Dr Sandra Cuthbert

Senior Executive Stewardship Program ‘Stewardship means understanding the impacts of your decisions, the policies being developed, and how they will affect Australians now and into the future. This involves looking at the problem, and various potential solutions, from numerous viewpoints.’

Joining the Australian Public Service

Why did you decide to join the APS and at what stage of your career journey were you?

The impact of a career in the APS is far-reaching and impactful, and I wanted to be part of contributing to improving the everyday lives of Australians.

I had been working as a veterinarian and loved helping animals each day. A few years into practice, I realised I could use my skills to instead contribute to policies that benefit the country.

Describe your first APS role.

I joined Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry as a Senior Veterinarian.

In response to the 2007 equine influenza outbreak, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry engaged more veterinarians to tackle the problem and minimise the likelihood of it happening again. My role was to manage biosecurity risks associated with various imported animals and animal products.

Stewardship

What does stewardship mean to you?

Stewardship means understanding the impacts of your decisions, the policies being developed, and how they will affect Australians now and into the future. This involves looking at the problem, and potential solutions from numerous viewpoints – especially ensuring that viewpoints from other portfolios are considered and understood.

Why do you feel stewardship is important?

Thinking through problems from different vantage points helps ensure solutions are robust. Diversity of views supports the development of sound advice, and implementing well-considered solutions builds trust.

Was there a defining moment or person who influenced your thinking on this?

I gained insights into stewardship during a crisis where numerous people were in hospitals across the country, and case numbers were increasing.

Different stakeholders wanted to tackle the problem in vastly different ways, each to serve a purpose from their perspective. Industry had different views to those working in enforcement agencies, who had different views to health officers.

Working together to understand the challenges and benefits of each approach, for each group, was vital in finding a solution that resolved the core issue while minimising negative repercussions.

Within days of this collaborative approach, new cases ceased and the issue was resolved. Thankfully everyone fully recovered, and the insights of early collaboration have stayed with me.

Describe how you act as a steward in your current role.

My current role relates to food. The APS is involved in numerous food-related activities including developing food standards, importing and exporting food, developing nutrition guidelines, tackling food waste, supporting infrastructure to deliver food to remote communities, and managing pesticides and chemical use.

To act out stewardship, I keep connected to colleagues across the public service and share information with those colleagues.

What professional experiences or achievements are you most proud of?

Helping others realise they can achieve more than they thought possible by believing in themselves and by thinking through problems differently.

Building up others to lead and contribute in bigger ways than they thought was possible is something I hope to leave from my time working in the APS.

What professional advice would you give your younger self?

Understand your core values. If you know yourself deeply, when a person or group frustrates you, you’re able to identify which of your core values is being challenged by that engagement.

Once you understand that, you realise that the frustration has nothing to do with the other person and everything to do with your worldview. This is powerful in helping you step back and recalibrate to see the issue from a broader, more diverse perspective. This, in turn, supports you to find a better outcome.

APS Academy program participation

Which program have you participated in, and why did you apply?

I participated in the Senior Executive Stewardship Program from 2022 to 2023.

I had only recently been appointed as an agency head when this Band 3 Stewardship Program was announced. I saw it as a great opportunity to continue to make new connections and get to know my colleagues better. It was a great opportunity to learn what they were focusing on and work together to benefit the public service.

Describe your program experience.

A highlight of the program for me is the realisation that even if you’re in a different portfolio from others in the APS, we’re all working through very similar challenges.

Coming together can save a lot of time and produce better outcomes. The constant challenge is to find the time to participate in these important courses. There is always a concern that work is piling up, but stepping outside of the day-to-day to gain a fresh perspective and find colleagues going through similar challenges, makes it worthwhile.

How has this experience contributed to your current role?

I’m more aware of other work across the APS. I’m more connected and confident in knowing who to reach out to when working through issues.