skillset has given her unique perspectives on cyber security, and a passion to embed key cyber security principles within all areas of the business by making it meaningful and relevant to those outside the cyber security ‘bubble’.

Synopsis

Debunking the myth that advanced persistent threat actors are only interested in highly classified information, this presentation will unpack the various aspects that need to be considered in order to achieve cyber resilience. Building secure networks is a great start, but how do you keep them secure and defensible? Drawing upon research in psychology and education, in combination with research and best practice in cyber security, the required elements to support user awareness will be discussed. This will include developing senior leader awareness through tactical, operational, and strategic level reporting to support evidence based and intelligence informed decision making. Delving into cyber security incident response, this presentation will unpack aspects that need to be considered, exercised and planned for, so that you are prepared to fight through an attack, including adapting a 'one size fits most' incident response plan, to different situations.

Foong Ling Kong

Foong Ling Kong is Editor of Debates for the Legislative Assembly at the Parliament of Victoria. Before starting at Parliament she had a two-decade career as a book publisher and editor. She was also managing editor of Anne Summers Reports, and a board member of the Stella Prize when the inaugural prize was launched in 2013. She was on the board and chaired the Feminist Writers Festival, which was set up to support and promote feminist writers and ideas..

Synopsis

In its 165-year history, Hansard at the Parliament of Victoria has published for as long as the chambers sat. When the novel coronavirus hit Australian shores and forced a lockdown in Victoria from 16 March 2020, few thought that would lead to Melbourne eventually experiencing the longest lockdown in the world, at 262 days across 20 months.

This is the cultural and technological story of how Hansard adapted our long-standing practices to publish completely remotely during multiple lockdowns. Today no part of our workflow is untouched, and the way we work has been transformed, from within and without.

Evan Squire

Evan Squire began his Hansard career in the mid-2000s as an editor/reporter at the Australian Parliament. At the Parliament of Victoria he was a reporter and subeditor before taking on the role of Editor of Debates (Council) in 2019. With a background in descriptive linguistics, Evan enjoys the tension between accurately reporting and ‘correcting’ a member’s speech. Over 13 years in parliamentary reporting, he has observed significant change in editorial approach and use of technology.

Synopsis

In its 165-year history, Hansard at the Parliament of Victoria has published for as long as the chambers sat. When the novel coronavirus hit Australian shores and forced a lockdown in Victoria from 16 March 2020, few thought that would lead to Melbourne eventually experiencing the longest lockdown in the world, at 262 days across 20 months.

This is the cultural and technological story of how Hansard adapted our long-standing practices to publish completely remotely during multiple lockdowns. Today no part of our workflow is untouched, and the way we work has been transformed, from within and without.

Pauline Murphy

Pauline Murphy is a graphic scriber, illustrator and designer. Pauline worked in graphic design and desktop publishing for over a decade before making the leap to graphic recording. Her work is characterised by her design background; she prefers to digitally scribe using thick lines and clean detail to bring attention to typography and her illustrative style.

Synopsis

In its 165-year history, Hansard at the Parliament of Victoria has published for as long as the chambers sat. When the novel coronavirus hit Australian shores and forced a lockdown in Victoria from 16 March 2020, few thought that would lead to Melbourne eventually experiencing the longest lockdown in the world, at 262 days across 20 months.

This is the cultural and technological story of how Hansard adapted our long-standing practices to publish completely remotely during multiple lockdowns. Today no part of our workflow is untouched, and the way we work has been transformed, from within and without.

Anja D’Alessio

Anja D’Alessio started her IT career over 40 years ago in data entry. She has worked as a developer, business analyst, testing manager, project manager, data architect, enterprise architect in Manufacturing, Logistics, Telecommunication, Automotive, and Police industries. She joined the Parliament of Victoria in 2013 where she currently heads up the Project Delivery & Engagement team.

Synopsis

Reflecting on the way projects implemented in recent years are bringing about transformational change in the way we think about data at PoV.

Matthew Jordon

Matthew Jordon began his career in workplace relations and advisory teams in the legal and banking sectors. After graduating with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from Deakin University, he joined the Fair Work Commission as an Associate advising its Members and the Executive. Through his work with the Commission Matt developed a deep understanding of Australia’s employment and industrial framework and gained an inside view of some of Australia’s largest industrial matters and employment disputes.

