EP#77: Getting communication right – with Trish Johnston

Today on GovComms, we dip into the archives, when in 2016, contentgroup CEO David Pembroke was joined by a very special guest, Trish Johnston, who was then the Assistant Secretary of Communications at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in Canberra, Australia.


Trish has been in the communications game for over two decades. She’s worked on some of the government’s most complex policy issues including domestic violence, cyber security, indigenous affairs, climate change, resources and energy and preventative health.

 

Her experience spans large scale advertising campaigns, strategic communications, public relations, media, issues management and digital strategy.

 

Today, Trish is Assistant Secretary at the Communications Advice Branch at the Australian Government Department of Finance. That means that she runs the show on behalf of the very important policy department here in Australia.

 

Discussed in this episode:

  • A typical day in an Australian Government Department
  • Creating a high level of strategic interface
  • Embedding the communications strategy in every conversation
  • How to communicate a policy effectively
  • Pitching your communications strategy