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 Two: Wednesday, 29th October 2025
9:00 am - 9:05 am
Chair’s Opening Remarks |
9:05 am - 9:35 am
Victoria Police Case Study | From Call-Taker Dependency to Digital First Services
Matt Henderson -
Inspector - Police Assistance Line & Online Reporting Contact Centre,
Victoria Police
Victoria Police is on a journey to shift from a 20/80 to a 50/50 ratio of online self-service to telephony by 2025. This session will explore how a blend of AI-driven solutions, omni-channel design, and human-centred digital services is helping reduce call wait times, streamline crime reporting, and improve workforce wellbeing. From Australia's first AI-generated crime narratives to return-to-work models for injured staff, this case study shares what’s working, what’s next, and what others can learn.
→ Takeaway: Strategies to reduce telephony reliance and design a digitally confident public contact experience.
Matt Henderson
Inspector - Police Assistance Line & Online Reporting Contact CentreVictoria Police
9:35 am - 10:05 am
Auraya Case Study |
Sponsored by: Auraya
10:05 am - 10:35 am
Victoria Legal Aid Case Study | Designing for Impact: Building Accessible, Connected & People First Services
Jon Cina -
Associate Director Legal Help,
Victoria Legal Aid
Sharon Ryan - Legal Help Reform Implementation Manager, Victorian Legal Aid
Modern service design is prioritising accessibility, connection, and workforce wellbeing. Future-focused operating models are shifting away from one-size-fits-all delivery toward tailored experiences that meet people where they are, strengthen collaboration across ecosystems, and empower teams to thrive. This session explores how to embed these principles into sustainable service transformation—through culture, capability, and continuous learning.
→ Takeaway: Approaches to designing public services that are more accessible, more connected, and more sustainable for the teams delivering them
10:35 am - 11:05 am
Speed Networking
11:05 am - 11:35 am
Morning Networking Break |
11:35 am - 12:05 pm
Government Keynote | Connect, Click, Change: Putting People at the Heart of Digital transformation
Shanna Kripp -
Product Owner of CRM,
Maitland City Council
Bridget Wilks - Coordinator Customer Experience, Maitland City Council
Digital transformation is not just about upgrading systems; it's about empowering people. In this session, we’ll explore how local government can drive meaningful change by placing communities, staff, and stakeholders, at the centre of digital initiatives. Drawing on real world examples and practical insights, this presentation will highlight the critical role of engagement, communication, and capability-building in ensuring technology delivers lasting value.
Join us to unpack strategies for building digital confidence across diverse workforces, fostering a culture of innovation, and ensuring transformation efforts are inclusive, sustainable, and people powered.
12:05 pm - 12:35 pm
Case Study | Scaling Platform Operations: Lessons Learned in Reliability, Speed and Cost
Nageswari Vijayakumar -
Service Delivery Manager: Technology and Digital Platforms,
Department of Premier and Cabinet
Delivering and maintaining a high-volume, high-stakes digital front door for government is no small task. From managing 199 web presences to coordinating vendor contracts, charge-back models, and shared platforms across multiple programs, this session offers an unfiltered look at the challenges, trade-offs, and wins behind the scenes of a customer digital portal. It’s a story of frontline lessons, stakeholder complexity, incident response, and the continuous improvement needed to keep critical services running.
→ Takeaway: Practical insights for managing complexity, driving improvements, and staying resilient at the heart of digital government operations.
Nageswari Vijayakumar
Service Delivery Manager: Technology and Digital PlatformsDepartment of Premier and Cabinet
12:35 pm - 1:05 pm
Case Study | Building a High-Trust Supplier Relationship to Drive Contact Centre Transformation
1:05 pm - 1:35 pm
Lunch Networking Break |
2:05 pm - 2:45 pm
Panel Discussion | Data-Driven Operations: From Insight to Action
Martha Carr -
Branch Manager of Client Services,
Department of Education
Hear how leading agencies are turning data into live decision support—improving performance, pre-empting issues, and delivering better citizen outcomes.
→ Takeaway: Tactics to go beyond dashboards and create a culture of continuous improvement.
2:45 pm - 3:25 pm
Closing Panel | The Future of Government Contact Centres: Always-On, Predictive & Proactive: Are We Ready?
Stephen Bond -
Director, Service Delivery Projects,
Defence Housing Australia
David Flanagan - Service Optimisation and Enablement Manager, State Revenue Office
Steven Short - Senior Manager, Customer Service Team, Australian Financial Complaints Authority
A future-focused conversation exploring the technologies, mindsets, and models that will define the next decade of contact centre transformation in government.
→ Takeaway: Where to invest and what to prioritise to build proactive, AI-augmented services.
Steven Short
Senior Manager, Customer Service TeamAustralian Financial Complaints Authority
