Academics and policymakers are grappling with similar issues but approach them through different lenses and time frames.
Sir Roland Wilson alumnus Dr Paul Hubbard won the Foundation’s 2024 Ian Castles alumni prize for his extraordinary efforts to forge connections between The Australian National University (ANU) and the Australian Public Service (APS).
When you look at what he has achieved since his 2019 graduation, it’s no surprise he won.
In 2023 he was appointed a National Government Fellow at the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy to prepare a report on a sustainable economic partnership for Australia and China. This report was launched in May 2024 by the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Paul has created pathways into the APS for top students from ANU. He has also fostered a strong network of former ANU students across the APS who continue to engage with research centres in academia.
Through his Masked Economist podcast, Paul interviews public servants, academics, Sir Roland Wilson Foundation alumni and other experts on key economic topics. Interviewees have benefited from sharing their ideas to an active and engaged audience.
The podcast broadly explores economics, public policy and APS careers.
“We’ve featured anthropologists, health economists, current and former ministers, secretaries and – of course – Sir Roland Wilson and Pat Turner scholars and alumni,” Paul said.
Paul started the Masked Economist during the COVID-19 pandemic as an online tutorial to help develop and maintain community in the economic division of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
“When I moved to the Department of Finance, I took the initiative with me and scaled it up to have more of an interview format that works better for a bigger audience.”
The podcast has grown significantly since then.
“We now share the joy of economics with over 1,000 subscribers from more than 40 APS agencies.”
Paul believes both the ANU and APS benefit immensely from healthy connections.
“Academics and policymakers are grappling with similar issues but approach them through different lenses and time frames.
“Policy practitioners focus on what is immediate and practical - what they’re responsible for in their agency. On the other hand, academics often have a view of a broader range of issues, so they can see things that policy people do not.
“By connecting the two sides, they inform and improve each other’s work.”
Now, as Co-Head of AI CoLab, Paul continues to build public service capability, providing a framework for using Artificial Intelligence (AI) collaboratively across the public service, academia and the private sector.
Paul’s ‘policy entrepreneurship’ is having a real impact.
“When you strip away the jargon and complexity, it’s pretty straightforward,” Paul says.
“Collaboration makes better policy.”
The Sir Roland Wilson scholarship is a three-year, full-pay scholarship for PhD research at ANU for high-performing EL1 and EL2 APS employees.
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Image: Adam McGrath/HCreations