Matt joined the Parliament of Victoria in 2018 progressing to Senior People Partner. In this role he advises the House Departments, business unit managers and the DPS executive on employee relations, industrial relations, change management, policy development and talent acquisition matters. Matt and the People Services team also advise Members of Parliament on generalist HR matters, including recruitment, performance management and investigations of misconduct.

Matt still finds industrial relations and the employment relationship fascinating. He is passionate about improving workplace relationships for the benefit of individuals and the Parliament.

Synopsis

Reflecting on the ways the pandemic has changed employee attitudes and expectations about work and the opportunities this presents for Parliaments.

Mike Price

Mike joined the NSW Parliament in 2017 as Director Information Services & Chief Information Officer. He moved to lead the Digital Transformation branch when it was created in 2020 to deliver major changes to the Parliament’s technology landscape through newly funded Digital Parliament and Audiovisual programs. Mike is passionate about improving the way we work through new technology, especially in eliminating paper and manual processes.

In his spare time, Mike plays flugelhorn (it's like a trumpet) at jazz jams in bars around inner city Sydney.

Synopsis

NSW has used PIMS (the Parliamentary Information Management System) for some years, and a few other jurisdictions have also used components or their own versions of PIMS. The PIMS provider Novaworks is now offering a cloud-hosted, subscription-based package - "Parliamentary Portal" - to provide some PIMS functions and add many others, which offers many potential advantages including cost savings, but also significant risks. We have negotiated a new contract to mitigate those risks, with consultancy advice, which we are willing to share with any other jurisdiction that is interested.

Rob Stefanic

Rob Stefanic was appointed Secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Services, Parliament of Australia in December 2015. In his capacity as Secretary, Rob chairs the Parliament of Australia Security Management Board and the Parliamentary ICT Advisory Board and is Secretary to the Historic Memorials Committee. Rob also holds roles on Boards of the Canberra Convention Bureau, Chair of the National Capital Education Tourism Project Stakeholder Council and the Canberra Region Tourism Leaders Forum. Before joining DPS, Rob headed the DPS at the Parliament of NSW, implementing service reforms and overseeing a major program of capital works. In addition Rob forged a strong cooperative relationship with the heads of the parliamentary departments to develop successive strategic plans for the parliament and to achieve ‘whole of parliament’ outcomes. Prior to that role, he served as Chief Information Officer, overseeing the delivery of ICT, library, archival and Hansard services to the NSW Parliament.

Rob also served in various senior roles with the NSW Department of the Legislative Council, including that of Clerk Assistant leading the corporate support function and committee secretary. Before working in the parliamentary environment he worked in the chartered accounting and legal fields. Rob has Bachelor degrees in Law (Hons) and Commerce and an Executive Master in Public Administration.

Synopsis

This presentation will address the complexity and often mis-understood elements that make up the Parliament of Australia. Since 2016, the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS) has been implementing a program of cultural shift to build a diverse and engaged workforce, based on a culture of 'living our values'. We have identified priorities that align to our core role - building a culture of service excellence in a department that is accountable, ethical and serves the Parliament with impartiality. We have initiated programs to increase diversity, and attract, retain and promote women in leadership roles. In a year frequently dominated by a narrative of 'toxic-culture' at Parliament House, this presentation will highlight successes and lessons learned from work that has transformed the culture of the DPS, and established the department as an employer of choice. The presentation will address our department's engagement with the recent reviews of Parliamentary workplaces.

Cate Saunders

Cate Saunders is the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Services, Parliament of Australia. Cate’s areas of responsibility include building, security, corporate, finance, administration, strategic services and communications. An experienced public servant, Cate was head of the People and Culture Branch at the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) before her appointment to DPS. Cate is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a graduate of the Institute of Company Directors. The Deputy Secretary has operational responsibility for the Finance and Property Services Division, Corporate Services Division, and the Security and Communication and Corporate Relations branches.

Synopsis

This presentation will address the complexity and often mis-understood elements that make up the Parliament of Australia. Since 2016, the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS) has been implementing a program of cultural shift to build a diverse and engaged workforce, based on a culture of 'living our values'. We have identified priorities that align to our core role - building a culture of service excellence in a department that is accountable, ethical and serves the Parliament with impartiality. We have initiated programs to increase diversity, and attract, retain and promote women in leadership roles. In a year frequently dominated by a narrative of 'toxic-culture' at Parliament House, this presentation will highlight successes and lessons learned from work that has transformed the culture of the DPS, and established the department as an employer of choice. The presentation will address our department's engagement with the recent reviews of Parliamentary workplaces.

