About the author Associate Editor Stephen Easton is the associate editor at The Mandarin based in Canberra. He's previously reported for Canberra CityNews and worked on industry titles for The Intermedia Group. Follow Stephen Easton
NDIA staffing boost and new CEO draws cautious optimism from stakeholders, snark from opposition Friday October 18, 2019 By Stephen Easton Community & Social The federal government's decision to raise the National Disability Insurance Agency's public service staffing levels and the appointment of new chief executive Martin Hoffman has… Read more
It seems one can question the algorithms: NZ drafts charter for data ethics in the public sector Friday October 18, 2019 By Stephen Easton Communications & Technology New Zealand's government has published a draft "algorithm charter for government agencies" that promises citizens fairness, transparency and accountability around how the government uses data… Read more
NSW public service commissioner Emma Hogan to lead Department of Customer Service Thursday October 17, 2019 By Stephen Easton New South Wales The New South Wales public service commissioner Emma Hogan is taking over as secretary of the Department of Customer Service from Glenn King, who is… Read more
Martin Hoffman appointed to lead NDIA, government to hire 800 new public servants Thursday October 17, 2019 By Stephen Easton Federal Martin Hoffman has been appointed chief executive of the National Disability Insurance Agency for a three-year term starting on November 4. Hoffman, who was a… Read more
The Department of the Environment and Energy has been breaching the FOI Act for 10 months now Wednesday October 16, 2019 By Stephen Easton Communications & Technology The Department of the Environment and Energy has been in breach of the Freedom of Information Act for almost 10 months. That's how long it's… Read more
Alastair MacGibbon pops up as strategy chief at CyberCX, a new firm built via 12-way merger Wednesday October 16, 2019 By Stephen Easton Communications & Technology Former federal cybersecurity chief Alastair MacGibbon has emerged as chief strategy officer of a new Australian firm, Cyber CX, which was created from a merger… Read more
Aged care royal commission members pay tribute to former chair Justice Richard Tracey Wednesday October 16, 2019 By Stephen Easton Community & Social The members of the aged care royal commission and their senior counsel assisting began this week’s hearings with personal tributes to the former chair of… Read more
How to buy robots: World Economic Forum offers guidelines for government AI procurement Tuesday October 15, 2019 By Stephen Easton Communications & Technology Government bodies need to take a special approach to procurement when it comes to artificial intelligence, according to the World Economic Forum's Centre for the… Read more
A watchdog’s work is never done: Qld CCC held 244 days of hearings in one big year Monday October 14, 2019 By Stephen Easton News It has been a big year for the commissioner charged with investigating crime and corruption in the Queensland public sector, Alan MacSporran, but that is… Read more
Back to basics: auditor-general urges all agencies to review cybersecurity and fix common gaps Monday October 14, 2019 By Stephen Easton Communications & Technology Cybersecurity consultants hired by the Queensland Audit Office were able to break into computer systems to access confidential and sensitive information held by each of… Read more
SA opposition says a vote for Labor in 2022 is a vote to undo public transport outsourcing Monday October 14, 2019 By Stephen Easton News The South Australian opposition has vowed to reverse the latest round of public transport outsourcing if it wins the next election in 2022, as the… Read more
Way beyond robodebt: new $70m research centre to improve automated decision-making Monday October 14, 2019 By Stephen Easton Federal Researchers from eight Australian universities and 22 partner organisations from around the world will work to improve automated decision-making through a new centre of excellence… Read more
No help from the helpline: ABC uncovers new ‘bureaucratic bungles’ in Hakeem Al-Araibi case Friday October 11, 2019 By Stephen Easton Federal The ABC has uncovered new details of how Australian authorities contributed to refugee Hakeem Al-Araibi almost being shipped back to his persecutors in the kingdom… Read more
Spot the differences: all the changes in the new Cabinet Handbook Friday October 11, 2019 By Stephen Easton Federal Prime Minister Scott Morrison has issued the second new edition of the Cabinet Handbook since he took office, with a few substantial changes made since… Read more
Melissa Donnelly appointed acting Community and Public Sector Union national secretary Thursday October 10, 2019 By Stephen Easton Federal The Community and Public Sector Union’s governing council has appointed industrial lawyer Melissa Donnelly as its acting national secretary until elections for all of the… Read more
