HYBRID EVENT
Forum
GenAI: Transforming Govt PA & Comms 2025 –The Future of GEN AI for Public Sector Communications and Public Affairs 2025 Conference
3rd - 4th December 2025, The Rex Hotel Canberra
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Hours
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About the event:

This two-day conference brings together leading voices from government, public sector agencies, technology experts, and communications professionals to explore the transformative role of Generative
AI (Gen AI) in public sector communications and public affairs. Through case studies, expert presentations, fireside chats, and interactive panels, delegates will gain a clear view of current capabilities, practical applications, ethical considerations, and the next frontier of digital engagement.

Key topics explored across the event include:
  1. Evolution and Foundations of Gen AI in Public Affairs – Frameworks, tools, and technology pathways shaping the 2025–2030 public engagement landscape.
  2. Transformation in Practice – Case studies of AI driving measurable gains in sentiment analysis, stakeholder mapping, campaign
    precision, and policy forecasting.
  3. Governance, Ethics & Trust – Ensuring transparency, bias mitigation, and compliance while leveraging AI in sensitive political and
    public contexts.
  4. AI-Driven Public Opinion & Crisis Management – Harnessing real-time data and predictive analytics to anticipate shifts in sentiment and respond effectively to reputational threats.
  5. Leadership and the 2030 Vision – Equipping public affairs teams with the AI-native skills and cultural readiness to lead in a digitally-driven influence economy.
    Interactive panels, fireside chats, and open forums will provide a collaborative space to share learnings, test ideas, and co-design action plans. This summit positions itself as a must-attend event for professionals shaping the future of public affairs in an AI-driven world — offering both strategic foresight and practical implementation tools.
Why Attend?
  • Learn from first-hand experiences of Gen AI integration in real public sector contexts, including high-profile Australian and international case studies.
  • Gain practical insights into evaluating, adopting, and scaling AI-driven communication tools while managing ethical, trust, and transparency challenges.
  • Understand the evolving frameworks, technologies, and skill sets that will shape government communications to 2030.
  • Network with peers and industry leaders to exchange strategies and build collaboration opportunities.
Benefits of Attending?
  • Develop a strong foundational understanding of Gen AI technologies, infrastructure, and terminology
    relevant to public sector work.
  • Learn crisis communication strategies where speed, accuracy, and coordination are critical.
  • Explore innovative approaches to citizen engagement, content personalisation, and channel
    optimisation.
  • Take away actionable roadmaps for AI readiness, risk management, and measurement of impact.
Who Should Attend:

This event is designed for Government and public sector communications, PR, and media officers, Public affairs managers and policy advisors, Digital transformation leaders in government agencies, Technology and innovation strategists in the public sector, Crisis communication and emergency response managers, Professionals in ethics, governance, and risk management for digital technologies.

Sponsorship & Speaking Opportunities:

GEN AI for Govt PR & COMMS 2025 Conference offers sponsors an excellent opportunity to demonstrate thought-leadership and leverage networking opportunities to build brand-value amongst your target audience. If you would like to know more about sponsorship, exhibition and business development opportunities please just get in touch with us – sponsorship@ibrc.com.au

Early Invited Key Opinion Leaders Includes:
Speakers of The GenAI: Transforming Govt PA & Comms 2025 – The Future of GEN AI for Public Sector Communications and Public Affairs 2025 Conference
Head of Communications, Google 
Assistant Director of Communications and Publishing, Parliamentary Library
National Manager, Content and Communications, Australian Wildlife Conservancy
Public Affairs AI Lecturer, Deakin University
CEO, Research Leader, League of Scholars
Director of Communications & Public Affairs, Ventura County Fire Department, USA
Former Director of Public and Government Affairs, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, USA
Director of Government Relations, Workers Insurance Association of NSW
A/g Director - Digital Atlas of Australia, Geoscience Australia
Communications Manager, Plant Health Australia
Senior Business Analyst & AI Whisperer, Icon Water
Marketing Communications Manager, On Innovations, CSIRO
Executive Director, The Ethics Centre
Executive Director, Government and Public Sector Practice, WPP
Head of Communications, Virtually Human Studio (VHS)
Serial Public Sector Transformer
Director, Channels and Content, Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)
Director, ICT, Ministry of Finance and Treasury
Co-Founder, Murfin Group
Founder, Rechsteiner.io and former CEO, Mwave
Managing Director Medianet
Senior Lecturer Public Relations, UniSC
Principal Research Scientist
Get Involved
Interested to be a sponsorer for this event?
Event Schedule
Learn schedule, program and topics of the GenAI: Transforming Govt PA & Comms 2025