Scott Fuller

Scott began his parliamentary career as Hansard editor in the Commonwealth Parliament before moving to Sydney to manage the Hansard team in the NSW Parliament. Since June 2020 he has been the senior program manager for the AV upgrade program, comprising a complete replacement of the Parliament's broadcast system, internal TV system, major AV upgrade to the catering venues and a cloud-based video on demand service.

Synopsis

Because of Covid-19, DPS in NSW has been asked at short notice to enable virtual and hybrid arrangements for parliamentary committees and the chambers. Also, NSW recently became the first jurisdiction in Australia to provide broadcasting of remote committee hearings in regional areas. We will describe the challenges and how we met them.

Dr Niki Vincent

Dr Niki Vincent was appointed as Victoria’s first Public Sector Gender Equality Commissioner in September 2020. She is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Gender Equality Act 2020 and plays a key leadership role in promoting gender equality in the Victorian community and workplaces.

Prior to that, Niki held the position of CEO of the Leaders Institute of South Australia as well as a concurrent appointment as a member of the Remuneration Tribunal of South Australia. She has also led major programs of academic research in previous roles, holds an appointment as an Adjunct Associate Professor in UniSA’s Business School and has established and run two successful not-for-profit organisations.

Clare McMullan

Clare McMullan commenced her career as a Sleep Scientist, specialising in Sleep Apnoea and Narcolepsy. Her passion for the employee experience (EX) combined with a background in Psychology (Bachelor of Science, Psychology and Psychophysiology) led her to a career in Human Resources.

Clare joined the Parliament of Victoria in 2014 as an Organisation Development Officer and progressed to the position of Senior People Partner in October 2019. Her role involves advising house departments, business unit managers and the DPS executive in relation to talent acquisition, employee relations, change management, policy, people analytics and systems. Clare is passionate about utilising technology to source the best talent, improve the employee experience and facilitate high-performing teams. She holds a Master of Commerce (Human Resource Management) from Swinburne Institute of Technology.

Daryl Slatter

Daryl is the Principal Research Adviser at the New Zealand Parliamentary Library / Te Pātaka Rangahau (part of the Parliamentary Service). He is the technical lead for the Library’s research, advisory and analysis services. Daryl has been in this role since August 2021 but has been a researcher in the Library since 2013. For about a year he was a Library representative on a select committee secretariat. Daryl has previously worked as a policy analyst in central government and has an MSc in environmental technology and international affairs.

Synopsis

This session will look at how a parliamentary research service can improve the quality of research, analysis, and advice available to select committees. New Zealand’s 53rd Parliament is the first time all subject committees and two special committees have had a researcher from the Parliamentary Library/Te Pātaka Rangahau on their secretariat. The Library had not been directly involved with committees in the past and the secretariat only had staff from the Office of the Clerk (a separate agency).    

The session will touch on why the Library started doing this, some of the challenges confronted, and how successful it has been so far. It will include some examples of what the day-to-day work looks like and the kind of support provided. 

Andres Lomp

As Community Engagement Manager for the Parliament of Victoria, over the past seven years Andres has worked with business units across parliament to develop and implement our first and subsequent community engagement strategies. Prior to this, Andres worked at the Australian Parliament as International and Community Relations Director, playing a key role in establishing the Pacific Parliamentary Partnerships program. Andres has also undertaken capacity building and professional development work for the Inter-Parliamentary Union and United Nations Development Programme in a range of countries.

Synopsis

Almost a quarter of the way through the 21st century, have parliaments gone far enough or been creative enough engaging with the communities they represent? Can more be done to enliven the way we interact with the public? How can the assets of Parliamentary Services be used to foster a more innovative engagement culture?

Dave Wills

David (Dave) Wills joined Parliamentary Service 6 years ago taking up the newly created Facilities and Property Asset Manager role. Dave previously held similar roles with the likes of ESR and Schering Plough Animal Health (a global animal vaccine manufacturer). Dave started out his work career in the 80’S with the then NZ Electricity corporation working his way through a range of exciting and challenging roles from the maintenance, management and construction of automated process and controls through into facilities construction, management and operations. Today Dave heads up the Parliamentary Service Buildings project management office and is the Project Director for the Parliamentary precinct Future Accommodation project. Dave has been through 2 parliamentary election cycles and as he will outline in his presentation these have posed unique challenges to our infrastructure and how we ensure Parliament operates as seamlessly as possible amid great change when executives and the mix and make of Parliament changes around an election and during a parliamentary term.

