Susan McKinnon Foundation

McKinnon is #hiring. We develop and invest in solutions that enable better governments for a stronger Australia. Our work is fast paced, intellectually stimulating, and highly fulfilling. If you're looking to join a purposeful, forward-thinking organisation where you can make a real impact, we would love to hear from you. Program Manager Political Pathways and Engagement - https://lnkd.in/gb8MfvSN Executive Assistant - https://lnkd.in/g5FQPNez

McKinnon is #hiring. We develop and invest in solutions that enable better governments for a stronger Australia. Our work is fast paced, intellectually stimulating, and highly fulfilling. If you're looking to join a purposeful, forward-thinking organisation where you can make a real impact, we would love to hear from you. Head of Finance - https://lnkd.in/g5btH4Fg Head of Operations - https://lnkd.in/gJymGEFi Program Manager Education - https://lnkd.in/gSQEcaCB

Further to the release of the interim Truth in Political Advertising Laws: Operation and Effectiveness report in September 2024, the final report has now been released. The final report is based on 34 interviews with various stakeholders from South Australia, the ACT (which had ‘truth in political advertising’ laws in place for the first time at its recent election), NSW, and Victoria, such as current and former premiers, ministers, MPs, Electoral Commissioners, political party directors/secretaries, and civil society groups. The final report makes a number of key findings and 25 recommendations about the design, operation and effectiveness of ‘truth in political advertising’ laws, as well as other mechanisms to support better quality information in electoral campaigns and political communication – to read more about these, you can access the final report and summaries of the interviews here: https://lnkd.in/gY6dhXYr For further information about the final report, please contact the Susan McKinnon Foundation (e: info@susanmckinnon.org.au) or Associate Professor Yee-Fui Ng (e: YeeFui.Ng@monash.edu).

Last month, the Susan McKinnon Foundation and the Grattan Institute were privileged to have the opportunity to take a group of dedicated school leaders to England to visit high performing multi-school organisations and school leaders with expertise in driving significant improvements in student outcomes for diverse groups of students. We were very lucky to take along with us a bipartisan group of dedicated school and system leaders from Victoria and Tasmania. While there, we got to meet some inspirational students, observe some incredible teaching in action, and learn from those who have led successful reform in England, including leaders of some of the highest-performing multi-school organisations in the country. What stood out:  • All children have a right to excellent education – if teachers keep expectations high and provide high-quality instruction, even children from highly disadvantaged backgrounds can achieve impressive academic success.  • Postcode does not define destiny – many of the fully-government funded schools we visited serve communities that face multiple challenges, but were still some of the highest-performing in the country.  • Together, these schools can solve hard problems – working within a multi-school organisation gave schools the scale and capacity to better support and extend teachers, re-engage students and families and tackle student learning gaps.  • When schools collaborate and share best practices, all students benefit - regardless of their background or location. This trip would not have happened without the generosity of our hosts. A huge thank you goes to: Ambition Institute, Cumbria Education Trust, Confederation of School Trusts, Dixons Academies Trust, Department for Education, Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), Knowledge Schools Trust, National Institute of Teaching, Twyford CofE Academies Trust, United Learning, Leora Cruddas CBE, Diana Barran, Rebecca Boomer-Clark, @JamesBowen, Nick Gibb, Lucy Heller Matt Hood OBE, Sir Dan Moynihan, Sir Mufti Hamid Patel, Tom Rees, Will Bickford Smith. And thank you to our dedicated delegates, for all your work in service of Australian students: Ryan Batchelor MP, Emina McLean, Hon Jo Palmer MLC, Trudy Pearce, Carole Rodger, Bronwyn Ryrie Jones, Dr Edward Simons, Nina Taylor MP, Clare Colaneri, Amy Haywood, Prof. The Hon. Jill Hennessy GAICD, Jordana Hunter, Sam Mellett

On behalf of the Susan McKinnon Foundation we want to celebrate the life and legacy of Percy Allan. We have been privileged to work with him since 2019, building on the previous work of the  Evidence Based Policy Research Project (EBPRP), an independent not-for-profit that advocated for evidence-based public policymaking. https://lnkd.in/gkvbJQhw   The EBPRP was instrumental in the NSW Legislative Council’s adoption of a Standing Order for all government bills to answer a Statement of Public Interest (SPI) questionnaire that addresses the need and evidence base for the Bill.    We will pay tribute to his extraordinary legacy by naming our program of work on optimising the Statement of Public Interest in his honour.  https://lnkd.in/gnYD2NMJ

