In 2022 the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) needed to move quickly to respond to a complex policy challenge. Exotic animal diseases, including the potentially devastating foot-and-mouth disease, were affecting Australia’s closest neighbours. The department needed to ensure Australia was prepared should the worst happen and the disease be detected in Australia.
When Deputy Secretary Rosemary Deininger brought together the Agriculture Policy Taskforce, key characteristics of public service reform were embedded from the start.
We are all familiar with the APS Reform vision outlined by Minister Gallagher, but at a tangible level, how do you ‘do’ reform? Here’s how the Agriculture Policy Taskforce experienced reform in action while delivering a priority piece of work in a short timeframe.
Establishing the taskforce itself was a reform activity, dedicating resources and generating rapid responses to a government priority.
A multi-disciplinary team was brought together with staff across different classifications and locations, all with diverse perspectives and experience. Deep subject matter experts from the department and across the Australian Public Service, different states and territories, and industry were engaged to contribute to the process.
Agriculture Policy Taskforce Principal Director Ben Mitchell said the taskforce was established with a flat management structure.
‘We embraced agile practices to manage workflow and risk, share workloads and accelerate outcomes,’ Ben said.
‘Getting the right people for the job was critical. This meant engaging staff with the right experience, offering mobility opportunities and using our Policy Office as an in-house consultancy to drive new ways of working and the APS Reform agenda.’
Innovative thinking and collaboration were essential for the taskforce.
‘We used technologies such as Mural digital whiteboards, SharePoint and Microsoft Teams to stay connected, collaborate and share ideas in an accelerated way,’ Ben said.
Co-design is essential for good policy practice. The taskforce engaged with diverse stakeholders, including farmers, businesses, industry, and various levels of government to co-design biosecurity policies and funding models.
‘Building public trust and confidence in government was a key priority,’ Ben said.
‘We embraced public transparency by sharing information and commissioning independent reviews to identify opportunities for improving biosecurity preparedness.’
By embracing new ways of working, the taskforce was able to work collaboratively, achieve capability uplift and deliver accelerated outcomes.
It delivered a series of collaborative workshops and a Senate Inquiry submission and prepared a final report on how DAFF could strengthen its preparedness capability.
The team’s work has strengthened DAFF’s biosecurity preparedness, and the taskforce model will serve as a blueprint for future rapid responses to government priorities.
The success of the Agriculture Policy Taskforce is a great example of how DAFF is driving APS Reform and improving how we do things as a department.
You can learn more about the work of the Agriculture Policy Taskforce in the Overview and Experiencing reform in action placemats.