Virtual event
Policymaking 101: How to Deliver Great Policy Advice
Exclusively for public servants and policymakers
Wednesday, Dec 10, 2025
Time is displayed in your local time zone
At this event, you’ll learn:
- How effective policy advice is developed and delivered
- About real-world policymaking practice from New Zealand, Australia and Ireland
- How effective engagement can strengthen policy advice, policy decisions and policy outcomes
Speakers
What to do next
- Watch the 7-minute highlights above, or dive into the full recording
- Join the Global Policymaking Community
- Check out our upcoming event How to Use Data to Tell Better Stories
Resources
- Event transcript
- Sally's Slides & Resources
- Barry's Slides
- Article Series: Building policy capability - Sally Washington
- ANZSOG article - Ireland works to strengthen Policy Development: with three pillars and drawing on ANZSOG’s 5D policy advice model
- Policy Handbook: A ‘real world’ guide to policy development - Department of the Taoiseach, Ireland
Join the Global Policymaking Community
The Global Policymaking Community is an online space for policy practitioners worldwide to explore, develop and implement flexible policies that adapt to changing needs and disruptions.
Event Description
Every major government decision, from launching digital services to shaping housing reforms, begins with policy advice. But crafting advice that’s timely, influential and grounded in real-world insight is no simple task. What makes policy advice effective, and how can public servants build the capabilities to deliver it?
Together with ANZSOG (the Australia and New Zealand School of Government), this back-to-basics masterclass is being brought to you to explore what it takes to deliver great policy advice in complex systems. Drawing on work from New Zealand, Australia and Ireland, speakers will unpack the core steps of policymaking – from defining the problem to influencing decision-makers – and highlight the role of evidence, engagement, and collaboration across teams. Expect practical examples, honest reflections and a focus on making policy work in practice, not just in theory.
Speakers Sally Washington, Practice Fellow (Policy capability and Public Management) at ANZSOG and Barry Vaughan, Principal Officer in the Social Policy Division of the Department of the Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), will share insights on how quality policy advice supports good government decision making and how those in both policy and non-policy roles can contribute to better outcomes.
This event will take place on Zoom. Joining instructions will be displayed once you register. The event will be recorded and the recording will be sent to all registrants. It may also be made available on Apolitical's platform for other members of our community to enjoy.
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Image credit: pexels
Speakers
Sally Washington
Practice Fellow (Policy capability and Public Management), ANZSOG (the Australia and New Zealand School of Government)
New Zealand
Dr. Barry Vaughan
Principal Officer, Social Policy Division, Department of the Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister)
Ireland
Sally Washington, ANZSOG Practice Fellow in policy capability and public management, has held senior roles in Aotearoa and abroad. She was inaugural director of the New Zealand Policy Project in DPMC, and has supported governments in the UK, Jersey, Australia and Ireland to strengthen policy capability. She spent seven years at the OECD managing a network of heads of PM/President’s offices and has consulted to the UN FAO. Her career includes advising New Zealand ministers, leading public-sector reform, and publishing widely on policy, innovation, gender, and futures.
Dr. Barry Vaughan, Principal Officer in the Social Policy Division in the Department of the Taoiseach, has responsibility for policies to do with civil service reform, justice issue and social affairs. He manages the Strengthening Policy Development project and its related outputs across the civil service. He previously worked as a policy analyst for the National Economic and Social Council and as a lecturer in criminology and sociology for various 3rd level institutions. He holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Warwick.