Synopsis

How do you take an entrenched Parliamentary Office Accommodation model that has seen minimal change to its fundamental operating model for over 100 years?  How do you initiate and enact change to achieve a result that not only provides fit for purpose office accommodation for the range of parliamentary and government functions but is also highly resilient to natural disasters, reflects climate change goals, is adaptable and flexible at short notice to requirements to change and is future proofed to allow for future expansion?   

The presentation will take you on a short journey of the history of the New Zealand Parliament buildings in Wellington from the mid 1800’s to today and explore where we are planning to take the buildings and the way we work with and in the buildings over the next 5 years. We will outline the challenges we have faced and how we responded and how they now shape our proposed future accommodation. 

Hans Landon-Lane

I’m proud to be the Digital Lead in New Zealand’s Parliamentary Engagement team, working across both the Parliamentary Service and the Office of the Clerk. Prior to joining the Office as social media advisor in 2017, my previous roles included digital marketing, communications and media analysis. Since then, I’ve helped to establish our (small but mighty!) Digital team, supporting our parliament’s website, social media, intranet, videography, digital broadcasting, apps and virtual/augmented reality experiences. I’m passionate about building better relationships between the people and their parliament, and about promoting public engagement as a core function of modern legislatures.

Synopsis

The New Zealand Parliament has recently released its Parliament Engagement Strategy 2021-24, building on the strategy first launched in 2018. This presentation explores the process used to create the new strategy, the changes we’ve made, our plans for implementation, and some of the challenges and opportunities that come with our Parliament’s growing maturity in this area.

Nicole Fotheringham

Nicole Fotheringham is the Manager of Property Services at DPS. With 20 years in the property industry, Nicole has worked across Commercial Asset Management and Residential Property Management, leasing and sales in the private sector and spent the past 12 years overseeing property operations across the state Electorate offices.

Synopsis

A review of the ‘Electorate Properties Unit’ in 2019 resulted in the unit’s roles and responsibilities being redefined, with a new electorate office framework and standards implemented to better align with the strategic direction of the Parliament of Victoria. The new ‘Property Services Team’ was created from this review – a client-focused and Member-centric model to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of electorate office relocation and refurbishment projects to ensure successful outcomes within an approved framework which meet Member expectations.

Property Partners are each assigned a portfolio of 18 electorate office properties and are the first point of call for all electorate office property matters and project issues, liaising with Members and electorate officers throughout the process. We reflect on how the model performed against its key objectives in the first 2 years as it met its first challenge: service delivery and relationship building in a global pandemic.

Paul Pamio

Paul Pamio is the Executive Director, Property and Precinct with Parliament of Victoria. Paul is an infrastructure and property specialist, having led various cross functional teams on major projects within the public and private sector. His experience spans across ports, public transport, public housing and road networks, having successfully led teams across the ‘whole of asset’ lifecycle. Paul understands the complexities to be managed as projects transition from strategy to planning, development and delivery through to the asset management phase.

Synopsis

A review of the ‘Electorate Properties Unit’ in 2019 resulted in the unit’s roles and responsibilities being redefined, with a new electorate office framework and standards implemented to better align with the strategic direction of the Parliament of Victoria. The new ‘Property Services Team’ was created from this review – a client-focused and Member-centric model to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of electorate office relocation and refurbishment projects to ensure successful outcomes within an approved framework which meet Member expectations.

Property Partners are each assigned a portfolio of 18 electorate office properties and are the first point of call for all electorate office property matters and project issues, liaising with Members and electorate officers throughout the process. We reflect on how the model performed against its key objectives in the first 2 years as it met its first challenge: service delivery and relationship building in a global pandemic.

Jeannie Douglass

Jeannie Douglass has led the NSW Parliament’s civics and community engagement programs for 10 years. A former secondary school teacher of History and English, Jeannie has a Master’s Degree in Arts (Applied History) and previously enjoyed a career at the Australian National Maritime Museum and the Historic Houses Trust. She is highly experienced and passionate about education, maintaining standards of excellence and communicating the purpose of the Legislature in an accessible, engaging way.

Synopsis

How the Parliament found a new and innovative way to engage families and young children. Featuring representatives from DPS Education.

