Final Call: 2 Seminars closing soon and 1 new release

Date and time: Tuesday 3 March, 4.30pm-5.30pm AEDT
Topic: VIC Seminar: Evidence in Government – its History and Future
Presenter(s): Sir Geoff Mulgan | University College London (UCL) and Eleanor Williams | Australian Centre for Evaluation
Venue: Via Zoom. Details will be emailed to registrants just prior to the start time.
Register online by: 2 March 2026

Event description:

In this seminar hosted by Eleanor Williams from the Australian Centre for Evaluation, Sir Geoff Mulgan will share his perspectives on future directions for evidence in government drawing on his recent work on public innovation and evidence ecosystems. Mulgan will reflect on how evidence has evolved in policy-making over time, and the growing need for governments to both generate and use high quality evidence in an era of complex societal challenges – from AI to trust deficits to systemic inequalities. The session will include ideas from Mulgan’s latest books including When Science Meets Power, and his work on whole-of-government approaches to better orchestrating evidence, knowledge and collective intelligence. Participants will hear about practical frameworks for making evidence more useful, inclusive and strategically embedded in public decision-making and will be invited to consider what robust evidence systems could look like in Australia’s government and evaluation practice.

Presenter details:

Professor Sir Geoff Mulgan is a Professor at University College London (UCL), with a career spanning government, academia and innovation policy. He previously served as Chief Executive of Nesta, the UK’s innovation foundation, and held senior roles in the UK government including Director of the Strategy Unit and Head of Policy in the Prime Minister’s Office. His work has focused on productivity, innovation systems, institutional design, evidence based and experimental government, and the economic and policy implications of new technologies. He has advised governments and international organisations worldwide, and worked for a time in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in Canberra. A prolific author, his books examine public strategy, social and technological innovation, collective intelligence and the interface between science and power. He is founding co editor in chief of Collective Intelligence, a former visiting scholar at Harvard and the London School of Economics, and was knighted in 2020 for services to social innovation.

Eleanor Williams is the Managing Director of the Australian Centre for Evaluation in the Commonwealth Department of Treasury and a former board member of the Australian Evaluation Society. With over 20 years’ experience working with the Australian and Victorian public service, Eleanor has held senior executive roles in evaluation, research and strategic policy. She holds Masters level qualifications in Evaluation, Public Policy and Management. Eleanor is the current Chair of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Evaluation Experts Group and founded the Australian Public Sector Evaluation Network in 2019.

This seminar will be recorded and available on the member portal for AES members only.

This free event has been organised by the AES Victoria Regional Committee. Our seminar series provides an opportunity for you to meet with AES members and others in the evaluation community and to share and learn from the experiences of fellow evaluators. 

Session start times:

• VIC, NSW, ACT, TAS: 4.30pm

• QLD: 3.30pm

• SA: 4.00 pm

• NT: 3.00pm

• WA: 1.30pm

• New Zealand: 6.30pm

For other time zones please go to https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

Please ensure you have access to your email address just prior to the start time to access Zoom details. Please also check your email address is correct on your registration form before submitting. Thanks.

Date and time: Thursday 5 March, 12.30pm-1.30pm AEDT
Topic: Digital Innovation and AI in Evaluation: Exploring a New AES SIG
Presenter(s): Gerard Atkinson | Iris Ethics & Louise Freijser | University of Melbourne
Venue: Via Zoom. Details will be emailed to registrants just prior to the start time.
Register online by: 4 March 2026

Event description:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital technologies are increasingly shaping the programs and systems evaluators are asked to assess. Many evaluators are also adopting AI tools within their own workflows to improve efficiency and quality.
This lunchtime seminar introduces a proposed AES Special Interest Group (SIG) on Digital Innovation and AI in Evaluation. The session will briefly outline the proposed focus of the SIG and invite members to share their interests and priorities through light, structured interactivity.
The seminar is intended for evaluators who are curious, cautious, or concerned about AI and digital evaluation, including issues of:
• ethics
• governance
• cultural safety
• data sovereignty
• workforce implications
• responsible practice

No prior knowledge of AI is required to attend.

Presenter details:

Gerard Atkinson is an independent consultant and Managing Director of Iris Ethics, Australia's first HREC dedicated to serving the market research, social research and evaluation sectors. In his independent consulting role he delivers training and support to evaluation and research organisations on the implementation of AI, and is a regular facilitator of AES workshops on AI. Prior to his current work Gerard was a Director with ARTD Consultants, where he led the development of their AI policy and training for staff.

Louise Freijser is an academic at the University of Melbourne, specialising in evaluation. She has a growing interest in the intersection of artificial intelligence and evaluation, with a focus on exploring how emerging technologies are reshaping evaluative practice. As a member of the Australasian Evaluation Society, she is keen to help foster a community of evaluators engaging critically with the implications, opportunities and risks that AI presents for the profession.

This free event has been organised by theDigital Innovation and AI in Evaluation SIG. Our seminar series provides an opportunity for you to meet with AES members and others in the evaluation community and to share and learn from the experiences of fellow evaluators. 

