The appointment of a new Commonwealth Public Service Commissioner highlights deeper structural problems inside the Public Service Commission, from flawed remuneration policies to weak accountability and confused reform priorities.
Paddy Gourley
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Light rations from the Antisemitism Royal Commission thus far
The recommendations from the interim report of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion are tentative, lightweight and backed by scarcely any supporting analysis. Further recommendations must take into account the Netanyahu government’s responsibilty for the stimulation of antisemitism here and around the world.
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The forgotten war Australia would rather not remember
Michael Piggott’s ‘New Feller Master: Beyond the Trenches Australia’s Neglected WWI Story’, details Australia’s occupation of New Guinea and challenges familiar national narratives – confronting uncomfortable truths about power, race and legacy.
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A culture of secrecy is taking hold in Canberra
The refusal to release the Pezzullo investigation report highlights a culture of secrecy across the public service and government.
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Budget savings for Chalmers – fix the bloated pay system at the top of the public service
As the government looks for budget savings, the biggest opportunity lies at the top. Senior public service pay and structures have become costly, inconsistent and hard to justify.
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Australia, Iran and the politics of evasion
Political evasions and half-truths are shaping Australia’s response to the US-Israel attack on Iran, undermining honest debate about legality and policy.
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ASIO fails to gag the ABC
ASIO’s pre-emptive attack on a Four Corners investigation into the Bondi killings was vague, thinly evidenced and ultimately counter-productive. (more…)
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Do we really need a Minister for Social Cohesion?
Calls for a new Minister for Social Cohesion reflect anxiety about Australia’s civic health, but risk mistaking rhetorical panic for structural failure – and policy symbolism for effective governance.
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Blaming the Privacy Act for government secrecy
Claims of “privacy” are increasingly being used to obscure the reasons and costs behind the premature departure of senior public servants – eroding transparency and accountability. (more…)
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Best of 2025 – How the Albanese government kept “jobs for mates” alive
The Albanese government promised to end political patronage in statutory appointments, but has instead chosen a non-binding framework that preserves ministerial discretion and limits accountability.
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Best of 2025 – ASIO’s Mike Burgess and a lust for the limelight
In succumbing to a lust for the limelight, the ASIO director, Mike Burgess, is not making it easier for the government and citizens to retain confidence in him and the organisation he’s trying to run. (more…)
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Best of 2025 – A deserved defeat for Albanese on freedom of information
Thanks to Opposition leader Sussan Ley, the government’s disgraceful attempt to squeeze the life out of the Freedom of Information Act is as dead as a herring. (more…)
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How the Albanese government kept “jobs for mates” alive
The Albanese government promised to end political patronage in statutory appointments, but has instead chosen a non-binding framework that preserves ministerial discretion and limits accountability.
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The Dismissal at 50: Albanese condemns the past but avoids real reform
Anthony Albanese condemned the 1975 Dismissal as a partisan ambush. Yet he refuses to pursue the constitutional reforms needed to prevent another vice-regal intervention. Australia remains exposed, and neither government nor public sentiment seems ready for the changes required. (more…)
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ASIO’s Mike Burgess and a lust for the limelight
In succumbing to a lust for the limelight, the ASIO director, Mike Burgess, is not making it easier for the government and citizens to retain confidence in him and the organisation he’s trying to run. (more…)
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Commonwealth administrative reform remains up the creek
The results of a recent survey of community satisfaction and trust in Commonwealth public services are not to be sneezed at. (more…)
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A deserved defeat for Albanese on freedom of information
Thanks to Opposition leader Sussan Ley, the government’s disgraceful attempt to squeeze the life out of the Freedom of Information Act is as dead as a herring. (more…)
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Government secrecy 2, the public interest 0. Again
When it comes to keeping a tight rein on information, the Albanese Government does a great job of practising what it preaches. (more…)
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How to get Albanese up for the Nobel Peace Prize
Why on earth is the prime minister boasting about having “really warm” phone chats with the oaf who is now the president of the United States? (more…)
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Messiness in spookdom: Australia’s Iran Contra deal
With the prime minister’s announcement of the expulsion of the Iranian Ambassador, Australia now has its own Iran Contra scandal. (more…)
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Modelling consultative ineptitude at the economic roundtable
It’s to be hoped the federal government’s Economic Reform Roundtable being held this week signifies an intention to do more about something that truly matters – better productivity. (more…)
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Mike Burgess on the ASIO soapbox, again
Those with a regard for their welfare would do well not to get between ASIO chief, Mike Burgess, and a soapbox. (more…)
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Time for Foreign Minister Wong to put her foot down
In an ideal world, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) should be the government’s principal agency in seeing that relations with other countries best serve Australia’s interests. (more…)
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Greg Sheridan piles on the Murdoch delusions
While Paul Kelly has written wisely about Donald Trump, many of his Murdoch colleagues appear discombobulated by the real estate developer’s return to the US presidency. Who can blame them? They’re not alone. (more…)
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Spooks under the microscope
In 2023, the federal government set up a review of the National Intelligence Community (the NIC). It was to report in the first half of 2024. (more…)
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Kim Beazley bombs out
March hasn’t been one of the better months for Kim Beazley, the former Hawke and Keating Government minister, leader of the federal ALP and governor of Western Australia and now chairman of the Council of the Australian War Memorial. (more…)
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Mike Pezzullo and the Murdoch comedy company
The editorial authorities at The Australian newspaper have splendid senses of humour if their indulgence of the laugh-a-line contributions of Peter Jennings, Greg Sheridan and Henry Ergas are anything to go by. (more…)
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Public servants’ pay: Lambie’s on the money
Senator Jacqui Lambie is incandescent about the salaries of secretaries of Commonwealth departments and she wants to “slash” them from their million dollar levels (approx) to no more than $438000, the current pay for the Commonwealth Treasurer. (more…)
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Hugh White is stirring the China pot again
For more than 40 years Hugh White has been an important analyst of Australian defence and foreign policy. (more…)
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Elitists touched up by one of their own – The Callick case
The Murdoch Press sure knows how to whip up an eye-catching headline – it may be its longest suit. True to form, on 19 January 25 The Weekend Australian ran a corker – “HOW THE AMERICAN HATERS IN OUR MIDST GO EASY ON CHINA.”
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