Overview
Australia’s public sector faces a significant challenge in managing the scale and complexity of its data assets amid rising digital transformation demands. With the federal government investing more than $13 billion annually in ICT — and states such as New South Wales allocating over $3 billion — the efficiency and accuracy of business intelligence (BI) systems have become critical. Even small inefficiencies, such as a 5% loss from poor adoption or misreporting, translate into hundreds of millions of dollars in wasted public funds. The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has shown that underperforming digital initiatives can cost hundreds of millions, while Deloitte estimates that public servants spend up to 30% of their time reconciling data when BI tools aren’t fully embedded — a significant productivity burden across a 2.2 million–strong workforce.
This training addresses these challenges by strengthening Power BI capability across government. It focuses on building foundational expertise in data modelling, DAX, and Power Query; promoting good governance through privacy compliance and row-level security; and supporting innovation through open data and performance dashboards.
Now is the time to turn data into real value — to build confidence, capability, and insight through Power BI. Strengthen your agency’s digital maturity, enhance service performance, and position your organisation for the next wave of data-driven reform.
Who Should Attend?
This course will benefit APS4 to APS6 professionals, executives, analysts, ICT managers, data officers, and operational leaders across federal, state, and local government seeking to enhance BI capability and data maturity.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Get and Transform Data – Learn how to use Power Query to efficiently import, clean, and transform data into Power BI.
Build Strong Data Models – Understand the fundamentals of data relationships and modelling to ensure accurate and meaningful insights.
Design Interactive Reports – Gain hands-on experience in managing report pages, themes, and layouts to create engaging and accessible reports.
Master Cell Referencing – Learn how to apply relative, absolute, and mixed referencing (using F4) for dynamic and flexible calculations.
Apply DAX Fundamentals – Develop a solid understanding of Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) and create simple yet powerful calculations and measures.
Create and Format Visualisations – Discover how to build compelling visualisations that clearly communicate data stories and performance metrics.
Use the Power BI Service – Learn how to publish, share, and collaborate securely within the Power BI Service environment.
Develop Dashboards – Understand the difference between reports and dashboards, and learn to design dashboards that deliver clear, actionable insights.
Online Training
Power BI Essentials for Government
Session details
- Build a strong foundation in data analytics – Gain the core skills needed to confidently work with data using Power BI.
- Enhance your ability to interpret and communicate insights – Use advanced tools and techniques to transform raw data into meaningful information.
- Empower self-service analytics – Reduce reliance on IT teams by creating and managing your own interactive dashboards and reports.
- Transform the way you present information – Develop compelling, data-driven visuals that clearly communicate performance, trends, and outcomes.
No previous experience necessary
Key Sessions
- What is Power BI
- Power BI Licensing
- Overview of Power BI Desktop
- Data Connection Options
- Get Data from Excel
- Introduction to Power Query
- Get Data from a Folder
- Understand Relationships
- Add and manage Relationships
- Use DAX to create Calculated Columns
- Use DAX to Create Simple Measures
- Set Page and Canvas Settings
- Add Images
- Change and Customise Themes
- Add and Manage Pages
- Add Map, Treemap & Card Visuals
- Work with Tables & Matrixes
- Add Line and Column Charts
- Work with Tool Tips and Cross Filters
- Focus Mode and Spotlight
- Sort and Drill Down
- Customise Visuals
- Rename, Add and Duplicate Pages
- Add Custom Visuals
- Use the Filters Pane
- Work with Slicers
- Publish to the Power BI Service
- Workspaces & Sharing Options
- Subscribe and Comment
- Spotlight and Bookmark
- Export Data from a Report
- Report vs Dashboard
- Create a Power BI Dashboard
- Work with Tiles and Q&A
- Customise for Mobile View
- How to find shared Reports
- How to find Apps
- Power BI for Mobile
Meet Your Facilitator
Nicky Bull
Corporate Consultant | Blue Chameleon
Nicky Bull is a dynamic corporate trainer and consultant. She has 15 years of commercial experience as a computer programmer and analyst, and over ten years designing and delivering a range of educational programs. She lectures accounting students at Macquarie University and is the creator of the highly acclaimed Excel for Data Analytics Specialisation on the Coursera platform.
Nicky is passionate about learning and enabling people to use technology confidently and effectively in their workplace. She holds a BSc Hons in Computer Science, a BA in English Literature, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education.
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Join this training for professionals working within the Public Sector
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