Aged care complaints at arms length from department Jurisdiction Complaints about aged care services will now be entirely handled and investigated by an independent commission, as recommended by the Productivity Commission in its far-reaching…
How political appointments tip the scales of fearless advice Monday December 14, 2015 By The Mandarin Features Chris Eccles sparked a worthwhile discussion on "frank and fearless" advice from departments, but what of agencies where public trust is founded on independence? Simple…
Australian team burns midnight oil to win Paris agreement Friday December 11, 2015 By The Mandarin Energy & Environment A team of 30 officials from Canberra are locked in all-night meetings in Paris to reach global agreement on climate change action. Foreign Minister Julie…
Education secretary Lisa Paul to exit public service Friday December 4, 2015 By The Mandarin Education Paul is the fourth departmental secretary to have signalled their exit from the Australian Public Service in recent weeks. Paul's secret to her fast rising…
DFAT's women in leadership target 'ultimately about productivity' Monday November 23, 2015 By Stephen Easton Career Advice No interrupting, rotating chair responsibilities, and ensuring women are invited on speaking panels are some of the strategies DFAT hopes will help correct its executive…
Efficiency dividends 'encouraged' agency budget over-bids Friday November 13, 2015 By David Donaldson Career Advice Dodging the GFC meant Australia hasn't faced up to the reforms needed in public service budgeting, warns academic John Wanna. He proposes radical change to…
Forum: citizen engagement must include listening Wednesday November 11, 2015 By Harley Dennett Communications & Technology Watch this presentation on the latest research in organisational listening by Dr Jim Macnamara, professor of public communication at UTS, hosted by the WPP Government…
Promoted Adapting to digital: reassessing the approach to cybersecurity Wednesday October 28, 2015 By Sandy Plunkett Features Traditional cybersecurity practices are failing to deter determined and well-resourced attackers. Agencies need to reassess their fundamental approach to protecting sensitive data.
Collaboration is king, but 'healthy silos' may still have their place Monday October 26, 2015 By Stephen Easton Career Advice Employment secretary Renee Leon is embracing collaboration within and beyond government with "a bold new experiment" in collaborative, outcomes-focused outsourcing.
Promoted Digital change: lessons from the DTO, IBM and abroad Thursday October 22, 2015 By The Mandarin Features Digital transformation requires a transformation in thinking within government. At a recent IBM event in Canberra, government leaders heard customer-focussed strategy is the way forward.
All about listening: the lie public organisations tell themselves Friday October 16, 2015 By Harley Dennett Features Policy and service delivery agencies can spend big dollars on communications and engagement activities without truly listening to what the public wants. Why do governments…
Electoral commission goes to Switzerland to defend iVote Friday October 9, 2015 By Stephen Easton Communications & Technology The iVote system used in the last two NSW state elections is spectacularly popular, but controversy around it has gone global. Two academics appear focused…
Get nimble, get positive, Michael Thawley tells Canberra Friday September 25, 2015 By Stephen Easton Career Advice A new Prime Minister will demand a more agile public service, Canberra's top bureaucrat has warned. But after 10 months in the job he's also…
Commissioner eyes private sector HR, not bandwagons Monday September 7, 2015 By Stephen Easton Career Advice The latest HR trend is to get rid of formal, detailed performance reviews altogether. APS commissioner John Lloyd sees a lot the public service could…
Big data useless without human element Friday September 4, 2015 By David Donaldson Communications & Technology You never know what you might uncover when you examine big data with a curious and critical eye, argued DHS's Medicare chief Barry Sandison. People's…
