GovComms: The Future of Government Communication

"In 2019, this department of customer service [was] created. And I think the mission at the time that we were set was to make New South Wales the world's most customer-centric government. And that's the mission that we're on." - William Murphy We are wrapping up our interviews on a high note with a jam-packed episode of inspiration featuring William Murphy, NSW Government's Deputy Secretary for Cu...

"Our collective governance has evolved over time... based on what we've learned and what the opportunity is and who's involved. So, it's never a static thing... We're always open to going, "Oh, this is how we should pivot," or, "This is how we should reframe what we're about," ... we're looking at ... bringing new people to the table to help us think about how we can get more impact." - Tiffany Pe...

In the GovComms chair this week is the Director of Communication with Cushman & Wakefield, Ben Roberts. Ben is an experienced strategic communication expert with comprehensive experience in the Australian Public Service and in the Australian Defence Industry. A Navy veteran, Ben has spent the last several years in senior communication roles in the Defence industry and prior to that he was a se...

"When you're in a meeting... you've got the opportunity to observe, [so] take the minutes of the unspoken. The unspoken in where people sit, what the body language is like, who's talking the most, who's chairing and why, who are they listening to? There are power dynamics in every relationship, especially where we come together as strangers to get things done." - Melinda Maddock In this episodes o...

In this episode of GovComms we discuss all things Change 2022. Change is an annual event that is tailored to individuals who are focused on achieving measurable change that benefits people, communities, and the planet.  During the 2-day conference, you will learn from people with a track record of delivering positive health, environment and social change. You will network, collaborate with an...

In a new series for GovComms we will be going along for the ride to follow the journey of the University of Adelaide's latest multi-year, multi-phase research project, which is called Collective Engagement for Social Purpose. For this new series, we will regularly be joined by Dr. Taylor Willmott and Professor Jodie Conduit, who are from the university's business school. In this weeks episode, we...

"Reputation management is not just communication, but for our team, it means not over promising and under delivering." - Evan Ekin-Smyth The final four principles are discussed in part two of our conversation with Evan Ekin - Smyth, Director of Media and Digital Engagement at the AEC. Evan also discusses some of the strategies the AEC uses to stay ahead and on top of the narrative in this epi...

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) played an important role in keeping the recent Federal Election in Australia on track. Our latest two-part series features Evan Ekin-Smyth, director of media and digital engagement at the AEC. Starting at the beginning, host David Pembroke, CEO of contentgroup, walks with Evan through the early stages of his career. "I think you spend, I don't kn...

"If you did something that wasn't risky and no one even looked at it, what was the point? I don't think it's successful communication. It might be good internally...but if you're actually thinking about who you're communicating with and what you did no one saw and no one interacted with, I don't think that's worth it.' - Tim Price On this weeks episode of GovComms, host and CEO of contentgroup, Da...

"There are so many opportunities to make sure that every element of what we do is actually usable and accessible. And I don't mean just accessible in terms of being able to be accessed by screen readers and that sort of thing, but accessed and understood by the general public generally is a challenge." - Deborah Rice On this weeks episode of GovComms, Deborah Rice, Content Strategy & Editorial...

This week we are joined by CEO of the Digital Skills Network (DSO), Patrick Kidd. Patrick and host, CEO and Founder of contentgroup, David Pembroke, discuss the importance of developing digital skills. The pair first begin by addressing what digital skills are, how to upskill your employees in digital skills and how companies can make better use of their employees digital skills. "A classic exampl...

In a new series for GovComms we will be going along for the ride to follow the journey of the University of Adelaide's latest multi-year, multi-phase research project, which is called Collective Engagement for Social Purpose. For this new series, we will regularly be joined by Dr. Taylor Willmott and Professor Jodie Conduit, who are from the university's business school. The project emerged as a c...

Your host, CEO and Founder of contentgroup, David Pembroke, is joined by two of the OECD's policy analysts, Karine Badr and Carlotta Alfonsi, to discuss the OECD's Report on Public Communications. The trio walk through some of the key findings of the report and share the process in which the data was obtained.   Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, government was rushed into the opportunity of utili...

