Public Sector Podcast

Join Arlene Williams (Associate Deputy Minister and Chief Digital Officer) and Clay Bates (Executive Director of AI and Cloud Engineering) of the Department of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions, who share how the Government of Nova Scotia is turning AI into a practical, trusted capability that improves how government delivers clear, reliable online services. The focus isn't on AI for hype's sake—it's on using AI in everyday work to lift productivity, modernise service delivery, and build long-term digital resilience across the public service.
 
You'll hear how the Department of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions (CSDS) is making this real: deploying secure, approved AI productivity tools inside existing platforms, building in-house expertise to design and run AI-enabled services tailored to public sector needs, and reducing reliance on external support by strengthening internal capability—while keeping accountability, security, and the human connection at the centre of public service.
 
Arlene Williams, Associate Deputy Minister, Chief Digital Officer, Department of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions, Government of Nova Scotia, Clay Bates, Executive Director, AI & Cloud Engineering, Department of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions, Government of Nova Scotia
 
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This week, we are joined by Matt Moffat, Program Director, Department of Treasury and Finance, Sarah Taylor, Chief Financial Officer & Executive Director, Corporate Services, Department for Correctional Services who look at what it takes to deliver a world-class Treasury capability through a generational uplift—enabling faster, more accurate, and reformed financial services that better meet modern expectations.
Matt and Sarah also cover the practical realities of modernising finance systems so government can make better-informed decisions and allocate resources more effectively as population and business growth increases. A key example is the first pilot with the Department for Correctional Services, showing how automation and improved insights can lift productivity and deliver more value back to the state.
 
Matt Moffat, Program Director, Department of Treasury and Finance, Sarah Taylor, Chief Financial Officer & Executive Director, Corporate Services, Department for Correctional Services
 
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This week we sit down with Josie Cluer, Global Government & Infrastructure Workforce and Citizens Leader, EY, Alexander Evans, Associate Dean for Strategic Development, School of Public Policy, London School of Economics, Robyn Scott, CEO & Co-Founder, Apolitical and Kate Delgado-Kizer, EY Global Government & Infrastructure Sector Insights Senior Analyst who focus on the growing pressure governments face to deliver public value in a fast-changing, digital environment - while managing challenges like skills shortages, demographic change, and intensifying competition with the private sector for talent. Our guests explore why these forces are stretching public services and why workforce capability is becoming central to successful transformation.

At the centre of the discussion is EY's first annual Future-Fit Workforce Study, drawing on insights from 14,000+ public servants across 25 countries to define what "future fit" really means and how ready governments are today. The episode shares early findings and practical perspectives on what it takes to build a well-led, well-managed, highly skilled public service.
Josie Cluer, Global Government & Infrastructure Workforce and Citizens Leader, EY,  Alexander Evans, Associate Dean for Strategic Development, School of Public Policy, London School of Economics, Kate Delgado-Kizer, EY Global Government & Infrastructure Sector Insights Senior Analyst, Robyn Scott, CEO & Co-Founder, Apolitical
For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co

This week, our episode marks a timely moment—20 years since New Zealand signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)—and Victoria Wray, Manager Agency Standards and Integration, Department of Internal Affairs and Shu Run Yap, Principal Advisor, Operations and Delivery Strategy & Enablement, Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People use it as a lens to discuss accessibility and inclusion by design. The conversation focuses on how New Zealand can close the digital divide by moving beyond accessibility as a late-stage fix and instead embedding lived experience and inclusive thinking into the architecture of digital service delivery.
You'll hear the "why" and the "how" of the shift underway: treating accessibility as core public service infrastructure (not a procurement checkbox), designing services around choice and equitable channels, and transitioning from legacy web standards to a broader digital accessibility standard that covers apps, documents, and more. The episode also explores feedback-driven innovation—making it easier for people to report barriers, using accessibility statements and clear contact channels, and ensuring AI-enabled services don't unintentionally amplify bias or exclude disabled communities.
Victoria Wray, Manager Agency Standards and Integration, Department of Internal Affairs and Shu Run Yap
Principal Advisor, Operations and Delivery Strategy & Enablement, Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People.
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Vaiju Joshi, Portfolio Director, Mobility Transformationn, SA Police looks at next-generation policing at SA Police and how technology can better support frontline work — with the bigger goal of safer communities. It highlights the realities officers face across metro and regional areas: long distances, constant context switching, limited connectivity, and heavy admin.
It then outlines SAPOL's "mobile office on the go" approach, where the mobile phone becomes the primary device for accessing systems, completing workflows, and staying informed in the field. The episode also shares early results and why co-design "for frontline, by frontline" is key to making the change stick.
Vaiju Joshi, Portfolio Director, Mobility Transformation, SA Police
 
For more great insights head to www.PublicSectorNetwork.co