Address to ANU National Security College
9 April 2024
Stephanie Foster PSM
Secretary, Department of Home Affairs
Thank you, Rory. Thank you, Minister.
Let me first associate myself with Rory's and the Minister's acknowledgement of country and add my respects to theirs. And then let me turn to all of you. Hello, thank you for being here with us today.
As I look around, I see not only many of my current wonderful Home Affairs staff, but hundreds of potential fantastic recruits. All of whom can help build and nurture the Department of Home Affairs of the future, that the Minister has so evocatively described.
The department itself is a national security asset, a national security capability. And we in this community have a collective responsibility for its health and its effectiveness.
Minister O'Neil has outlined an incredibly exciting set of opportunities. Ones that are fundamental to Australia's success as a nation. Not just from the security lens that is the focus of this college, but economically and socially as well. It's one of the things that makes this portfolio so incredible - the way we contribute to every aspect of Australia's future. The Minister has also handed me the challenge of delivering on this vision. As always, in partnership together. There are indeed significant challenges and I'll talk about some of those soon.
But the first thing I always celebrate is what a great foundation I'm building on. An organisation with a proud history going back to Federation in various guises and a workforce that is passionate, committed, has deep expertise and is incredibly hard working. No matter what the crisis, no matter what the time of year, there are always folks leaning in to lead us through it.
We're also getting a lot of help from outside and not just - thank you - media and commentariat, we have an APSC lead capability review in its final stages, with two terrific former public servants Ian Watt and Liza Carroll, helping define our future capability needs. We have Nigel Ray, another great former public service servant, helping us align our resources with the priorities government has of us. And we have David June, yet another eminent former public servant helping us design a procurement framework that's fit for purpose for the large and complex contracts we manage. And finally, we're leading a cultural refresh programme internally, alongside the capability and priorities work, that's going to make the whole thing hum.
Interestingly, the findings of all of these activities are pointing in the same direction, are giving us the same messages, and we're bringing them together into an ambitious transformation agenda. Before I launch into the detail, it's important to say that we're already well underway.
The two most rewarding themes for me in the capability review, were recognition of the passion and commitment of our staff, and acknowledgement that we're running in parallel with the review, putting in place the building blocks for our future success right now.
So, to our directions. The first clear message is about clarity of vision and direction, including strong strategic policy and horizon scanning capacity. Today is partly about that, of course, articulating who we are, and what we will achieve together as an organisation, the department and the ABF, each bringing the unique roles and capabilities to work seamlessly together. It's also about how we will work across the department, across government and across the economy, to keep Australia prosperous, secure, and united.
So secondly, it's about uplifting our capability across the board in technology security, in combating terrorism and foreign interference, in the integrity and utility of our migration system, and in supporting our democratic institutions, and so much more. Some are already areas of great strength, some are new and emerging, and some we really need to lift our game in. Our job in this respect will never be done, we will always be adapting to new security challenges, and we must have a benchmark of excellence across all that we do.
Thirdly, it's about getting the basics right. A governance system that effectively manages risk and budget, and performance and safety, and people and culture. It’s clear and enforced standards of integrity. It’s excellence in our administrative processes, like contracting, like managing conflicts of interest, getting rid of the noise associated with those things that destroys public confidence, and distracts us from our core business.
And finally, it's about our culture more broadly, a culture of collaboration and curiosity and confidence, a culture of connection with community, a culture of integrity, and a culture of excellence in the outcomes we deliver, and the way we lead and support our people. Let me unpack those a little.
Collaboration isn't just a nice way to do business for us. It's core to our success. Look at just one of our critical missions, counterterrorism. The nature of terrorism and pathways to radicalization are becoming more complex, and our responses need to go beyond the traditional notions of religious or ideologically motivated extremism. Online content is tapping into perceptions of injustice and alienation. Technology is finding susceptible candidates, gaming platforms tested kids’ appetite and motivation, and can successfully recruit from within the confines of a family home. An effective response has to bring together the social welfare, the education, the health and the justice systems, along with the private tech sector, hosting platforms, and of course, our traditional police and security partners. In short, our strength lies not just in our expertise, but our capacity to integrate the whole.
To succeed in the environment that the Minister’s described, we also need curiosity, the capacity to imagine what might be, what will actually give us the best migration system in the world, make us the country of choice for top talent, provide protections and safeguards for the vulnerable who come to our country. And how will we become a world leading cyber security nation by 2030? For us, these are not bumper stickers, these are concrete goals. These are game changing strategies, where we need to keep driving and striving and pushing for step change.
We need to be constantly asking: ‘what else’, ‘what next’, and ‘what more does our community need and expect’. We also need the confidence to speak out, to surface ideas and raise concerns. And that's a real challenge for us, for me personally, for my leadership team more broadly, to rebuild trust, to create safe spaces for staff to contribute, and to respond and adapt to their input. And that's a great segue to that very central issue of integrity.
The integrity debate across the APS has particular resonance for us, partly because of our functions. The average APS officer does not deal with drugs and guns and illegal vapes, or sex trafficking through the visa system, or the many other functions that we do that bring us into contact with organised crime and bribery. We have functions that are much more susceptible to corruption than your average public servant. We're putting a huge effort into rethinking our approach to integrity, to replacing processes and rules with principles and accountability.
Our approach to conflicts of interest is a great example. It's rich in process and rules, but lacking in a frank conversation about what's okay and what's not, and ways to support our staff to actively manage the risks associated with real or perceived conflicts once they're surfaced.
Let me finish on the thing that will actually help us deliver all of this. I spend spoken already about excellence in outcomes. And I reiterate how important it is to strive for the absolute best outcome we can achieve in all our endeavours. From border security to trade facilitation, from our permanent migration programme to supporting working holidaymakers and students, from social cohesion to counterterrorism and countering foreign interference. All of these things, build and protect our great nation.
But the difference between success and failure, excellence and mediocrity, lies not just in great strategy, or sound budgeting and processes, but in the quality of our people, and how they are led and supported. I've talked on the way through about two of the three things that are my personal beacons in this role: game changing strategies, and collaboration and integration.
The third is exemplary leadership. I want, I need every leader in Home Affairs to demonstrate their own version of exemplary leadership, so that we attract and retain the best and the brightest, all of you here today. so that we help every one of our 15,000 plus staff achieve their full potential, so that we deliver on the promise of this great organisation and it's critical mission. Because this issue of leadership is so fundamental to our success, let me dwell for just a moment on what it means in practice. Firstly, and it is most fundamental, it means being a decent human being: treating people with respect and courtesy and kindness, valuing their diverse experience and backgrounds, understanding their needs and expectations, creating an environment in which they can succeed. It means setting an ambitious agenda, and communicating it over and over. And at an individual level, setting clear goals and high standards and making sure that they're met. It means operating openly, and transparently and with integrity. It means building strong alliances and partnerships, listening carefully, and finding common ground so that the whole system is pulling together.
And finally, it means giving our best, being our best, growing and learning throughout our leadership journeys. It's the combination of all of the things I've talked about today that will deliver a Department of Home Affairs that is fit for purpose for Australia into the future, to play our part in keeping Australia prosperous, secure, and united.
Thank you.
