Future-Ready Government, Designed Around People
Seamless, Smart, and Citizen-Centric Customer Contact & Digital Services
28-29 October 2025 | Hyatt Centric, Melbourne, Victoria
Conference Day One: Tuesday, 28th October 2025
9:00 am - 9:10 am
IQPC Opening Address |
Alexandra Craggs -
CX Portfolio Director,
IQPC Australia
9:10 am - 9:55 am
Panel Discussion | Seamless Citizen Experience, Even at Scale: Bridging High Volumes, Channel Fragmentation & Rising Expectations
Robert Parker -
Manager Customer Experience,
Glen Eira City Council
Melissa Thompson - Customer Service Manager, Whitehorse City Council
Jennifer Bednar - Director Customer and Corporate Services, City of Casey
Rowena Powell - Chief Growth Officer of Government, Probecx
Exploring what it takes to deliver seamless, equitable service experiences across touchpoints—while managing complexity, high demand, and rising citizen expectations.
→ Takeaway: Channel strategies and integration insights to improve service quality and responsiveness.
9:55 am - 10:15 am
PEER INSIGHT CIRCLES | SHARED CHALLENGES, SHARED SOLUTIONS
Step into a space built for connection, not presentation. In these small-group discussions, you’ll share real experiences, uncover practical solutions, and gain new perspectives from peers across government. Guided by conversation prompts, each circle focuses on a different challenge shaping the future of public service.
10:15 am - 10:50 am
Hume Case Study | The Greenhouse Effect: How Agile Transformed Experience at Hume
Claire Radbourne -
Manager, CX,
Hume City Council
What happens when you stop waiting for perfect plans and start growing change from the ground up?
Twelve months ago, we broke away from the traditional contact centre model and embraced agile — redefining how we work, how our teams connect, and how our customers experience us.
This session shares how small, simple shifts in mindset and method created big impact — transforming employee culture, customer experience, and the very rhythm of our organisation. In this session I’ll share how we used agile to :
- Empower teams to experiment, learn and lead change from within
- Connect employee experience and customer experience in real, measurable ways
- Cut through complexity and deliver transformation without big budgets or bureaucracy
Change doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated — it needs the right environment to grow. Welcome to the Greenhouse, where experience flourishes
→ Takeaway: Bureaucracy isn’t the barrier — mindset is. When you let go of perfect and focus on progress, even government can evolve — fast and from the inside out”
10:50 am - 11:15 am
Morning Networking Break |
11:15 am - 12:45 pm
IDG A | Supporting Staff Through System Change: Practical Strategies for Successful Transitions
Shanna Kripp -
Product Owner of CRM,
Maitland City Council
Bridget Wilks - Coordinator Customer Experience, Maitland City Council
Bridget Wilks - Coordinator Customer Experience, Maitland City Council
11:15 am - 12:45 pm
IDG B | Doing More with Less: Redefining Efficiency in Citizen Service
Robert Parker -
Manager Customer Experience,
Glen Eira City Council
11:15 am - 12:45 pm
IDG C | The Power of Unified Citizen Data
Clifford Heri -
Enforcement and Support Services Director,
Dept of Justice & Community Safety
12:45 pm - 1:45 pm
Lunch Networking Break |
1:45 pm - 2:20 pm
Case Study | Mental Health Matters: Balancing Personal, Environmental, and Workplace Pressures
Sally Forde -
General Manager - Mental Health Operations,
Australian Unity
This session will unpack how mental health challenges are shaped by the intersection of personal struggles, environmental factors, and workplace demands. Through real-world examples, it will show how leaders can support staff facing volatile conversations, create psychologically safe environments, and respond to rising demand for services in the community.
→ Takeaway: Approaches for balancing multiple mental health pressures to support both employees and the communities they serve.
2:20 pm - 3:05 pm
Panel Discussion | Leadership in the Age of Disruption: How Public Sector Executives Are Managing Risk, Culture & Innovation
Stephen Bond -
Service Delivery Projects Director,
Defence Housing Australia
Peter Jackowski - Head of Delivery - Consumer Energy Solutions, SEC Victoria
Peter Jackowski - Head of Delivery - Consumer Energy Solutions, SEC Victoria
Renae Patterson - Customer Service Manager, NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Mark Howard - Former-Senior Manager, Membership Services, Ambulance Victoria
Hear from senior leaders on balancing long-term transformation with immediate service delivery, and how they lead through uncertainty, political shifts, and workforce evolution.
→ Takeaway: Proven strategies to lead with vision while staying grounded in delivery realities.
Renae Patterson
Customer Service ManagerNSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
3:05 pm - 3:25 pm
Afternoon Networking Break & Coffee Connections |
Fuel up and connect with peers over coffee in a relaxed, conversation-driven setting. Take a moment to recharge, share insights, and make meaningful new connections through our Coffee Connections activity - a simple way to meet others tackling similar challenges and spark collaboration across Australia’s government customer leadership community.
3:25 pm - 4:00 pm
SRO CONTACT CENTRE: A JOURNEY TO SUCCESS THROUGH PEOPLE
Corrie Thomas -
Executive Director of Customer Services and Business Revenue,
State Revenue Office
The session will take the audience through the journey of transformation the SRO Contact Centre has undertaken over the last three years and how, through an unwavering focus on our people, we have responded to some extraordinary challenges yet improved every aspect of our performance.
→ Takeaway: By placing people – agents and customers - at the heart of our transformation and maintaining an unwavering
focus on enhancing their experience, the SRO Contact Centre has improved every aspect of its performance.
Corrie Thomas
Executive Director of Customer Services and Business RevenueState Revenue Office
4:00 pm - 4:45 pm
Panel Discussion | Happy Staff = Better Service: Using Technology to Enhance the Employee Experience
Jordy Ughetti -
CXO,
Cenitex
Matt Henderson - Inspector - Police Assistance Line & Online Reporting Contact Centre, Victoria Police
David Honour - Enquiries Manager, Holmesglen institute
Samantha Price - Head of Customer & Business Improvement, City of Port Phillip
From automation and AI assistants to smart workflows and digital coaching—this panel explores how to reduce friction for staff and improve the quality of citizen interactions.
→ Takeaway: Tech-enabled workforce models that boost satisfaction, speed, and service quality.
Matt Henderson
Inspector - Police Assistance Line & Online Reporting Contact CentreVictoria Police
4:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Ideas Jam | From Shared Challenges to Fresh Solutions
Time to get creative. In this interactive session, you’ll join fellow public sector leaders to explore new solutions to everyday challenges. Designed for open conversation and collaboration, the Idea Jam invites you to share experiences, challenge assumptions, and co-create ideas that can make a real difference in how government serves communities.
Working in small groups, you’ll tackle key themes shaping the future of public service - from digital inclusion and workforce capability to citizen engagement and trust. The focus is on practical, people-powered innovation: taking collective insight and turning it into actionable ideas you can take back to your organisation.
Bring your curiosity, your creativity, and your best ideas - this is where transformation begins
