09:00AM – 09:10AM

09:10AM – 10:00AM

Integrity in the Australian Public Service (APS) is a broad and essential concept. The APS Commission defines integrity as “doing the right thing at the right time” to achieve the best outcomes for the Australian community and the government of the day. 

This panel will explore the practical behaviours, cultural drivers and leadership approaches that help build and sustain a genuinely pro-integrity culture across the public sector. Discussion will focus on the habits that matter most, how they support better decision-making, and how senior leaders can model integrity in their daily work.

10:30AM – 11:30AM

This session covers essential administrative law decisions and developing trends from 2025. It will highlight the Courts’ approach to key principles, issues the Administrative Review Council is considering, and the growing influence of technology in administrative decision-making. We will also provide practical guidance for in-house government lawyers and delegates.

How do we arrive at the right contract? How do we gain agreement across the negotiating table? Some simple methods to manage risk, uncertainty, scope, compliance, probity, and price, to deliver outcomes for the Public Sector. 

11:30AM – 12:30PM

The rules of digital governance have changed overnight. From the fallout of landmark civil penalties to the mandated rollout of the APS AI Plan 2025, the landscape is now defined by unprecedented enforcement.  
This session cuts through the noise. Discover how the case law is rewriting data security standards and how your agency must prepare for the next wave of reform.

There’s a saying that if you want to know about the latest Cabinet decision, just go and hang around the Kingston Hotel. And yet, there’s never been more focus on the importance of integrity, fraud and corruption. Hear about the ongoing efforts across Government to strengthen integrity, including the integrity maturity risk assessment, and receive practical advice on how to build a pro-integrity culture.

1:30PM – 2:30PM

How can you ensure your procurement complies with Commonwealth policy and legislation, and avoid adverse findings by the ANAO? The session will follow a fictional procurement, from planning to contract expiry, and show all the ways in which the procurement can go wrong, by using real adverse findings by the ANAO, and what should have been done instead.

Smart decisions begin with clearly identifying and defining the right question, the relevant stakeholders, and the supporting data. By applying operations analysis and systems thinking, organisations can clarify and reframe problems, select the most appropriate analytical methods, and identify leverage points – avoiding costly fixes that fail to address root causes. 
This session will unpack the typical analysis cycle, showing how structured decision support enables smart decisions with clarity and confidence.  

2:30PM – 3:30PM

Do emojis have legal effect ⚖? Should they be protected by LPP in communications between a lawyer and client 💻? Should they be used in statutory interpretation 📃?  This session combines 3 short and sweet presentations to update you on recent developments on LPP, statutory interpretation and the latest emoji jurisprudence 👍.

Most programs don’t fail because of a lack of intent or funding. They fail because delivery capability does not keep pace with complexity, scale and risk. 
This session focuses on what sets programs up for success and what to do when programs start to drift.

4:00PM – 5:00PM

Legal ethics, compliance, and professional responsibility are often assumed to be inseparable. This panel discussion challenges that assumption, asking whether integrity in government practice should be seen as a shared leadership responsibility across the public service. 

By re-examining the boundaries between law, ethics, and organisational accountability, our discussion will explore how government lawyers and advisors can contribute to futureproofing the public service – strengthening integrity, building capability, and ensuring that responsibility for ethical governance is embedded at every level and in all areas of a department.

5:00PM – 5:10PM