Megan Perry

Megan Perry joined the Parliament of NSW as a Senior Education Officer in January 2021 after more than a decade as the Senior Manager of Learning at the State Library of NSW. Megan has extensive experience in developing learning programs for the full range of students across a number of syllabus areas. She is a skilled presenter who adapts her presentation skills for a range of age groups and audiences. Megan designed the Festival of Democracy during COVID to maximise our audience participation and learning, while keeping everyone safe.

Synopsis

How the Parliament found a new and innovative way to engage families and young children. Featuring representatives from DPS Education.

Robert Nielsen

Robert leads the development and delivery of Capital Works Strategy for Parliament House and State Electorate Offices. With 16 years of experience overseeing facilities services at the Parliament, for the last year Robert has been working exclusively with the capital works team, advancing the future planning of Parliament House while delivering key projects such as the construction of new access ramps, replacement of ceilings and building services.

Synopsis

The Department of Parliamentary Services in NSW is committed to delivering projects that promote accessibility and inclusivity for members, staff, visitors and NSW citizens. In this presentation we will share how we make Disability Inclusion a priority in Australia's first and oldest Parliament.

Narelle Wood

Narelle Wood has been working in the education sector for 20 years across primary and secondary schools and higher education. She has worked as a teacher trainer, educational researcher and educational consultant, working with students, teachers and schools both nationally and internationally. She has recently submitted her PhD focused on teacher practice and creativity.

Synopsis

This presentation explores the partnership between Worawa Aboriginal College and Parliament of Victoria in developing the Aboriginal Change Makers education resource. The discussion provides details on how the partnership with Worawa Aboriginal College developed, the approaches taken in developing the resource, including working collaboratively and negotiating responsibilities, and the ongoing opportunities for collaboration, dialogue and learning that have evolved.

Dwayne Waterman

My name is Dwayne Waterman, and I am very privileged to lead the security team as the Chief Security Officer (CSO).  I have been with Parliamentary Service for 7 years, the first 3 or so years in Human Resources, and the remainder as the CSO.  I am passionate about helping organisations reach their goals, and I believe a strong focus on leadership and people capability is critical for an organisation to achieve their strategic objectives.

Synopsis

Parliamentary Security Review:  This presentation will cover a change management project that led to transformational change to the physical security operating model for Parliament, resulting in significant uplift in capability, capacity, technology and culture – ultimately enabling Parliament to achieve its goals of being open, accessible, efficient, safe and secure.

Rafael Gonzalez-Montero

Rafael Gonzalez-Montero is the Chief Executive of the Parliamentary Service, a role he has held since January 2019.

The Parliamentary Service is the largest of the agencies housed in the parliamentary precinct. As of 30 June 2019, the Service employed 718 staff. 63.5% of staff are employed to support members of Parliament or the parliamentary party offices and 36.5% provide corporate support services and advice on behalf of the Chief Executive of the Parliamentary Service.

Rafael holds a Bachelor of Business Studies in International Business (2006) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (2008) from Massey University. He started working at the Office of the Clerk in 2006, as a Senior Parliamentary Officer (Inter Parliamentary Relations). In 2014 he became a Clerk-Assistant, and still works shifts as a Clerk-at-the-Table in the House. From 2015 to 2019 Rafael served as Deputy Clerk and then moved into his current role as Chief Executive of the Parliamentary Service.

Synopsis

This session provides an outline of the changes in the New Zealand Parliament over the last three years. These include changes to security, the Parliamentary Library, how the Francis Review into bullying and harassment is progressing, changes to how we review Speaker’s Directions, and working more closely with the Office of the Clerk, among other initiatives.

Andrew Kiejda

Andrew Kiejda is currently in the role of Senior Manager, Industrial Relations Projects - focusing on legislative and industrial reform for the NSW Parliament, along with other projects involving culture and WHS. Andrew has been with the Parliament for over 10 years in a variety of roles encompassing industrial relations, workplace relations and safety, and senior manager roles. Andrew also undertook the Parliamentary Law Practice and Procedure course in 2017/18 while on secondment to the Legislative Council as Deputy Usher of the Black Rod. Andrew has a background in employment relations and previously worked in central agencies, unions and private sector law.

Synopsis

The Parliament of NSW does not have enabling legislation for its administration and is the only Australian jurisdiction not to do so. This raises a number of governance, industrial and administrative issues such as a non-enshrined independence from the Executive government, as well as a lack of some powers in relation to the employment of parliamentary staff and the formal establishment of the Parliament's administrative departments. This discussion examines these issues, and what a future for parliamentary services governance for the NSW Parliament might look like.