Alison Frame had a lot of work ahead of her when she became secretary of Department of Veterans’ Affairs just over 12 months ago.
Not only was there a backlog of claims to manage but a Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, which began its important work in July 2021.
In this instalment of The Mandarin‘s Secretary’s Sticky Notes series, our annual series in which we ask departmental leaders five questions about their role and what they expect to face this year, Frame explains her biggest priorities and challenges.
What was your 2023 highlight?
Without question, it was stepping into the role of secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) and building on the ongoing change agenda.
On commencement, I quickly realised that this is a department where the staff are committed to, and very passionate about, their work supporting veterans and their families. Seeing this first-hand has been a real highlight.
I have also really enjoyed engaging directly with the veteran community to deepen my own understanding of their service, and what they need from DVA.
Being in a position to actually implement changes to enhance co-design and consultation opportunities with veterans and their families and veteran organisations has certainly been a highlight, which culminated in the creation of a new Veteran, Family and Stakeholder Experience Group within DVA. I have also been delighted by the broader veteran community’s willingness to work constructively with DVA as we pursue improvements.
After months of work to recruit and train more staff, streamline processes and improve our communication with veterans, DVA’s claims backlog has been significantly reduced. This substantial decrease means our clients will get a faster outcome when seeking our support.
What will be at the top of your agenda for 2024?
There are a number of things at the forefront of my mind.
The greatest asset of the APS is its people, so I am very focused on building capability across DVA by identifying new development opportunities for our people and directly investing in the DVA workforce to increase their skills and capability in priority areas. This will see us well-positioned to deliver on the department’s key priorities for the year.
As we get closer to the elimination of the claims backlog this year, our focus will necessarily shift to supporting many new DVA clients to access the financial, health and wellbeing support and services for which they are eligible. We need to ensure that we are positioned to meet the growing demand for our services with innovative customer service and ICT improvements and to continue adapting our services to meet the changing needs of the veteran community.
In 2024, I want to drive even stronger direct engagement with the veteran community. We want to ensure our services are informed by, and respond to, the lived experiences of our clients. To achieve this, we are increasing our emphasis on co-design with all stakeholders and seeking new opportunities to work more closely with veterans and the organisations that represent them
All of this will occur within the context of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide handing down its final report and recommendations in September 2024. Supporting the work of the royal commission has been a huge focus in DVA since it commenced and we will continue to support this and prepare for a shift to the response from government and what it required from DVA to advance the royal commission’s recommendations.
What is your department’s biggest issue … or opportunity?
The royal commission’s final report recommendations will likely touch on many aspects of how DVA operates, so there are challenges and opportunities that arise from that.
As a department that has already been on a lengthy transformation journey, our challenge will be to maintain the momentum needed to continue driving further change as we work through implementing any recommendations agreed to by government.
It is clear that it will take more than DVA alone to address the issues facing the veteran community, so I see great possibilities for even deeper engagement and collaboration with the Department of Defence, ex-service organisations and other government agencies to come in being a part of new initiatives and approaches.
What do you expect will be your biggest leadership challenge?
Guiding an organisation through ongoing transformational change is a challenge for any leader. Part of my focus in 2024 will be ensuring our staff are properly supported as we work to continually improve our claims processes, respond to the royal commission, and implement changes in partnership with the veteran community.
For me, this will mean engaging extensively with staff throughout the year to leverage their expertise and experience and help inform how we evolve and continuously improve. The people in DVA have so much first-hand knowledge and experience of where and how those improvements can be made and we are trying to ensure that this is a key input to our focus over the year.
It is always by working collaboratively and considering diverse perspectives that we can achieve the best outcomes. It is my responsibility to ensure that the culture we build as an organisation supports this.
What advice do you have for those wanting a career in the APS?
I began my career in the non-government sector and from the moment I joined the APS have been excited and motivated by the breadth of roles and challenging work that it provides.
I brought my motivation to find opportunities to make a positive impact on people’s lives into the public service with me and have never been in a role where there has not been enormous opportunity to do just that.
I have seen time and again that it doesn’t matter what your background is; if you are committed to making a difference to the Australian community, there will be agencies, departments and roles where your skills and expertise can be applied, and where you can also develop new areas of expertise and interest that you would never have contemplated!
So, follow your interests, be passionate about what you do, and you will find endless rewarding ways to give back and grow in the APS.
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