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Special Feature

The best of crime and violence prevention in 2018

by The Mandarin

Twelve of Australia's top programs tackling justice in innovative and effective ways, as judged by the Australian Institute of Criminology.

Special Feature

Could social media emerge as a new critical infrastructure sector?

by The Mandarin

As social media accounts become part of the critical infrastructure that governs our day-to-day lives, there is a strong case that their use for official purposes be regulated by legislation.

Special Feature

Ken Henry is wrong, and that has implications for public policy

by Darryl Carlton

Dr Ken Henry’s statement to the banking royal commission was misguided ‒ he needs to listen to modern business theory and learn from the mistakes of the past, says Darryl Carlton.

Special Feature

Geoff Gallop on corruption: politics is the problem, but it’s also the solution

by Stephen Easton

The high risk of political corruption is the main reason for special ICAC-style oversight, but governments must be allowed to govern, says former WA Premier Geoff Gallop. Doing so in the public interest, he argues, is a lot more complex than it sounds.

Special Feature

Whatever happened to ‘evidence-based policymaking’?

by Gary Banks

Despite all the talk, the main obstacle to using evidence in policy development is not so much lack of (potential) supply as lack of demand.

Special Feature

National Integrity Commission’s chief architect: Attorney-General’s fears overblown

by A J Brown

The Attorney-General is wrong to claim the rights of public servants, ABC journalists and others would be violated by the National Integrity Commission proposed in federal parliament this week, according to its chief architect, Professor AJ Brown.

Special Feature

Platforms, not projects, key to executing DTA’s ‘Vision 2025’ strategy

by Darryl Carlton

The DTA's role is to create a platform for digital transformation, not to promote individual projects. The projects belong to individual departments and agencies, argues Darryl Carlton.

Special Feature

The passion for making a difference is our greatest asset ‒ and we must preserve that

by The Mandarin

APS review panel member and Coca-Cola Amatil Australia chief Alison Watkins reveals her observations of the public service and dwells on the role of business in contributing to the reform debate.

Special Feature

Burnout in the workplace: when there’s nothing left in the tank

by David Donaldson

Many people don't pick up on the warning signs of burnout before reaching crisis point. An organisational psychology expert identifies six "pain points" that can lead to burnout.

Special Feature

APS is ageing fast, and its older employees most want to stay

by Harley Dennett

Today's average federal public servant is female, 43-year-old, an APS 6 in a service delivery role in Canberra. She's been working for the APS for 11 years and never moved from her starting agency.

Special Feature

Tom Burton: VPS key to ‘delivering’ the ‘Danslide’

by Tom Burton

If there is an unsung hero of Saturday’s so-called 'Danslide' state election result, it is the Victorian public service.

Special Feature

Evaluation: moving beyond well-intentioned fads and towards a new professionalism

by Nicholas Gruen

An evaluator-general should lead a renewed focus on understanding the impact of government programs, independent of their delivery and insulated from the demand for appropriate 'messaging' in other parts of the system. It could lead the way beyond bureaucratic fads to a new professionalism, writes Nicholas Gruen.

Special Feature

10th anniversary of the Global Financial Crisis ‒ and prevention against the next one

by The Mandarin

We won’t necessarily know beforehand where or when the next crisis will start. But if trouble arises, Australia’s experience demonstrates the old toolkit of responses still works.

Special Feature

If you build it, will they come? Solving the participation problem for parenting support

by The Mandarin

Parenting support programs can reduce the impact of socio-economic disadvantage on children, but only if parents participate, and often there is no funding for encouraging them. Dr Naomi Hackworth presents new research on how and why that must change.

Special Feature

What we can learn from Indigenous success in the USA

by Australia and New Zealand School of Government

Many Indigenous communities in the USA have used tribal self-determination and access to land to build an economic base and deliver benefits to their people.