Four years ago Canberra’s relationship with Beijing was on much less complicated footing; outbound trade with the people’s republic was rebounding to a five-year high, the government-owned postie was talking up the market ad nausea, and public officials were attending all manner of ceremonial signings. It was at one of these memorandum ceremonies—routine in China’s […]

With federal leadership on a net zero 2050 target missing, state and territory governments are tackling the the climate crisis themselves.

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown myriad challenges at the public service. Neil Scales reflects on what he's learned about ethical leadership.

A landmark research project published this week has called for a major re-think in how public administrators and policymakers approach homelessness in Australia, drawing on international best practice.

That Victoria has learned its lessons from its now infamous hotel quarantine failures was the key message from Premier Daniel Andrews on Monday, as the state unveiled new and improved procedures for containing the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether or not the new system is up to snuff will be tested sooner rather than later, with hundreds […]

Regulatory stewardship is on the agenda at PM&C as the government expands a realignment of priorities among regulators.

Accelerating Out Of The Crisis Faced with the pandemic, firms in Asia Pacific did things that once seemed impossible — sometimes overnight. Under the relentless pressure of new customer realities, the future came into focus: The value of your company depends on how customer-obsessed, resilient, creative, and adaptive you are in jumping to the next […]

In times of peril, citizens typically turn to their leaders and governing institutions for support. The 2019–20 bushfires and the coronavirus pandemic have seen more Australians relying on governments for assistance and action to ensure their core human needs, such as safety and security, continue to be met. A new survey conducted by PwC Australia […]

Tens of billions in grants to businesses have been handed out in 2020, but ASBFEO Kate Carnell says programs have left a lot to be desired.

A new set of digital policies, governance frameworks and investment strategies is about to change the way government departments all the way down to individual public servants build on and work within digital systems — as senior leaders prepare for a change-in-approach to ICT procurement.

Two weeks after the US election the world’s model liberal democracy still isn’t sure who its new leader is, and as a contested transition of power threatens the dawn of a new coronavirus response, US institutions–now tested–have seldom looked so vulnerable. This week, The Mandarin asks: what if it happens here? In reality, it already […]

As hope dawns on a renewed coronavirus response in the United States after the defeat of Donald Trump, special friend the United Kingdom is bracing for a dark-winter, entering its first-full week of a new nationwide COVID-19 lock down.

In a year of unprecedented calamity and tumult, it has been gratifying to see the Commonwealth public service deliver first class service to so many Australians through the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 has tested our resolve like few other crises, with the Commonwealth leading the way in ensuring the public has been fully informed about the […]

During the first few months of 2020, a new virus was quickly and silently spreading across borders. We didn’t know it then, but we would soon be in the grips of a global pandemic. By the end of March, Australia had taken unprecedented steps and had shut its borders and was on lock-down. As with […]

Which is a less forgiving environment, the boardrooms of Macquarie Street or the hustings within Aussie pubs? Former Australia Post boss Christine Holgate just found out. The embattled corporate executive resigned from her role leading the government-owned postie on Monday, cauterising weeks of embittered media fanfare over a 2018 decision to reward senior staff with […]