A social progress index is not a new idea but a UNSW Centre for Social Impact team led by Dr Megan Weier has developed and launched Australia's first quantitative break-down of SPIs at the Australian state and territory level. It was a massive effort resulting in a true snapshot of Australia's social standing on domestic and global benchmarks.

The unprecedented scale of Australia’s most recent bushfire crisis captured the world’s attention. The nation suffered tragic losses of human and animal life — and immeasurable impacts upon the environment and economy. Along with the incredible stories of survival, heroism and community — significant concerns have also been raised about how we deal with such […]

One of most deeply uncomfortable points for both the parliament and the public service in the Australian National Audit Office’s report on the Community Sport Infrastructure grants program is whether then sports minister Bridget McKenzie actually had the legal authority to dish out the grants. Verona Burgess reports.

Proper oversight of national security agencies is not a luxury in a democracy — it is a necessity, writes Senator Jennifer McAllister. And she is introducing a private senator’s bill to see it implemented.

When more than half of Australians have little or no trust in what is supposed to be one of the world's great public services, it's bad for democracy. And it's consistent with the broad decline in levels of trust in government and faith in democracy in Australia over the past three decades, writes Bernard Keane. 

Developing and implementing gender equality action plans is not new to the public sector. some of the plans are comprehensive documents which, if fully implemented, will progress gender equality. Other plans are shallow and do not contain meaningful targets. Very few of the plans contain robust performance indicators, and even fewer have the mechanisms to monitor the outcomes.

Being a good negotiator is about more than just playing tough or nice. Know the other side, focus on underlying interests — and get creative.

Australia may be remote, but it is already on the front line of two global challenges that will shape the international agenda in the decades ahead. Sweden's former prime minister and foreign minister shares his perspective.

Boston Consulting Group senior partner and managing director Miguel Carrasco says a lack of trust is preventing departments and agencies across governments in Australia and New Zealand from delivering the effective digital services that the public has come to expect from the private sector. He gave The Mandarin his take on the viscous cycle governments find themselves in, how to overcome them, and who is leading the way.

A community-centred project in NZ is helping rehabilitate a polluted but popular swimming river. Working collaboratively with farmers and addressing funding issues has seen widespread voluntary buy-in to fix up a treasured community asset.

Every Australian jurisdiction has run inquiries into Indigenous youth justice, but they vary wildly on follow-through. June Oscar and Justin Mohamed discuss where we are and what's needed to resolve issues with Aboriginal youth experiences in our justice systems.

Some services have benefited from outsourcing, while others have caused harm to vulnerable people. A UK study examines what factors make failure more likely, and how to avoid being caught out.

We really do need to rethink old practices and principles that are no longer appropriate, much less still embraced. This applies to both ministers and the officials who serve them, and to both sides of politics.

Josh Forde takes us through what a government innovation lab is, why the sudden proliferation of them, what — if anything — is new, and what challenges are emerging.

Victoria's sustainability commissioner on why it's important to measure the economic value of biodiversity, how she got where she is, and her approach to stakeholder engagement.