Session start times:

• VIC, NSW, ACT, TAS: 12.30pm

• QLD: 11.30am

• SA: 12.00pm

• NT: 11.00am

• WA: 9.30am

• New Zealand: 2.30pm

For other time zones please go to https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

Please ensure you have access to your email address just prior to the start time to access Zoom details. Please also check your email address is correct on your registration form before submitting. Thanks.

Date and time: Tuesday 24 March 2026, 4.30pm - 6.00pm AEDT 
Topic: SA Panel: International Development MERL: Power, Epistemology and Lessons for Australian Practice
Location: online, via Zoom. Details will be emailed to registrants just prior to the start time
Presenters: Charlie Tulloch | Policy Performance; Amy Gildea | Cowater International; Dr Elissa Mortimer | Palladium; Tessa Hillgrove | Tetratech and Catriona Flavel | Australian Red Cross
Register online by: 23 March 2026

Event description:

The SA regional committee is proud to showcase Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) insights from leading international development practitioners, based in South Australia. Each panel member brings a wealth of experience in diverse international settings, contexts and approaches.

Charlie Tulloch will facilitate the panel. The session will focus on drawing out lessons from each panel member's real-world, on-ground experiences, including lessons for Australian MERL practice from international experiences.

Expect the session to tackle some critical topics in evaluation, such as:
- How Western evaluation paradigms are challenged — and strengthened — when working alongside First Nations and Pasifika (and other) methodologies.
- What happens to notions of rigour in fragile, politically complex systems.
- The delicate intersection and balance between donor accountability, localisation, equity and inclusion, and Indigenous knowledge systems.
- What domestic (Australian) policy evaluators can learn from adaptive MERL practices in international settings.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions of panel members.

Presenter(s) details:

Charlie Tulloch is Director of Policy Performance. He consults in Australia and internationally with public sector organisations who seek to better understand and advance their implementation and impact. He has recently completed projects in Vanuatu and PNG, notably compiling National M&E Guidelines for the Government of Vanuatu. He has trained over 100 government managers and evaluators across Vanuatu and Fiji.

Amy Gildea is Managing Director of Cowater International (APAC) and Non-Executive Director of Malu Matriarchs Collective. She is a senior MEL practitioner and humanitarian executive with more than 20 years’ experience working across Australian health and social policy, international development and humanitarian systems. Her evaluation practice spans quasi-experimental design, theory-based and adaptive approaches, and the integration of First Nations and Pasifika methodologies within Western evaluative frameworks. Amy has worked across 33 countries in fragile, conflict-affected and climate-vulnerable settings, and has led billion-dollar government and multilateral portfolios across the Indo-Pacific. Amy works at the intersection of policy reform, localisation, Indigenous knowledge systems and institutional accountability.

Dr. Elissa Mortimer is APAC Lead - MERL, Palladium Group. Elissa is an accomplished international development professional with a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics and a Doctorate of Public Health. With over 25 years’ experience, she has worked with agencies including DFAT, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, WHO and Cancer Australia and has lived and worked in Nepal, Fiji and India and undertaken field work managing MERL programs in Papua New Guinea, Malawi, Sri Lanka and Vanuatu. Elissa’s MERL specialisation includes counterfactual studies using randomized controlled trial designs. She also has in-depth experience managing mixed method and tracer studies, process evaluations, culturally-responsive evaluation and knowledge translation, including data visualisation for dashboarding.

Dr Tessa Hillgrove is Associate Director - Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at Tetra Tech. Tessa is a seasoned MERL Manager and development research expert with over 20 years’ experience in applied research, program evaluation and policy engagement across Australia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. She has built her career at the interface of research and practice, designing and leading studies that translate evidence into action for development, humanitarian and public health systems. Tessa has published on population health, disability inclusion, and participatory methodologies. She has led and contributed to collaborative research and evaluation projects with DFAT, NGOs and regional partners, including in Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands, and the broader Pacific.

Catriona Flavel, Evaluator at Red Cross Australia. Catriona is an experienced evaluator with expertise undertaking complex monitoring, evaluation and learning processes in a range of sectors including education, civil society, private sector development and governance. She has worked in the private sector, for government and as an independent consultant. She is committed to ensuring that the results of MERL are used to drive policy and practice and has strong focus on stakeholder engagement within donors, partner country governments and implementing partners. Catriona has led a number of meta-evaluations and multi-year portfolio-level reviews of programs. She has worked with policy makers to enhance the relevance, efficiency and impact of policies and programs - particularly in relation to civil society engagement.

If this panel is recorded, it will be available on the member portal only.

Seminar start times:

SA: 4.30pm

VIC, NSW, ACT, TAS: 5.00pm

QLD: 4.00pm

NT: 3.30pm

WA: 2.00pm

New Zealand: 7.00pm

For other time zones please go to https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

Please ensure you have access to your email address just prior to the start time to access Zoom details. Please also check your email address is correct on your registration form before submitting. Thanks.