Speakers
The 2008 Conference featured speakers from the private and public sectors.
Wednesday 19 November
Our facilitator - Peter Couchman |
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Peter Couchman’s career as a broadcast journalist spans over thirty years in both radio and television. He has met and interviewed many of the prominent public figures who have shaped the contemporary history of Australia. He became well known as a reporter and front man on the pioneering ABC current affairs programs This Day Tonight, Four Corners and the 7:30 Report. He also worked as a foreign correspondent in SE Asia for a number of years. Peter will use his many talents to MC the sessions on Wednesday. [top] |
The Financial Challenges Facing the Queensland Public Sector - The Honourable Andrew Fraser MP, Treasurer |
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Andrew Fraser was born in Proserpine, Queensland on 15 September 1976. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Commerce 1st Class Honours, Winner University Medal and Australian Students Prize 1993. Prior to election to State Parliament, Andrew was a Campaign Coordinator for the Australian Labor Party, National Secretariat. As state Treasurer, Andrew will be giving us his insights to the future of financial pressures on the Queensland State budget and possible future measures to improve funding for the delivery of front line services [top] |
Frontline Service Delivery – Rachel Hunter, Director-General |
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Rachel was appointed as Director-General in September 2006 and is the Department’s Chief Executive, responsible to the Premier and the Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts for leading and managing the Department. Prior to her appointment, Rachel was the Director-General of the Department of Justice and Attorney-General and served as Queensland’s Public Service Commissioner. Rachel has extensive experience in the vocational, education and training sector, initially as a teacher and then in a variety of management roles, including Institute Director positions. Most notably, Rachel was the Director of the Southbank Institute of TAFE and concurrently, the Chair of TAFE Queensland. [top] |
People and Customer Services - Terry Hawkins |
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Terry draws on a vast foundation of knowledge, techniques & experience. Ask Terry Hawkins what her specialty is & she will tell you simply - PEOPLE. Whether it's discussing the most cutting edge sales techniques, bringing a team together with focus & drive or changing the patterns of managers, her audiences walk away inspired & motivated, with tools to create outstanding results. [top] |
SEQ Infrastructure Projects – Dave Stewart, A/Director-General |
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Dave Stewart is the acting Director-General of Queensland Transport, a role he commenced recently. In this role Dave is responsible to the Minister for Transport, Trade and Industrial Relations for the leadership, system stewardship and service delivery of the transport system. This role also has a direct interface with Trade Queensland. He also maintains a role supporting the Premier on issues of urban congestion. Dave Stewart joined the Queensland Government as Deputy Coordinator-General in September 2006. He was responsible for the delivery of the $9 billion South East Queensland Water Grid within the Department of Infrastructure and Planning. Such projects included the Gold Coast Desalination Plant, the Southern Regional Water Pipeline Project, and the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project. He continues on the Board of Sure Smart Water – the company delivering the Gold Coast Desalination Plant. His career, spanning some 25 years, has predominantly been in the public sector, although he has worked for consultants and contractors both in Australia and in the United Kingdom delivering civil infrastructure projects. He is a Chartered Civil Engineer and holds Masters Degrees in Business and Engineering Science and has completed an executive program at Harvard University looking at private sector involvement in the delivery of infrastructure. [top] |
Thursday 20 November
Complaint Management – Peter Cantwell |
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Peter joined the Queensland Ombudsman’s Office in 1997 as an investigator and was appointed an Assistant Ombudsman in 1999. He leads the Administrative Improvement Unit, a cross-agency specialist unit responsible for the conduct of complex and sensitive investigations that require significant dedicated time and resources and which may involve the use of coercive powers. Peter has recently overseen the investigative audits of a number of significant Queensland regulators. These audits led to the production of Tips & Traps for Regulators in November 2007, the first in a series of Ombudsman publications using a tips & traps theme. In December 2007, his Unit produced the Councillor Code of Conduct Report for the guidance of local governments in Queensland. Peter holds an Honours Degree in Law from the Queensland University of Technology. He is an experienced workplace trainer and regularly provides training to public sector officers in the areas of good decision-making, complaints management, administrative law and investigative and regulatory practice. [top] |
Media and Government - Philip Castle |