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As part of our work to support democratic and electoral processes, the Susan McKinnon Foundation has partnered with Associate Professor Yee-Fui Ng to examine the effect, operation, and administration of ‘truth in political advertising’ laws. The interim Truth in Political Advertising Laws: Operation and Effectiveness report (Interim Report) is based on 21 interviews with various stakeholders from South Australia (which has ‘truth in political advertising’ laws), NSW, and Victoria, such as current and former premiers, ministers, MPs, Electoral Commissioners, political party directors/secretaries, and civil society groups. The Interim Report makes a number of key findings – to read more about these, you can access the report here: https://lnkd.in/gA3gQmSm Following additional interviews and further consultation, a final report will be delivered that will provide recommendations on the design, operation and effectiveness of truth in political advertising laws.   For further information about the Interim Report or this research project, please contact the Susan McKinnon Foundation (e: info@susanmckinnon.org.au) or Associate Professor Yee-Fui Ng (e: YeeFui.Ng@monash.edu). Yee-Fui Ng

We are thrilled to announce a significant new chapter for the Susan McKinnon Foundation with the appointment of former NSW Premier Mike Baird AO as our inaugural Chief Executive Officer, and Holly Kramer as our Chair.    In his new role, Mike Baird will significantly scale the Foundation’s activity in the areas of improving Australia’s public administration, supporting effective political leadership and strengthening the nation’s democratic institutions.    We also warmly welcome Susan McKinnon Foundation Chair, Holly Kramer, whose background includes serving on the boards of Woolworths, Fonterra Co-operative, and ANZ. In her executive career she was the CEO of apparel retailer Best & Less, and prior to that an executive at Pacific Brands and Telstra. Holly joins existing members Prof. Peter Shergold AC, Prof. John Thwaites AM, and Sir Bill English.    Holly Kramer Mike Baird

The Susan McKinnon Foundation is pleased to have partnered with Professor Emeritus Richard Mulgan to produce Ten lessons for public servants from Robodebt. The report, which analyses the transcripts and findings of last year’s Robodebt Royal Commission, selects three general areas of governance - independence, collaboration and accountability - with the aim of distilling a number of key lessons to guide the behaviour of current and future public servants. The Royal Commission revealed serious weaknesses in the culture of the APS, particularly at the more senior levels. It made several institutional recommendations aimed at strengthening the integrity of the APS, all of which the government has accepted either in full or in principle. The analysis of the evidence in this report draws on examples and issues raised by the Royal Commission, in particular how individual public servants chose to act in certain situations, whether their actions were professionally appropriate and, if not, why not. From this, it offers ten overarching and current lessons for public servants to implement from Robodebt: 1. Lawfulness is a bedrock value for public servants 2. Truthfulness is a bedrock value for public servants 3. Public servants should keep an accurate record of significant events and advice 4. Hasten slowly 5. Department leaders should set a proper balance between responsiveness to ministers and independence from them 6. Cooperation and collegiality are essential to good administration 7. Other APS departments and agencies should be treated as colleagues not rivals 8. Public servants should welcome input from non-government stakeholder organisations 9. Public servants should build a culture of openness and accountability 10. Public servants should be openly accountable to individual members of the public to whom they are providing services. To read more about the lessons the Australian Public Service must implement from the Robodebt Royal Commission you can access the report here: https://lnkd.in/gReCXqhk Sophie Oh Susanna Montrone Seamus Coleman

We are pleased to share new SMF funded research examining tertiary-level training and skill building for frontline workers in social work and education. The research shows there is strong global evidence that immersive digital simulations can create significant positive shifts in trainee teacher and social worker skills, competencies, knowledge, and self-efficacy to better prepare them for future real-world settings. Each report includes: • A synthesis of the global evidence-base of ‘what works’ in immersive simulation training • The ‘state-of-play’ of simulation training in Australian tertiary institutions • Sector-specific opportunities and barriers to the adoption of digital simulation for tertiary-level training in Australia https://lnkd.in/g7DdfZr4 Monash Social Work Impact Economics and Policy Julie Sonnemann Nathan Blane Rebecca Featherston Aron Shlonsky Marcelo Maghidman