• How Google’s Communications Lead harnesses GEN AI for efficiencies
• The discovery journey through new tech and best practice on boarding
• How to discern which tech will work for your team

KATRIN MAURER
Head of Communications, Google

• Establishing a strong foundation for GEN AI base knowledge
• The GEN AI journey and it’s impact on public sector efficiency
• The leading tools: sense check and review

PATRICK RECHSTEINER
Founder, Rechsteiner.io

• AI’s tendency to scale bias faster than humans can detect it
• What ‘transparency’ means when algorithms make decisions
• The false comfort of “human in the loop” promises

DR SIMON LONGSTAFF
Executive Director, The Ethics Centre

11.00 NETWORKING BREAK & REFRESHMENTS

• A chance to understand the adoption rates across organisations and impact
• Determining the positive strategic approaches across teams
• Understanding the critical considerations for pipeline tech

• Updates on accelerating public service delivery
• Enhanced citizen engagement
• Legacy system modernisation and the path ahead

• Why personalisation is now table stakes in public messaging
• The uneasy marriage of legacy media channels and digital platforms
• Storytelling in an age of micro-targeted narratives
• The risks of letting algorithms decide who sees what

12.50 NETWORKING LUNCH

• Understanding the evolving web and next gen tech possibilities
• What to anticipate in the coming years around public affairs innovation
• Staying abreast of tech adoption in fast shifting sands

• Reviewing the impact of Australia’s leading GEN AI pilots
• The key lessons learnt in recent projects and tests
• Top five essential initiatives to get started today

• When speed outpaces verification: the crisis-communications dilemma
• Using predictive analytics to get ahead of disaster narratives
• Coordinating multiple agencies without producing chaos
• Balancing urgency with accuracy in public warnings

Ross Monaghan
Public Affairs AI Lecturer, Deakin University

15.20 REFRESHMENTS AND NETWORKING

• Making integration work in the messy reality of government IT
• The risks of letting algorithms decide who sees what
• New skill sets public communicators will be forced to acquire

• Establishing protocols for rapid information dissemination
• Harnessing the best GEN AI tools for critical incidents and public information – lessons learnt

• Revealing new intelligence on impact from AI advancement globally and across sectors
• Establishing the new mind set for comms leadership for 2030

PAUL X MCCARTHY
CEO, Research Leader, League of Scholars

• Why personalisation is now table stakes in public messaging
• Storytelling in an age of micro-targeted narratives
• The risks of letting algorithms decide who sees what

KENDALL MASTERS
Director, Channels and Content, Australian Renewable
Energy Agency (ARENA)

• At the heart of research commercialisation lies a simple but powerful challenge: can the story of science be told in a way that others see its value?
• Through CSIRO’s ON Innovation Program, researchers across Australia are learning to transform breakthrough ideas into compelling real-world narratives – shifting from “feature-thinking” to clear expressions of impact and benefit.
• Generative AI is now entering this space, reshaping how researchers frame their stories. Rather than replacing human creativity, AI is becoming a practical companion; helping sharpen messaging, clarify value propositions, and build storytelling confidence. Yet adoption is uneven, with researchers choosing tools and approaches that reflect their own comfort levels, contexts, and ethical considerations.
• This fireside chat will explore how ON is equipping researchers with the skills to connect science with industry, government, and the public – while reflecting on the role AI can play in this evolving craft. We’ll also consider the broader questions for communicators and policymakers: How do we know if
AI is fit for purpose? What safeguards protect data and privacy? And how do we ensure inclusivity and trust?
• Joining the discussion, Dr Muneera Bano brings her award-winning expertise in human-centred software engineering and ethical technology adoption – offering critical insights into how we can embrace AI responsibly while keeping marketing and innovation storytelling distinctly human.