"We often think of performance in a pejorative way, as though that's a bad thing. The thing about performance is that if it is genuine and a reflection of the message that you genuinely feel and want to communicate, then the performance component of that is just the way in which you manage to achieve that task most effectively." - Richard Morecroft In this episode of GovComms we are joined by Form...

In this weeks episode, we bring you part two of our interview with the CEO of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), Sanjay Pradhan. The current war in Ukraine, Sanjay explains, is providing a window of opportunity for democracies to ban together and challenge authoritarianism. "I believe in galvanising action, I believe in galvanising coalitions ...to get to the root of the problem. One route is...

This weeks GovComms podcast welcomes a special guest, the Open Government Partnerships CEO, Sanjay Pradhan. Sanjay joined the OGP in May of 2016. Before reaching the OGP, Sanjay served as the World Bank’s Vice President for Leadership, Learning and Innovation and the Vice President of the World Bank Institute, and the Director for Governance.  Host, CEO and Founder of contentgroup, David Pemb...

This weeks episode of GovComms welcomes, Melanie Gibbons Communications Advisor at Elm Communications. Melanie has over eighteen years’ experience in communications across government, not-for-profit and the private sector in Australia and the United Kingdom. Before moving into consultancy, Melanie worked in the Commonwealth Government for over a decade.  Your host, CEO and Founder of contentg...

In this GovComms episode your host, CEO and Founder of contentgroup, David Pembroke chats with Stephanie Speck, the Executive Director and Chief Comms Officer for the Department of Education & Training, Victoria. The pair begin by discussing the topic of truth. How to encourage someone to speak the truth, why you should speak the truth and why your external perspective as a communications prof...

Joining us on the podcast today is Phil Brown, Founding Partner & Advisor at The Growth Activist, a strategy and communication consultancy that turns provocative thinking into action. CEO and Founder of contentgroup, David Pembroke chats with Phil about the importance of strategy. They discuss how communications has changed in recent years and why strategy has become the centre of good communi...

In this GovComms episode we travel to the windy city of Chicago to chat with Tyler Masterson; the CEO and Co-Founder of True Roll. True Roll is an innovative, Chicago-based start-up company focused on helping governments maintain accurate tax data so that property tax burdens are distributed equitably among citizens. Host of GovComms, CEO and Founder of contentgroup, David Pembroke, discusses with...

In this week’s GovComms Podcast, Andrew Bell takes the host chair as he asks guest CEO and Founder of contentgroup, David Pembroke his latest thoughts on the future of government communications. The pair discuss how government departments should begin to think like a media company's and have a content strategy to improve internal communications. There is an opportunity for communicators to add val...

We bring some of our best episodes back to work in this special GovComms Podcast episode.   Join your host, CEO and Founder of contentgroup David Pembroke take a walk down memory lane as we highlight key discussions covering crisis communication during COVID-19, storytelling, content communication, and more.   Tune in as government communication professional Dr Neryl East provides insigh...

To move forward, it is often good to reflect.  In this GovComms podcast episode we turn the tables on GovComms podcast host David Pembroke to get his take on 2021.   This podcast deep dives into lessons learnt and challenges faced in the year coming to a close. Nothing is off limits. In the hosting chair is an old friend of David's, Andrew Bell. The pair begin by talking about David...

Effective communication is like creating the perfect Martini or mocktail according to Phillip Jones. The Director of Marketing, Fundraising and Communications for St Vincent de Paul for Canberra/Goulburn shares his wealth of consulting experience, which includes being the “Martini Whisperer”, with the GovComms podcast. GovComms host, CEO and Founder of contentgroup, David Pembroke, has a fun and i...

This GovComms podcast episode welcomes back Roger Christie, the Founder of Propel Group.  Following on from part one, CEO and Founder of contentgroup David Pembroke discusses all things P-L-A-N Framework (Profile, Listening, Action and Network) with Roger. The pair deep dive into how the P-L-A-N framework can/should be implemented and what leaders can gain from Propel Groups recent White paper inv...