About the author Bernard Keane is the politics editor at Crikey based in Canberra. He was formerly a senior public servant in various federal departments. Follow Bernard Keane
Premium Columnists Questions – and answers – matter over the Leppington Triangle Friday October 23, 2020 By Bernard Keane Editors' Picks What a signal to send — if you’re big enough and ugly enough to take the commonwealth to court over long periods, it will give… Read more
Opinion: secret airport land deals set to expose rotten public service practices Wednesday October 21, 2020 By Bernard Keane Editors' Picks The Leppington Triangle scandal is looming as one of the most damaging in decades — but for the bureaucracy, not for politicians. Read more
A big-government, low-growth Australia sets sail on an ocean of red Tuesday October 6, 2020 By Bernard Keane Economy & Industry The government has committed not only to huge deficit spending, but also to pushing the size of government as a proportion of the economy to… Read more
Spend, spend, spend — Frydenberg’s road to recovery relies on the Great Australian Binge Tuesday October 6, 2020 By Bernard Keane Economy & Industry The government is relying on middle- and high-income earners and business to spend up big for the economy. Read more
Opinion: we need more strikes and more militancy to force wages growth Thursday October 1, 2020 By Bernard Keane Economy & Industry If unions were stronger, wages may not have stagnated and people might be willing to work in the horticulture industry. Read more
Premium Columnists Departments still lacking on cyber security compliance Monday September 14, 2020 By Bernard Keane Communications & Technology The ASD says that even just implementing the Top Four cyber security control strategies, let alone the Essential Eight, can stop 85% of cyber attacks. Read more
Opinion: aged care crisis shows a disaster waiting in workplace ‘flexibility’ Thursday August 6, 2020 By Bernard Keane Community & Social The Coalition wants to allow employers to impose short-hour contracts — precisely the cause of the tragic aged care sector scandal. Read more
Premium Columnists Public sector workers unfairly facing wages freezes Monday July 27, 2020 By Bernard Keane Economy & Industry Public servants face further real wage cuts, with the federal government imposing a wage freeze and other governments announcing they want to follow suit. Not… Read more
Opinion: reports expose examples of still getting the basics wrong Tuesday July 7, 2020 By Bernard Keane Editors' Picks Lack of judgment and an inability to get the basics right over an extended period reflects poorly on a department that, given its portfolio responsibilities,… Read more
Premium Columnists Staffing of ministerial offices needs total shakeup Monday June 22, 2020 By Bernard Keane Editors' Picks It may be worthwhile considering whether the Australia’s departure from the UK model is an experiment that needs to be evaluated, adjusted or reversed, writes… Read more
Premium Columnists The cult of the consultant Monday May 11, 2020 By Bernard Keane Career Advice I’ve been criticising the rise and rise of consultants for some years now because they represent not just a problem for the public service but… Read more
Premium Columnists David Gruen and the ABS’s overhaul of its jobs data-gathering will give us current information to act on Tuesday April 21, 2020 By Bernard Keane Appointing Dr David Gruen as the Australian Statistician has turned out to be one of the better and most farsighted appointments this government and its… Read more
Premium Columnists Old fiscal ideas are back, along with whatever creative new policies the public service can devise Tuesday April 14, 2020 By Bernard Keane Economy & Industry The government's discovery that public servants aren’t good merely for implementing its diktats has got to stick in the craw of a government whose signature… Read more
Premium Columnists Has the virus caught the APS out on business continuity? Monday March 30, 2020 By Bernard Keane Communications & Technology Bernard Keane quickly surveyed major government departments on their readiness for remote working. His findings suggests some are not ready — yet — for the… Read more
Premium Columnists The mega department is back, and with it age-forgotten challenges. Executives must learn to manage division synergies, multiple ministers and diverging agendas Tuesday December 10, 2019 By Bernard Keane Editors' Picks Coordinating a coherent seamless departmental response in a mega organisation means getting people out of their silos and thinking beyond their usual remit. It can’t… Read more
