Productivity Commission | Departments/Agencies

MDBA to lose enforcement powers with creation of new body

By Shannon Jenkins

Energy & Environment

The federal government will create a new statutory authority to increase water compliance in the Murray-Darling Basin and intends to axe the controversial water buyback…

Productivity Commission calls on agencies to ‘lift the bar’ on the quality of evaluations of policies and programs affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

By Shannon Jenkins

Federal

The Productivity Commission has published a draft Indigenous Evaluation Strategy to help all federal government agencies improve the evaluation of policies and programs affecting Aboriginal…

Productivity Commission to examine national water reforms

By Shannon Jenkins

Energy & Environment

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and water minister Keith Pitt on Friday said an inquiry would look into whether governments have been successful in achieving the objectives, outcomes…

Productivity fell for first time since mining boom, data shows

By Shannon Jenkins

Economy & Industry

A strong labour market has supported continued economic growth, the report found, and output growth has continued Australia’s recession-free streak. However, labour productivity declined this…

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Taking the sting out of health infrastructure and reform. How investing in soft infrastructure supports front-line innovation into cost-effective, affordable healthcare

By Andrew Searles

Features

With calls for more investment in infrastructure to help stimulate the Australian economy, it's also time for policymakers to think beyond traditional views of what…

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When you’ve got a case of policy-based evidence rather than evidence-based policy — and other service-delivery challenges

By Verona Burgess

Editors' Picks

With service delivery being the new black, middle-ranking public servants might be wondering whether being the meat in the sandwich is ever going to get…

Productivity Commission review to target delayed mining project approvals

By Shannon Jenkins

Economy & Industry

Lengthy processes to approve mining projects will be the focus of a one-year Productivity Commission review. Projects such as the controversial Adani coal mine —…

NAIDOC 2019: reconciliation requires more than symbolism

By Shannon Jenkins

Culture

The Productivity Commission's new commissioner, Romlie Mokak, said in a speech at Old Parliament House that "NAIDOC’s impact must surely go well beyond a single…

'Like pink batts for farmers': Minister defends questionable 'irrigation efficiency' grants

By Stephen Easton

Australian Capital Territory

The gulf between the alternate realities of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan grows wider, as this week's edition of Four Corners shows Commonwealth funding for more…

Productivity Commission's new Indigenous affairs role puts evaluation in the spotlight

By Stephen Easton

Community & Social

“The notion that we just bolt on evaluation at the back end, or close to the back end of a program, I'm hoping that those…

Damning report demands wellbeing-centred support for veterans

By Shannon Jenkins

Federal

While handing the responsibility of veteran policy to Defence seems like the best option — it's not, argues the Productivity Commission.

A whole of government Indigenous Evaluation Strategy

By The Mandarin

Culture

Commissioner Romlie Mokak delivered a speech for a NAIDOC event at the Institute of Public Administration Australia in Canberra on 2 July 2019. Here is…

Development of a whole-of-government Indigenous Evaluation Strategy is underway

By Stephen Easton

Community & Social

The Productivity Commission has begun development of an evaluation strategy for the whole of the Australian Public Service and any policy or program affecting the…

Productivity Commission finds areas for improvement in higher ed policy

By Shannon Jenkins

Education

The expansion in university places had advantages over previous policies that “severely rationed access”, but "results were mixed", says a new report from the Productivity…

Valuing the Australian Census

By Nicholas Gruen

Community & Social

Statistical agencies worldwide have come under pressure from ministers to provide greater justification for the hundreds of millions of dollars of costs of a national…