About the author Journalist David Donaldson is a journalist at The Mandarin based in Melbourne. Follow David Donaldson
Premium Interviews Setting up a social impact bond requires thinking through many barriers around data and measuring success. Amy Auster is stewarding two rollouts with an eye to early intervention Friday September 20, 2019 By David Donaldson Features "Early intervention is a bit of a nirvana," says Amy Auster, deputy secretary economic at the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance. Hard, but the… Read more
Premium Interviews Emily Phillips leads a highly distributed, highly visible agency. Finding the breathing space for innovation has taken contemporary leadership, strategy and partners Thursday September 19, 2019 By David Donaldson Features The CEO of Agriculture Victoria talks bee biosecurity, unexpected career turns and agency branding. Read more
Premium Interviews The ABS’s chief methodologist on the common pitfalls of using data and why fishing makes him better at work Thursday September 12, 2019 By David Donaldson Features The Australian Bureau of Statistics' Chief Methodologist Dr Siu-Ming Tam steps down at the end of the week. He spoke to The Mandarin about dodgy… Read more
Premium Interviews What exactly does a chief resilience officer do? Bringing stakeholders together to address the stresses and crises faced by our cities Wednesday September 11, 2019 By David Donaldson Case studies The Resilient Melbourne team looks for creative ways to create networks and tackle big problems that would otherwise fall through the cracks. … Read more
Premium Case studies How to avoid your dream job turning out to be a nightmare — know what you want at work beyond the fancy title Tuesday September 3, 2019 By David Donaldson Case studies Early career advice for public servants: know thyself and thine own goals — and don't be distracted by important-sounding job titles — recommends former Victorian… Read more
Premium Interviews Early career advice: maintain your work connections and play 'the mind game' if you want to get your ideas in front of senior staff Tuesday September 3, 2019 By David Donaldson Features Be open about your ambitions (without being arrogant) and figure out what makes your superiors tick, a panel of young high achievers advise their colleagues. Read more
Premium Interviews Private sector recruits don't have 'mystical powers', and have actually been responsible for many policy disasters. Why Simon Phemister still believes in 'frank and fearless' Friday August 30, 2019 By David Donaldson Features Twenty-eight years of economic prosperity has led to spending becoming the default policy lever, worries Victorian Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions boss Simon Phemister. Read more
Premium Case studies Advancing gender equality in Victoria Police took asking the right questions to unearth the surprising barriers holding back progress Tuesday August 27, 2019 By David Donaldson Case studies Two leaders in policing reflect on the practical changes they made to boost the number of women hired and promoted at Victoria Police. Doing so… Read more
Premium Case studies Jay Weatherill on where the SA nuclear citizens’ jury went wrong — what were the lessons from this innovative consultation process? Friday August 23, 2019 By David Donaldson Case studies South Australia's nuclear waste citizens' jury was meant to take discourse from radioactive to considered, but ended with polarisation. The former premier, his staffer, a… Read more
Premium Case studies Disability applicants to the Victorian Public Service graduate program quadrupled this year. Here's how they did it Monday August 19, 2019 By David Donaldson Case studies The boost followed the creation of a disability pathway in the grad program, as well as an effort by the VPSC to redesign its marketing… Read more
Premium Case studies New Zealand's wellbeing budget has attracted plenty of attention. Is it a new paradigm or just clever marketing? Friday August 16, 2019 By David Donaldson Case studies New Zealand's wellbeing budget promises to solve intractable social problems by focusing on "what New Zealanders value". So is it a genuine innovation or a… Read more
Premium Case studies The UK’s Policy Lab is using co-design and games to rethink both the solutions and problems of government — without a budget Monday August 12, 2019 By David Donaldson Case studies The UK's Policy Lab has spent the last five years using innovative tools to explore new ways of seeing both problems and solutions in government. Read more
Premium Interviews Government and startups don't speak the same language. Kate Cornick helps them help each other, improving services and keeping jobs local Wednesday July 31, 2019 By David Donaldson Communications & Technology Kate Cornick has been CEO of LaunchVic, which leads the development of Victoria's startup ecosystem, since late 2016. She has previously worked in the university… Read more
Premium Interviews Craig Ritchie sees the mistakes public servants make working with Indigenous communities. How he finds policy and delivery success in 'me knowing you and you knowing me' Saturday July 27, 2019 By David Donaldson Features Government often doesn't understand that "our mob care more about who you are than what you are", Craig Ritchie says. Read more
Premium Expert briefings The pitfalls you'll face in regulatory startups. Finding staff; ministerial panic; evaluation ... 'IT is simultaneously a minefield and a black hole' Wednesday July 24, 2019 By David Donaldson Features Being there at the beginning of a government agency offers the exciting prospect of influencing the future shape of a new arm of government. But… Read more
