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
5 hours over 2 days
AVAILABLE DATES
- 1pm-3.30pm, 17-18 June 2025, Melbourne CBD
- 1pm-3.30pm, 29-30 July 2025, Sydney CBD
COST (including GST)
$1650
Facilitators
Tony Wood AM
Tony Wood is the Director the Energy and Climate Change Program at Grattan Institute. Before that he worked at Origin. 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.
Alison Reeve
Alison Reeve is Deputy Director of the Energy and Climate Change Program 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 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.
Joey Moloney
Joey Moloney is the Deputy Program Director of Grattan Institute’s Housing and Economic Security program. He is an economist with experience in public policy research and implementation. He has worked at the Productivity Commission and the federal Treasury, with a focus on the superannuation system and retirement incomes policy. Joey holds a Bachelor of Arts with majors in Politics and Media from La Trobe University, and a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours in Economics from the University of Melbourne.
Brendan Coates
Brendan Coates is the Housing and Economic Security Program Director at Grattan Institute, where he leads Grattan’s work on retirement incomes and superannuation, housing, and macroeconomics. He is a former macro-financial economist with the World Bank in Indonesia and consulted to the Bank in Latin America.
Prior to that, he worked in the Australian Treasury in areas such as tax-transfer system reform and macro-economic forecasting, with a strong focus on the Chinese economy. Brendan holds a Masters of International Development Economics from the Australian National University and Bachelors of Commerce and Arts from the University of Melbourne.
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.
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.
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, 29-30 April 2025, online
- 1pm-3pm, 7-8 October 2025, online
COST (including GST)
$1320
Facilitators
Jessica Geraghty
Jessica is a Senior Associate in Grattan Institute’s Economic Prosperity and Democracy program. She previously worked at the Reserve Bank of Australia in various roles within the Economic Analysis, Payments Policy and Financial Markets departments.
Jessica holds a Master of International Economic Policy from Sciences Po and a Master of Science in Economics from the Stockholm School of Economics. She has a Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies) from the University of Sydney.
Elizabeth Baldwin
Elizabeth Baldwin is a Senior Associate in Grattan Institute’s Health program. Elizabeth is an economist with experience in economic and social policy research.
She previously worked at the Productivity Commission and Commonwealth Treasury, covering a range of policy areas including housing, health, and gender equality. Elizabeth holds a first class Honours degree in Economics from the University of Queensland.
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 academy@grattan.edu.au 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 academy@grattan.edu.au.
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.