EP#137: Purposeful productivity with Danielle Wood
Work with Purpose: A podcast about the Australian Public SectorShow Notes
On today’s episode of Work with Purpose, Danielle Wood, Chair of the Productivity Commission, reflects on how the Commission’s role has evolved—from her early days as a graduate to leading its national reform agenda. As Australia faces slower growth and rising complexity, how can public policy adapt to deliver long-term productivity and social progress? Danielle joins host David Pembroke, CEO of contentgroup, to discuss how the commission continues to provide rigorous, independent advice in the public interest while expanding its focus to the care economy, First Nations policy, and Closing the Gap. She also explores the challenges of lifting productivity in the service sector, the slower impact of new technologies, the importance of diversity in economic leadership, and how to deliver frank advice that drives long-term reform.
Key tips: Embed Closing the Gap priorities into your policy and program design to help drive meaningful, long-term change Champion diversity in economics to ensure a broader range of perspectives and better policy outcomes Value independent advice as a cornerstone of good governance, even when it challenges the status quo.
Show notes Quarterly productivity bulletin – March 2025 | Productivity Commission Closing the Gap Review | Productivity Commission Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Work with Purpose: A podcast about the Australian Public Sector
After 164 episodes, we bid farewell to Work with Purpose. Marking this special occasion, IPAA ACT CEO Kate Driver turns the microphone around on host David Pembroke, CEO of contentgroup, and one of the podcast’s first guests, IPAA National President Andrew Metcalfe AO.
On the penultimate episode of Work with Purpose, Jaala Hinchcliffe, Secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Services, shines a light on the important, yet often unseen work of DPS, and discusses why integrity is not simply something people have or lack, but rather a skill that must be practised.
Governments generate endless information, but so much of it goes unseen. So, how do we turn it into content people actually care about?
What happens when senior leaders step out of meeting rooms and into frontline service environments?
In this episode of Work with Purpose, we discuss how a widening gap between external change and internal capability in the public sector is becoming a major threat to both public trust and effective government. As governments navigate social media distortion, geopolitical instability, cognitive warfare and rapid advances in AI, many public institutions are still operating in rigid, slow-moving ways better suited to an earlier era.