Grattan Academy
Take your policy skills to the next level
Take your policy skills to the next level
Take your policy skills to the next level with expert-led training from Australia’s leading domestic think tank.
Grattan Institute has a proven track record of producing high-quality policy analysis that directly influences government policy.
Key to our success is evidence-based policy analysis communicated through first-rate data visualisation, and easy-to-understand papers and reports. These skills are essential for successfully influencing ministers, stakeholders, and the public.
And now we want to share these ingredients of success with you.
Our program
This is a unique opportunity to take a look inside policymaking and learn critical skills from our experts. If you’re looking for an interactive training course that is engaging, fun, and will teach you real-world skills and knowledge you can use, these courses are for you.
What people have to say about Grattan Academy
“A really wonderful course, I highly enjoyed it. The expertise and wisdom comes through clearly.” – Changing public policy
“This would probably be one of the most interesting and useful courses that I have participated in. Relevant examples, engaging content and useful tasks.” – Changing public policy
“Great tools for rigorously approaching policy development and evidence. Amazing to get a behind the scenes view of Grattan’s work.” – Changing public policy
“I thought the course highlighted key ideas and shared best practice. Both presenters were open to new ideas and thoughts and had very good currency and credibility given that they both create charts regularly. It was also great to participate with people from all different sectors/professions.” – Making killer charts
“The course was brilliant, helped me to evaluate graphs that I see all the time and how bad they are.” – Making killer charts
Changing public policy
What is evidence-based policy, what makes good policy, how to communicate evidence, and how to navigate policy constraints and blockages.
Learning objectives
- Understanding the basics of Australian public policy
- Prioritising policy change
- Making good evidence
- Communicating the answer
- Identifying barriers to reform
- Effective engagement with stakeholders
- Exploring case studies with experts
LENGTH
6 hours over 2 days
AVAILABLE DATES
- 1pm-4pm, 14 July and 15 July 2026, Sydney CBD
- 10am-1pm, 28 and 29 July 2026, online
- 9.30am-4.30pm, 19 August 2026, Melbourne CBD
COST (including GST)
$1650
Facilitators
Alison Reeve
Alison Reeve is the Energy and Climate Change Program Director at Grattan Institute. She has two decades of experience in climate change, clean energy policy, and technology, in the private, public, academic, and not-for-profit sectors. Alison was previously the Deputy Program Director and before then the General Manager of Project Delivery at the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University. She led development of Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy in 2019, as well as Commonwealth policy for offshore wind, energy innovation, energy efficiency, and structural adjustment.
Tony Wood AM
Tony is the Energy and Climate Change Senior Fellow at Grattan Institute. He was previously the Program Director, from 2011 to 2025, and before then worked at Origin Energy in senior executive roles for 14 years. From 2009 to 2014 he was also Program Director of Clean Energy Projects at the Clinton Foundation, advising governments in the Asia-Pacific region on effective deployment of large-scale, low-emission energy technologies. In 2008, he was seconded to provide an industry perspective to the first Garnaut climate change review. In January 2018, Tony was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his significant service to conservation and the environment, particularly in the areas of energy policy, climate change and sustainability. In October 2019, Tony was elected as a Fellow to the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.
Peter Breadon
Peter Breadon is the Health Program Director at Grattan Institute. He has worked in a wide range of senior policy and operational roles in government, most recently as Deputy Secretary of Reform and Planning at the Victorian Department of Health. He was previously Health Fellow at Grattan Institute, where he co-authored reports on hospital efficiency, pharmaceutical pricing, and health workforce. Peter holds a Master of Public Policy from the London School of Economics and a Master of Public Administration from the Hertie School of Governance.
Samuel Bennett
Dr Sam Bennett joined the Grattan Institute as its inaugural Disability Program Director in September 2023. Sam has worked on disability, aged care, and health reforms at a national level for over fifteen years.
In his previous role, he led the Policy, Advice and Research Division of the National Disability Insurance Agency, where he shaped and delivered national policy, and implemented the Agency’s Research Strategy. Sam was also responsible for supporting the work of the NDIS Independent Advisory Council.
In the UK he led transformation programs in the National Health Service (NHS) integrating social care and health services. He was responsible for the UK Government’s program to extend personal health budgets for people with complex disability and chronic health conditions until 2018.
