Freedom of the press and public servants’ obligations -- a reply to Jacinta Carroll Tuesday July 23, 2019 By Andrew Podger Features Andrew Podger, former public service commissioner and head of four separate government departments, replies to Jacinta Collins' recent article on press freedom and national security. Read more
Attorney-general open to reforming 'obtuse' federal whistleblower protection law Monday June 24, 2019 By Stephen Easton Federal Attorney-general Christian Porter is reportedly open to reforming federal whistleblower-protection legislation to sharpen up the blurry line between legitimate and unauthorised disclosures of information from… Read more
The accountability debate in Canberra: what's at stake Wednesday April 17, 2019 By Geoff Gallop Australian Capital Territory Geoff Gallop outlines what he sees as some of the important issues at stake in the contemporary debate about accountability and how to properly guarantee… Read more
Alison Larkins appointed PM&C deputy secretary Thursday April 11, 2019 By David Donaldson Federal Alison Larkins has returned to the job of deputy secretary social policy at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Read more
Commonwealth Ombudsman 'pleased' by robodebt changes, legal challenges remain Thursday April 4, 2019 By Stephen Easton Federal Centrelink has agreed to keep working on the robodebt system to make it fairer and more transparent in line with new recommendations from the Commonwealth… Read more
Ombudsman: latest immigration detention bungle highlights serious Home Affairs flaws Tuesday May 8, 2018 By Stephen Easton Case studies Commonwealth Ombudsman Michael Manthorpe has told his former Immigration colleagues to have yet another go at fixing detention review processes after an administrative error led… Read more
Treasury boss John Fraser rejects auditor-general's view of corporate planning rules Thursday April 26, 2018 By Stephen Easton Case studies It's taken several years into PGPA implementation for a departmental head to push back at prescriptive interpretations. To win this battle, the Treasury boss will… Read more
The view from the outside: stakeholders weigh in on digital service delivery Friday February 2, 2018 By Stephen Easton Features The Senate inquiry into digital service delivery could well devolve into a political bunfight, but ministers and senior public servants might gain some useful insights… Read more
Individual tragedies lost in the great statistical wash of rising complaints Wednesday November 15, 2017 By Verona Burgess Features Even the Commonwealth's watchdog is struggling to meet service standards as the volume of complaints from people in wretched situations continues to climb. Where is… Read more
Centrelink robodebt had 'profoundly negative' impact, inquiry finds Thursday June 22, 2017 By David Donaldson News Centrelink's 'robodebt' system should be suspended until all procedural fairness flaws are addressed, argues a Senate inquiry report. Human checks should be reinstated. Read more
Visa and citizenship boss appointed Commonwealth Ombudsman Thursday May 4, 2017 By Stephen Easton News In a break with convention, the federal government has appointed a career public servant directly from the senior ranks of the immigration and border protection… Read more
Centrelink's debt recovery system: automation without good public administration Monday April 10, 2017 By Stephen Easton News The Commonwealth Ombudsman reports Centrelink's automated debt recovery drive is an example of digital transformation that failed to maintain good public administration, procedural fairness under… Read more
'Yawning gaps': government corporations need new watchdog Monday August 1, 2016 By Neil Westbury Features OPINION: Federal government corporations need an independent regulator, argues Neil Westbury, a former top bureaucrat who sat on the Indigenous Land Corporation board. Read more
What should a federal ICAC look like? The hypothetical long arm Friday April 29, 2016 By Gabrielle Appleby & Grant Hoole Features OPINION: Support for an anti-corruption body examining Commonwealth institutions won't go away as cross-bench senators revive the public debate. But what would such a… Read more
Can everyone win blowing the whistle? World-leading research Thursday April 28, 2016 By Stephen Easton Jurisdiction A world-leading collaborative research project is back, bigger than ever, to shed light on how to manage whistleblowers so everyone wins. The call has gone… Read more
