Only coming to light due to whistleblowers, the Victorian Ombudsman reveals systemic suspect conduct in local government. Her new report illustrates the issues with governance, monitoring and culture that councils face.
INTERVIEW: Environment secretary Gordon de Brouwer takes over as president of IPAA ACT this week. He tells The Mandarin that contested debate — in public, not in code — is how public administration will improve.
Social procurement needs to move from being ad hoc to a key part of government process. Social enterprise managers hope risk aversion isn't an excuse for not taking out opportunities for social outcomes via procurement.
OPINION: If elections are about offering a direct choice, shouldn't it be informed? Australia's policy strip-tease is blamed on tactical need. Then why can UK parties release a complete policy document so much earlier?
If silos are a fact of life, governments can focus on developing people who can work across them and link up different teams. New research has identified the skills and attributes of an effective boundary spanner.
OPINION: Increasing women’s workforce participation is a game-changer, says one of Australia's top engineers. Australia lags in policies that support professional women, especially in the critical family formation years.
AFSA statistics show only 19% of personal bankruptcies are due to business-related reasons. CPA Australia's chief executive urges caution before ripping out public interest disqualifying rules in the guise of promoting innovation.
What are the qualities of an ethical leader and how might someone with those qualities think and act? Here are five traits to keep in mind.
SPEECH: The Commonwealth's newest diarchy is less than a year into its integration and establishment of new national capability. The Immigration secretary says advanced skills and automation are its future.
One in five Australians identify as a person with disability. Improving the representation of people with disability in the APS means we are better placed to communicate, understand and meet the full range of needs in the community.
Digital government is about far more than just putting some forms online, says Brian Lee-Archer. Rather, it has the potential to address some of society's most entrenched problems via access to real-time data for policymakers.
ANALYSIS: Australia is better equipped than its neighbours to deal with climate change and the natural and human-caused inevitable shocks. But it shouldn't be complacent. ASPI's Dr Paul Barnes explores the options.
The former top mandarin who wrote the book on Australian policymaking finds time in his new life as UMelb's VC to host The Policy Shop. He tells The Mandarin it's a modest contribution for more varied public debate.
Better collaboration and impact assessment should help bridge the researcher-policymaker divide. Researchers, once engaged and invested in outcomes, can restore evidence to policymaking.
This week Western Australia became the latest state to pass laws recognising Aboriginal cultures and claims, but there is still a long way to go. What can Australia learn from New Zealand's reconciliation process?
