Demand for services grows, APS staffing stays the same
Tight limits on public service workforce growth can make life difficult for agencies whose services to the public experience ever-growing demand, in line with normal… Read More
Department of Immigration and Border Protection
Ombudsman: latest immigration detention bungle highlights serious Home Affairs flaws
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 to a man being detained for almost four years while holding a valid visa. Read More
Tidbinbilla strike over APS payrise limits applied to NASA-funded positions
A group of CSIRO staff who run iconic Tidbinbilla radio telescope dishes near Canberra will stop work for one hour this afternoon, arguing federal government payrise limits should not apply to their NASA-funded jobs. Read More
Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo has no time for ‘inter-agency jealousies’
The law isn't the main barrier to co-operation between public service agencies, says Michael Pezzullo, but "hidebound, reactionary" attitudes. A new Department of Home Affairs will “embed” itself into supply chains, he explained. Read More
The case for a Department of Home Affairs: Pezzullo on his place in history
A single Defence Department was brought together in the 1970s. Later, Foreign and Affairs and Trade were merged, never to be separated again. Now Australia needs a Department of Home Affairs to confront global forces of evil, according to its secretary-designate. Read More
Podcast: Mike Pezzullo discusses the influences that shaped him
One of Canberra’s most powerful departmental heads, the deep-thinking Mike Pezzullo, has joined the Lowy Interpreter‘s new podcast series, dubbed Canberra Conversations. Here the Institute’s… Read More
Big ticket IT deals banned: Taylor’s $100m contracts cap in tech clean-up
The days of big bang IT deals to mega vendors could be over. Reforms to stop agencies favouring large incumbent players will shrink deal sizes and liberalise purchasing rules are set to hit imminently. Read More
Government’s Manus settlement a loss for transparency and accountability
Good policy making requires transparency and accountability. The government's decision to settle negligence and false imprisonment claims out of court with Manus Island asylum seekers has prevented an opportunity to learn from our mistakes. Read More
APS ‘devoted’ to user-centred design but not quite there with agile
APS service design leaders believe agile teams and user-centred design can certainly enhance policy evaluation, which will probably lead to better policy outcomes. They are comparing themselves to the private sector, but as always, the structure of government poses challenges. Read More
Comcare befuddled by ‘structural complexity’ of offshore detention centres
Workplace health and safety was a big theme of the latest Senate inquiry into offshore detention. The committee criticised the complex administrative arrangements that have left Comcare out in the cold, and called for a WHS Act review to make it clear where the regulator stands. Read More
Visa and citizenship boss appointed Commonwealth Ombudsman
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 portfolio as the next Commonwealth Ombudsman. Read More
Australian Public Service giants to compete in cyber war game
The Department of Human Services is building a new "cyber range" to stage attack-and-defend training scenarios. It has thrown down the cyber gauntlet and three other giant federal agencies have taken up the challenge of a cyber war game. Read More
Digital transformation is business transformation: leading through change
Big developments in technology at DIBP are making business processes more efficient. This has flow-on effects on workforce structure and accountabilities, explains CIO Randall Brugeaud. Read More
The keys to tech shift from one of the Commonwealth’s busiest CIOs
Digital transformation in a major department is a huge job. Have a risk management plan, but don't lie awake thinking of everything that could go wrong, says Immigration and Border Protection's CIO. Read More
Australian Homeland Security Department groundhog day
Proposals to create an Australian Department of Homeland Security pop up every few years. The idea comes despite Malcolm Turnbull being previously highly critical of a security super-department. Read More