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Philip is a lecturer in Journalism at QUT. He has over 30 years experience in the news media, having published national and special interest articles and worked for The Canberra Times in various roles. Philip will discuss methods of generating positive news and managing negative news; investigating the changing face of news media including on-line delivery; and recent media developments including freedom of information, freedom of the press and Cabinet in-Confidence documents. [top] |
FBT and Changes for agencies - Neil Donaldson |
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After being in place for over 20 years, the Fringe Benefits Tax legislation has seen large changes to threshold levels. The RFBA level has doubled, Minor Benefits limit has increased and the new rules for "pooled" vehicles and their impact on the RFBA will be a significant challenge for agencies looking at minimising their FBT. Neil Donaldson has had an extensive involvement in Commonwealth taxes through working in the Australian Taxation Office, Chartered Accountancy firm as an Indirect Taxation Manager, and most recently as a Principal Treasury Analyst in Queensland Treasury with responsibility for a range of Commonwealth Taxes including Fringe Benefits Tax. Neil has the primary role of managing the FBT obligations of the Queensland State Government in conjunction with departmental representatives and represents Queensland at national forums on FBT. [top] |
Environmental Reporting – Co-presented by Bob Shead and Richard Oldham |
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Bob Shead is a Partner at BDO Kendalls where he specialises in financial management and corporate governance assignments for public sector clients, including departments, business units, GOCs, statutory authorities and local governments. Prior to 2000, Bob gained 25 years experience in government, including at Queensland Treasury and in the Queensland Audit Office. During 2003 and 2004, he was the Asian Development Bank’s lead financial management advisor to the Government of Fiji. He is the chair or member of a number of public sector audit and risk management committees and currently chairs the advisory group to Griffith University’s Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics Richard Oldham qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in South Africa in 2001. That was followed by work as an auditor and financial accountant in the UK with Rothschild Bank until 2004. He then moved to Australia and worked as a financial accountant with ABC Learning Centres. Whilst at ABC, Richard completed a Masters of Environmental Management, which included climate change and greenhouse gas science and policy. In 2008, he joined Environmental and Licensing Professionals Pty Ltd to manage the Greenhouse Gas Risk Management Consultancy where his skills in internal control systems, auditing and greenhouse gas management fit well. [top] |
How to Attract & Retain the Best People – Penny Burke |
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Penny Burke is an accomplished public speaker who has worked in the field of marketing and advertising for over 20 years. She has such famous advertising campaigns as the ‘Pro Hart Stainmaster Carpet’, ‘Uncle Tobys’ and ‘Milk. Legendary Stuff’ to her credit. She holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing), is a full member of the Australian Social and Market Research Society and sits on the Board of Kennards Hire, a privately owned tool hire company. [top] |
Friday 21 November
The Great Escape - Darren Flanagan |
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Darren Flanagan received a call late on the Sunday night that Todd and Brant were discovered to be still alive. That one phone call changed his life from that of an ordinary family man, to a real hero of the great escape. This is a dramatic and exciting story. A private Lear Jet is hired at midnight to fly to Nowra and pick up Darren to take him directly to the mine, it is to be a flight that changes his life forever. Darren was nicked named “The Gun” by Todd and Brant because he is the one who charges and fires the shots of the explosives that eventually release them from their tomb 925m underground. Be inspired as Darren tells his tale and inspires you to be the “Gun”. [top] |
Guest Speaker - Lauren Burns |
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Lauren Burns created sporting history by winning the first ever Olympic medal for Taekwondo when the sport made its debut at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Lauren was one of only three Australian women to win an individual Olympic Gold Medal. Her amazing triumph at the Sydney Games was achieved against the odds – requiring enormous discipline, commitment, perseverance and teamwork. Since the Sydney Olympics, Lauren has emerged as one of the most successful Olympians from these Games. She has spoken to over 150,000 people in the past 5 years and in her presentations Lauren talks about what it takes to be successful. She transforms her stories and experiences into life skills making them entertaining and relevant to her listeners. Lauren enjoys a variety of commitments due to her newly accredited celebrity and is currently on the Athletes commission of both the Australian Olympic Committee and Taekwondo Australia. [top] |
Guest Speaker - Dorinda Hafner |
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Dorinda is a whirlwind of exuberance, out-of-your-skin energy and an abundant wealth of talent and knowledge. She is a magnet for young and old alike. Everyone who has seen her in action cannot avoid being inspired and motivated. She is a TV presenter, foodie, actor/comedienne, writer, public speaker and a “happening thang”. [top] |