Economic dark clouds gather but the budget is sunny
Things were rather gloomy at Wednesday's meeting of the Melbourne Economic Forum, and it wasn't due to the wintery weather that had finally arrived. Read More
Treasury
Just the facts: Treasury and CSIRO put space between advice and how ministers use it
Treasury and the CSIRO have both recently felt the need to clarify advice they have provided the government, after opposition complaints about what ministers did with it. Read More
No more long knives: bring back permanent secretaries, argues 1980s Treasury dep sec
Former Westpac chief executive and Hawke-era Treasury deputy secretary David Morgan has added his voice to those who argue the Australian Public Service needs leaders who don’t fear the axe. Read More
Should government agencies fall under universal pay-on-time reporting rules?
The Payment Times Reporting Framework is under development, and a key question is whether it should apply universally, leave Commonwealth agencies under existing rules with similar intent, or something in between. Read More
Treasury deputy Nigel Ray is off to Washington
Scott Morrison wants to send the head of Treasury's macroeconomic group off to Washington as a representative to the International Monetary Fund for Australia and 15 other nations. Read More
Bowen says Labor would restore Treasury’s independence, hints at Gaetjens removal
Labor's Treasury spokesperson Chris Bowen linked the appointment of incoming Treasury department secretary Philip Gaetjens to issues of "integrity of the public service". Read More
New Treasury secretary rolls the dice on his future
As well as angering Labor, the installation of Phil Gaetjens has raised eyebrows in bureaucratic quarters. Read More
Auditor-general Grant Hehir defends his independence from ministerial direction
The Treasurer had no right to stop the auditor-general telling his parliamentary oversight committee about a last-minute funding change this year, according to official legal advice. Read More
Less insular Treasury is paying off, says outgoing boss
Basing staff in the nation's big economic centres is helping Treasury keep its fingers on the pulse, says the soon-to-depart John Fraser. Read More
Federal government endorses national e-invoicing standard
Federal government endorsement of a common industry framework is expected to fuel rapid takeup of electronic invoicing across Australia and New Zealand. Read More
Legislature vs executive: auditor-general’s independence trumped by budget secrecy
This year, budget secrecy trumped the independence of Commonwealth auditor-general Grant Hehir, and the deputy chair of the parliamentary committee that backs him up is not pleased. Read More
How can the APS exclude suppliers with poor tax records from procurement?
The Tax Office will soon have a role in giving the green light to high-value Commonwealth procurement, and Treasury's new Black Economy Division is calling for input as to how the new system should work. Read More
Federal Budget 2018: tax cuts and slow spending growth
Tight spending controls and windfall of tax revenue has enabled the federal government to fund modest medium-term tax cuts, while continuing to invest heavily in infrastructure, health, and research. Read More
Federal Budget 2018: top-ups for the central agencies, few ‘efficiencies’ left to find
Like last year’s federal budget, the plan for 2018-19 involves re-purposing a range of “efficiencies” found in some parts of the public sector, investing in… Read More
Tom Burton: Canberra creates a brave new data world
It is hard to overstate the importance of the federal government’s decision to create a consumer right over the data created about them. The Mandarin's publisher Tom Burton pulls apart where digital government is going and what it will take to get there. Read More