Work with Purpose: A podcast about the Australian Public Sector

EP#116: Why cultural and linguistic diversity matters: Unpacking the APS CALD Employment Strategy

Work with Purpose: A podcast about the Australian Public Sector

Show Notes

On this episode, Dr Suzanne Akila, Jo Talbot, and Radi Kovacevic talk us through CALD representation in the public service, and what it will take for more culturally and linguistically diverse employees to succeed in the senior executive.

Australia is a truly multicultural nation, with over 21 percent of the country's population born overseas. As this demographic has grown over the years, so has the number of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) employees in the public service. However, this isn’t broadly reflected in the senior executive level. Earlier this year, the public service launched its CALD Employment Strategy to address this gap.

On this episode of Work with Purpose, host David Pembroke speaks with Dr Suzanne Akila from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Radi Kovacevic from the Department of Home Affairs about their experience as CALD leaders in the public service. Leading the implementation of the CALD Employment Strategy, Jo Talbot from the Australian Public Service Commission also joins the discussion, focusing on how to create workplaces where everyone feels a sense of belonging.

Discussed in this episode: · why cultural and linguistic diversity matters in the workplace · championing CALD employees in the APS · being curious about people’s stories · the effects of othering · key initiatives under the CALD Employment Strategy · building cultural understanding · removing bias from recruitment processes · challenging what a good leader looks like · learning critical self-reflection · tips for aspiring CALD leaders.

Show notes: · APS Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Employment Strategy and Action Plan | Australian Government · CALD network | Australian Public Service Commission · MOSAIC multicultural awareness digital magazine | APS Academy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from Work with Purpose: A podcast about the Australian Public Sector

Jun 28, 2026

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.

Jun 14, 2026

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.

May 24, 2026

Governments generate endless information, but so much of it goes unseen. So, how do we turn it into content people actually care about?

May 10, 2026

What happens when senior leaders step out of meeting rooms and into frontline service environments?

Apr 26, 2026

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.

See all episodes →