Owain Emslie
Owain Emslie is a Senior Associate in Grattan’s Disability Program. At Grattan, he has co-authored reports on such topics as transport infrastructure procurement, female workforce participation, parental leave, retirement incomes, intergenerational wealth, student progress, and chronic disease prevention.
Owain has previously held various roles in the Victorian Public Service, working on gender responsive budgeting, revenue, and VET policy. Prior to that, he worked as an actuary in general insurance at IAG. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Science from the University of Melbourne. He has also completed professional qualifications as an actuary.
Hamish McKenzie
Hamish McKenzie is the Deputy Program Director of Grattan Institute’s Energy and Climate Change program. With diverse experiences across academia, the electricity sector, and policy, he brings a practical approach to his work at Grattan.
He has worked at the Boston Consulting Group, as an advisor to an Independent Federal MP and at AGL, where he led the Virtual Power Plant strategy.
Hamish holds a Diploma of French and Bachelor of Arts with a major in Anthropology from the University of Melbourne, a Masters in Public Policy and a Masters in Environmental Change and Management from Oxford University where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar.
Hannah Orban
Hannah Orban is a Senior Associate in Grattan Institute’s Disability Program. Hannah advocates for the equality of people with disability through evidence-based public policy that is led by the disability community. She brings her experience as a sibling to people with disabilities to her work, as well as her professional experience in the government and non-profit sectors.
In Washington D.C., Hannah worked alongside leaders in disability policy in the U.S. as the Eileen Sweeney Graduate Intern in Disability Policy with the National Academy of Social Insurance, and the Century Foundation’s Disability Economic Justice Team. Previously, Hannah worked as a research assistant in economics at the University of Michigan, and in public and disability policy in the NSW Department of Education.
Hannah has a Master of Public Policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, the University of Michigan, where she studied as a Fulbright scholar. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) in Philosophy from the University of Sydney.
Making killer charts
How to master visual communication of good policy, and how to build your toolkit of killer charts.
Learning objectives
- What makes a chart good (and bad).
- The policy impact of effective data visualisation.
- How to choose the right chart geometry (e.g., line, scatter, bar) for your data.
- Style tips that will turn a basic chart into a brilliant chart.
Software
No software is required to take the course. This course focuses on designing killer charts, not how to create charts in particular software packages.
LENGTH
4 hours over 2 days
AVAILABLE DATES
- 1pm-3pm, 16 and 17 June 2026, online
COST (including GST)
$1320
Facilitators
Matthew Bowes
Matthew is a Senior Associate at Grattan Institute. He has previously worked at the Parliamentary Budget Office and Commonwealth Treasury in various roles analysing personal income tax, budgets, and social policy.
Matt’s research interests include housing policy, planning reform, and public trust in government. He holds a First Class Honours degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and a Bachelor of Arts from the Australian National University.
Register now
Frequently asked questions
Who can register?
Anyone can register. These courses are designed for and targeted at those working in, or influencing, public policy fields, in particular public servants at APS or EL classifications or equivalent, but you can still register if you are not working as a public servant.
How will the course be delivered?
Changing Public Policy courses are delivered as either in person or online sessions – this will be specified in the course detail. Making Killer Charts courses are delivered online. We do not deliver courses in hybrid sessions, so if a course is specified as being in person, no online access is available, and vice-versa.
When is my booking for a course confirmed?
Once you register on the website for a course, your place in the course is confirmed only once you have made payment. Payment must be made before the course starts.
My employer will be paying for the course. How do I arrange an invoice?
Register on the website for a course, and then get in touch with us via [email protected] to let us know the contact details of your employer’s finance team and any specified reference numbers such as a purchase order. As payment must be made before the course starts, please ensure you register with sufficient time to allow your employer’s payment processes to be completed.
There are no dates available that I can attend. How do I register interest?
Register your interest in by completing the course registration form selecting ‘Expression of interest – no dates available’ as your course date option. We can also work with your organisation to custom-build a course that works for your needs. Please get in touch with us via [email protected].
Do you provide any subsidised places?
We are not currently offering subsidised places.
I am no longer able to attend the course that I have booked and paid for. Is it possible to get a refund?
We will provide a 100% refund if you give at least two full working days’ notice before the date of your course, otherwise we reserve the right to retain the full course fee. Alternatively, you can find someone from your organisation to take your place instead. If you want to do the course another time, please register your interest on the website, and we will be in touch.