GST carve-up formula may dampen reform, says Productivity Commission by David Donaldson | 0 comments The formula used to decide how much GST revenue each state is given is acting as a potential barrier to reform, thinks the Productivity Commission.
Contract management lessons drawn from ‘costly and opaque’ Telstra deal by Stephen Easton | 0 comments Federal auditors say there are lessons for all government agencies in how the Commonwealth's contract with Telstra to provide landline and payphone services has been managed. The Productivity Commission says the deal is costly, opaque and a roadblock to sensible reform.
Tom Burton: tech titans v. media moguls by Tom Burton | 0 comments The ACCC inquiry into the impact of big tech platforms like Google and Facebook on the media will be an opportunity to frame a new competitive framework for the digital economy. It also promises to be a major battle between the media and tech sectors.
Tom Burton: the case for the Department of Digital by Tom Burton | 0 comments The digital revolution is well under way, rapidly causing massive change, challenges and opportunities. Yet there is no consolidated policy agency with deep digital smarts to advise governments of their best options.
Peter Harris proposes later retirement age and a right to go back to school by David Donaldson | 1 comment Policy wonks have gathered in frosty Melbourne to take the nation's economic temperature. Things could be worse, but there are plenty of risks on the horizon. Do we need to convince Australians to work for longer, and make it easier to go back to study?
COAG performance dashboard goes live by Harley Dennett | 0 comments As Australia's leaders meet today, PM&C has released the new performance dashboard for COAG commitments. Now anyone can easily see how state and territories are tracking.
Sweeping human services overhaul depends on government stewardship by Stephen Easton | 0 comments The Productivity Commission has handed down its draft report recommending major reforms to six separate kinds of human services, starting from the point that service users mostly know what's good for themselves. It all hinges on how well governments play their stewardship role.
NDIS funding focus and rushed rollout could be undermining outcomes by Stephen Easton | 0 comments Is the NDIS fully funded, and what does that even mean? Will the scheme will be delivered on time and on budget? There are growing concerns that these questions obscure another matter of fundamental importance: the quality of outcomes.
Public sector underpins Turnbull’s new pragmatism by Tom Burton | 0 comments The 2017-18 Budget unveils a major new role for the public sector to drive infrastructure and regional development, with multi-billion dollar funds and delivery agencies, a buyback of Snowy Hydro from NSW and Victoria, and a new housing affordability package.
PM&C taskforce to consider Harris’s data reforms by Harley Dennett | 0 comments The Productivity Commission chair stresses the need for political and agency leadership to build and maintain the social licence needed for comprehensive data use reform.
Building the public goods of the 21st century by Nicholas Gruen | 1 comment Had Fiona Stanley been constrained by today's data privacy demands we might never have learned how to reduce incidents of spina bifida. Many more digital public goods are languishing amid grand pronouncements. Rather, we need the whole system to start coalescing around common goals.
Tom Burton: data rights for all by Tom Burton | 1 comment A proposed new legal right for consumers and businesses to control and access the data created about them is set to be one of the major reforms of this decade. Not everyone is supportive.
Peter Harris: rules forcing data destruction ‘akin to burning books’ by Harley Dennett | 0 comments The Productivity Commission is in the final week of its inquiry into data availability and use. Commission chair Peter Harris says that in public policy, while there’s lots of opportunity there’s not really much action. And what action there is remains seriously uncoordinated.
Expanding open data requires social license: information mandarins by Stephen Easton | 1 comment Government agencies need to build social license before pushing ahead with open data. Two key information mandarins have concerns with reforms proposed by the Productivity Commission, ahead of a final report in March.
Evidence-based policy: missing in action? by Karen Chester | 1 comment SPEECH: Evidence-based policy is like a black rhino — "seldom seen and rarely funded" — says Karen Chester. The Productivity Commission deputy chair considers the role of evidence in Indigenous policy and the "$2 trillion behemoth" of superannuation.
