Futures and foresight capability

Building awareness of Futures methods, lifting the uptake of Futures within Australian Public Service agencies, and demonstrating how these approaches can be embedded into the policy cycle is a focus of the Australian Government.

To help achieve this, the Policy Fit for the Future: Building APS Futures and Foresight Capability project was funded through the Capability Reinvestment Fund in 2023–24.

The Australian Government needs to manage, shape and adapt to change to improve the lives of Australians, including those of future generations. This requires a future-literate APS, able to provide creative, informed policy advice about future possibilities, including risks to avoid and opportunities to seize. Futures methodologies can enhance policy advice and support the government to act now to shape and influence future events.

Futures – also known as strategic foresight – is a collection of structured and participatory approaches for exploring long-term issues and plausible scenarios to improve policy, strategy, planning, and decision-making. It uses tools such as horizon scanning, visioning and scenario planning to create more resilient and flexible policies that can succeed in multiple possible futures.

Deliverables from the project included:

  • a whole-of-government futures scenario and horizon scanning exercise to identify and prioritise emerging challenges for the Australian Government over the next decade, drawing on insights from across the APS Senior Executive Service
  • the delivery of over 40 Futures training, pilot and consultation exercises for policy agencies to directly build capability and awareness of Futures methodologies
  • an APS Futures Primer offering advice on how to embed Futures into policy development, including tools, methodologies and templates tailored for an APS policy context
  • a final report outlining further opportunities for lifting APS futures capability, including recommendations for agencies interested in resourcing an internal Futures function.
     
Two sets of hands holding Future primer future cards and arranging on a table.

Exploring possible futures using Futures methodologies.

Image: Prime Minister and Cabinet

This project was led by the Policy Projects and Taskforce Office in Prime Minister and Cabinet. Partners included Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Futures Hub at the National Security College, Australian National University.

A Futures project to develop Asia and the Pacific expertise in the APS has been funded by the Capability Reinvestment Fund for 2024–25.

Find out more

Australian Government (2024) Priming the APS for the future, Australian Public Service Reform website, accessed 28 August 2024.

Australian Government (n.d.) APS Capability Reinvestment Fund 2023–24, Australian Public Service Reform website accessed 21 June 2024.

Australian Government (n.d.) APS Capability Reinvestment Fund 2024–25, Australian Public Service Reform website accessed 21 June 2024.

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