Industry Panel

Communication Café – Industry Networking Event.

5-730pm Tuesday 19 March, Week 7, Semester 1 2024

5 prepared questions

1. What would you tell your younger self about your industry to better prepare yourself for when you
first started?

2. What is your favourite part about your current role, and the aspect that is most difficult?

3. How would you define success in your respective communication roles?

4. Based on your experiences, what piece of advice would you offer all the students in the room as
we start to gain experience in our chosen communication fields?

5. Is there anything you wish you did earlier, to set yourself up for success now?

Notes from industry panel:

Panel 1 - CPC

Question on crisis comms

• Madison
o Crisis comms experience in Defence, managing both internal and external comms
and media questions
• Amanda
o Crisis comms experience in Centrelink, on the ground management

Media relations question

• Madison
o Issue of managing expectations
o Ensuring to uphold security and classification of information in responding to
journalists
o Reputation management in negative/positive angles
• Amanda
o Timing and managing timelines for journalists
o Develop strong internal relationships
o Not investing time where it’s not going to have an impact – outlets that negatively
portray the organisation
• Michael
o Small place, develop the relations. Speak their language
 o Offer exclusives to journalists and the media and a helping hand where possible to
develop the relationship

Question regarding teamwork

• Michael
o Efficiency of a team is impacted by competency and culture fit

What other approaches do you have in your job

• Madison
o Drafts ministerial products and responses on behalf of the minister
• Michael
o Chief of Staff role, managing announcements and the like of the day-to-day life of
the minister

Thoughts following the panel:

Communication styles and departmental messaging – what kind of things do you do to help you
adapt to this and understand the styles and priorities for all of the products for a minister, or
department etc.

How do you ensure effective communication, in both internal and external communication channels?

CPC Panellists:

Michael Liu

• CoS to ACT Minister Tara Cheyne MLA

• Professional violinist and DJ
• Volunteer for cancer council

Madison Illievska

• Australian sports commission

• Graduated from UC in 2021 – CPC degree
• Did internships while at UC
• Post grad did graduate program in defence, wide range of marketing and comms roles.
Worked as media advisor for the Deputy Prime Minister
• Managing footage requests from journalists – balance publicity and issue, but keeping
confidentiality

Amanda Dennett

• Senior manager of Synergy Group

• Former UC student – Bachelor of Journalism and post grad in professional writing and editing
• Gained a job while at UC as a media advisor for Centrelink
• Former digital manager at the war memorial
• Now a consultant for communication delivery and support for government and businesses
//

Panel 2 - Journalism

Question: top journalists don’t have an issue pushing for a story – how is this something you manage
personally, or get over it? Managing ethics

• Troy
o Power of silence – Seniors dig themselves into holes because they keep talking,
without being prompted with a question
• Jasper
o Live negotiation
o Rules of engagement are different – from CEO/public facing persons of interest
versus someone who is trying to tell a story, not media trained, not sworn into
politics etc.
• Maddi
o Building trust with interviewee – more likely to open-up. Pre interviews, building
relationship before conducting a more intense interview

If a statement is ‘off the record’ – do you respect that or do you push it, to gain more information for
the story?

• Hannah
o Different working in commercial radio – don’t see the story out regarding limited
pitch times
• Maddi
o International liaison – scenario where the Las Vegas police needed to validify the
news story (AUS local couple went to LA)
o Off the record statements were used as background information
• Jasper
o Can’t change the story after the fact – if an interviewee is forthcoming with
information, and then suddenly wish to redact a statement or make it off the record
• Troy
o ABC is off the record completely
o If you are on the record, there is no take backs – if something is off the record, say it
beforehand

Question about character in journalism. How do you stand out in your own works?

• Hannah
o Commercial radio – 25 second pitch. Don’t really cover court reporting etc
o Maintaining positive relationships
• Jasper
 o You want to be known as someone who can break a story and can write well
• Troy
o Internal and external factors
o Looking for reporters who are tenacious
o Reward is the external validation
o It’s about the stories about the telling for people

Question: how do you cover a range of stories across a range of content each week?

• Hannah
o Just short sharp and to the fact
o Majority of people know a little bit of sport, but not the specifics. In the interest of
the majority
• Jasper
o Assembly sitting – angles you take for the stories
• Maddi
o ‘fluff’ pieces etc. take the opportunity
o Everything is connected when it comes to storytelling

Journalism Panellists:

Hannah Donald

• Amplify CBR
• Hit 104.7 and mix 106.3
• News, sport, weather

Jasper Lindell

• The Canberra Times

Troy Cuthbertson

• Deputy news editor at ABC Canberra

• Radio news, digital, social, television

Maddi Green

• Photographer
• Radio journalist