MUNEERA BANO
Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO

LAURA JIEW
Marketing Communications Manager,
ON Innovation Program, CSIRO

10.50 REFRESHMENTS AND NETWORKING

• How to spot a genuine AI opportunity (and ignore the hype)
• Making integration work in the messy reality of government IT
• Why internal capability beats reliance on external vendors
• Measuring outcomes in more than just ‘likes’ and ‘clicks’

CRAIG THOMLER
Senior Business Analyst & AI Whisperer, Icon Water

• Cutting through the conundrum of GEN AI ROI
• Establishing measurement possibilities to create clarity of impact

AMRITA SIDHU
Member Board of Directors, AMEC & MD Medianet

12.30 LUNCH AND NETWORKING

• The perils of moving fast in a sector built on caution
• Structuring partnerships without handing over the keys

MODERATOR: TBA

PANEL MEMBERS:

STEVE EREHIRU
Director, ICT, Ministry of Finance and Treasury

PHILIP LONGLEY
Director of Government Relations, Workers Insurance Association of NSW

• Which technologies might endure, and which will fade as fads
• New skill sets public communicators will be forced to acquire
• Anticipating changes in public expectations and tolerance

CRAIG THOMLER
Senior Business Analyst & AI Whisperer, Icon Water

14:40 NETWORKING BREAK & REFRESHMENTS

• The danger of eroding human judgement through over-automation
• Where authenticity cannot be convincingly faked
• The limits of machine empathy in public messaging
• Cultural nuance as a final frontier for AI

TOM FINNIGAN
Founder, Murfin Group

• AI literacy as a baseline skill, not a specialist niche
• Structuring teams to move at the speed of technology
• Change management without the buzzword bingo
• Setting realistic priorities in an environment of constant novelty

• Discover new findings from international research on how
communication professionals are using (and misusing) AI.
• Explore common pitfalls including hallucinations, fake citations, and reputational consequences in public sector contexts.
• Learn a four-stage, research-informed toolkit for fact-checking and editing AI-generated content.
• Leave with a repeatable, evidence-based process you can implement immediately in your team’s workflows.

DR. KAREN SUTHERLAND
Senior Lecturer - Public Relations, UniSC

17.00 CONFERENCE WRAP UP
17.15 CONFERENCE CLOSE, CLOSING DRINKS

Registration Packages
Prices and offers for the GenAI: Transforming Govt PA & Comms 2025
IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE REGISTRATION COST - SUPER EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION:
Register before 30th Aug 2025
$2295 + GST
IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE REGISTRATION COST - EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION:
Register before 30th Oct 2025
$2495 + GST
IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE REGISTRATION COST - NORMAL REGISTRATION:
Register after 30th Oct 2025
$2695 + GST
IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE REGISTRATION COST - GROUP TEAM REGISTRATION:

Register & pay for 3 delegates with normal rate & get unlimited registrations*
(*Can attend in-person or virtually)

VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE REGISTRATION COST - SUPER EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION:
Register before 30th Aug 2025
$1795 + GST
VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE REGISTRATION COST - EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION:
Register before 30th Oct 2025
$1895 + GST
VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE REGISTRATION COST - NORMAL REGISTRATION:
Register after 30th Oct 2025
$1995 + GST
VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE REGISTRATION COST - GROUP TEAM REGISTRATION:
Register & pay for 3 delegates with normal rate & get unlimited registrations* (*Can only attend virtually)

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