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.