It’s to be hoped that as much as possible can be squeezed from the Robodebt disaster not only to avoid a repeat but more generally to improve the working of the Australian government and its public service. (more…)
Paddy Gourley
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Swathes of pro-integrity rhetoric no match for departmental “accountability shyness”
This is a brief, unhappy yarn about the struggle for accountability and integrity in a Commonwealth government organisation. The yarn’s principal character is the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C), now headed by Dr Glyn Davis, the de facto leader of the Australian Public Service (APS). The Department is at the forefront of promoting what it calls a “pro-integrity culture” and setting an example for others. (more…)
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Getting public service on an even keel key to better government
It may not be widely appreciated that door knocking religious proselytisers can be kept at bay by insisting they partake in discussions on public administration in exchange for whatever divine light is being diffused. It’s not that religion and public administration don’t mix; it’s that public administration is so tedious for all but those triple vaccinated against boredom. (more…)
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Robodebt and the APS
If the Australian Public Service and its satellite institutions were to last a thousand years, people will still say “The Robodebt was one of its most dismal hours”. (more…)
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The Order of Australia system: a bunyip aristocracy
The Order of Australia system is a bunyip aristocracy that reflects the hierarchies of British society in which the high and mighty get the cream and others are left with the skimmed milk. (more…)
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Glyn Davis struggles to address his troops
In recent years the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) has in the Christian Advent season delivered an “annual address to the Australian Public Service.” (more…)
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Ministerial staff reform vital after Morrison
There has been enough talk about ministerial staff in the Commonwealth government over the last couple of years to sink a battleship. It’s now time to do something. (more…)
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Paralysis by analysis: Extravagance clots Michael Pezzullo’s security sermon (Canberra Times, Nov 3)
Pezzullo’s 2020 list tries to cover everything, a serious failure. As pointed out by US scholars, if policy makers try to address all imaginable threats, security will paralyse government. (more…)