Australian Government Trial of Generative AI for Law, Education, Health, and Aged Care

The Digital Transformation Agency has announced 50 Australian Public Service (APS) agencies are conducting a 6-month trial of Copilot (Microsoft's implementation of Chat GPT), ending June 2024. Staff first take learning module. Agencies have also been given some general guidance, on Accountability, Transparency, Explainability, Privacy, Fairness, and Wellbeing. Agencies where AI could be controversial include Attorney-General's, Education, Health and Aged Care, Home Affairs, and the National Disability Insurance Agency.

A previous Australian Government got into difficulties with relatively simple technology in what was known as the "Robodebt Scheme", which resulted in several deaths. Careless application of AI has the potential to cause human misery and casualties, on a much larger scale. It is to be hoped the APS applies the technology with thought, so there is no need for a Robo 2.0 Royal Commission.

ps: As it happens I will be running ANU computer project students though some Generative AI exercises using Copilot, over the next few weeks. Some of the students are studying programming AI in depth, but this is more general on how to use it.

Clear Future for Cloud

Greetings from the AWS Summit Canberra, where Pia Andrews is running the lunch discussion. Issues are around the Australian Public Service and technology. Interestingly the new government has not been mentioned. It is a very mixed audience for a Canberra event. On one side I have someone reforming the APS and on the other advising regional business in technology.

Covid-19 Has barely got a mention. Also cloud computing has not been mentioned, perhaps because it's assumed behind any government initiative.

However, while government can call on plenty of hardware can we get people to make it work? Also we may be able to secure systems from cyber-attack, but are staff ready for years of grey-zone conflict, between peace and war, where every agency is on the front line.

ps: Dr. Guido Governatori, will be speaking on "Digital Legislation", Thursday, 01 September 2022, 11am, ANU Building 145, room 1.33 and zoom.

New Australian Public Service Academy Opens With 113 Courses

The Australian Public Service Academy (APSA) was set up in July 2021, by the Australian Government, for the training of employees. I joined the government as a programmer's assistant ,and retired 19 years later, as a senior IT policy advisor, having been trained mostly in-house, with some courses at ANU (where I am now a lecturer). Ideally  APSA will be able to integrate practical experience with formally accredited education. 

APSA is headed by Grant Lovelock who was previously with the National Careers Institute. Based at old Parliament House in Canberra, there are currently 113 courses listed. Of those listed, 80 courses are facilitated, with 47 of those online (using Zoom), plus another  33 self directed.

The courses are grouped into six categories. Some introductory ones are free, while more advanced course are several hundred dollars. The courses are from hours to several days equivalent. There is no indication who can enroll, but in the past similar programs have been open to state public servants and a limited number of people from the private sector, as well as federal public servants. 

There is no accreditation of courses indicated, credit for vocational or university programs, or alignment with the Australian Qualifications Framework. With the addition of suitable assessment, it would appear feasible to assemble these courses into micro-credentials, and gain credit toward a formal recognized qualification.

APSA Course Categories:

1. Engagement & Partnership: 9 courses, on building relationships, designing public deliberation, stakeholder engagement. Most interesting sounding is "Influence, Negotiation and Persuasion Skills for Executive Levels".
2. Implementation & Services: 22 courses, 9 for Comcover on risk management, some "Craft Conversations" general panel discussions, project and financial management, and human centered design
3. Integrity: Only one course "Integrity in the APS".
4. Leadership & Management: 24 courses, including "Leading in a Digital Age".
5. Strategy, Policy & Evaluation: 15 courses, including 5 on data literacy.
6. Working in Government: 42 courses on decision making and communication skills.

Re-skilling Public Servants as Private Sector Innovators and Educators

Whichever party wins the Australian federal election next Saturday, there are likely to be large scale reductions in the public service. The Coalition is assuming "natural attrition" of 12,000 jobs by September 2015. I suggest some of these people would welcome some assistance with new work and lifestyle skills, provided by the Australian higher education sector. While cutbacks will effect all of Australia, they will have disproportionately more effect in Canberra. The ACT Government I suggest, could work with Canberra educational institutions to offer provide ex-public servants new skills. By doing so this might encourage those people to stay in Canberra, to work, start a new company, or undertake volunteer work in retirement.

On Friday night I bumped into a Canberra graduate who had spent some time working on start-up companies in "Silicon Fen" around Cambridge University (England). They moved to Canberra for family reasons. This was the second time I had met them within a few weeks at a venue within the innovation precinct around ANU. We were discussing the conditions needed for attracting or starting new high-tech companies. One example is the Penang Export Hub in Malaysia, (P Athukorala, ANU, 2012). But that required considerable input by the central government. Another example is the Cambridge phenomenon (Segal, 1985, summary by T Worthington 1999).

One of the factors identified in Cambridge's success was the lack of tenure at the university. Ex-university people who liked the Cambridge lifestyle had to set up a local business just to be able to stay. The same might apply to ex-public servants in Canberra, with a little help.

Those leaving the public service but who want to stay in Canberra might be offered some re-skilling. This could include an audit of their existing skills, formal recognition of those skills and then additional courses. One possible area would be skills in communication and business to help those from the public sector transition to the private sector.

One example of a program could be in innovation. The ACT Government already sponsors an annual Innovation ACT competition, where Canberra tertiary students learn to turn an idea into a business proposal and compete for prizes.  Entry 29 provides space and activities for budding innovators.

The ANU previously ran a Graduate Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. A new program could be devised, suing some elements of that certificate, combined with the Innovation ACT and Entry 29 activities. Students would Students would keep in touch with each other and their tutors on-line and be assessed on an e-portfolio submitted. Qualifications obtained could be a combination of vocational  and higher degrees.

Another area is training and assessment. Long term public servants have considerable experience and expertise which could be of use in training new public servants, in business and in higher education. In particular these skills could be used in the APS ICT Apprenticeship and Cadetship Programs, However, they will need teaching skills. These skills can be provided by hybrid vocational and higher education learning (allowing students to receive a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and an optional Graduate Certificate in Higher Education). Some elements of this could also be used for training entrepreneurs and other students.

Government ICT Apprentices & Cadets

The Australian Public Service (APS) is currently recruiting ICT Apprentices and ICT Cadets. The Apprentices work full-time in an Australian Government agency and study part-time for a Certificate IV or Diploma in ICT at a vocational institution. The agency pays the tuition fees and provides paid study leave to attend class. The Cadets work part-time in an agency, while studying for an undergraduate ICT degree at university. The program operates in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. Perhaps the APS could expand the scheme Australia wide, with the student studying on-line and being supervised on-line.