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
Australian team burns midnight oil to win Paris agreement December 11, 2015 By The Mandarin Energy & Environment Thirty sleep-deprived Australian bureaucrats are hunkered down in a Paris conference centre seeking agreement with governments around the world on reducing carbon emissions. As negotiators
Education secretary Lisa Paul to exit public service December 4, 2015 By The Mandarin Education Lisa Paul, long-time secretary of the Department of Education and Training, will leave in February next year to pursue a career beyond the public service. Paul
Give us respect, and no more gotcha games: Parkinson's plea December 4, 2015 By Tom Burton Features Achieving real policy reform will take strong political leaders — like New South Wales Premier Mike Baird, New Zealand leader John Key and British Prime Minister David Cameron
DFAT's women in leadership target 'ultimately about productivity' November 23, 2015 By Stephen Easton Career Advice The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade launched a strategy to break down the barriers to women reaching the highest levels of the diplomatic workforce.
Efficiency dividends 'encouraged' agency budget over-bids November 13, 2015 By David Donaldson Career Advice Australian governance systems are out of date when it comes to the challenge of reining in the budget deficit, allowing agencies to dodge budget cuts,
Forum: citizen engagement must include listening 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
Adapting to digital: reassessing the approach to cybersecurity October 28, 2015 By Sandy Plunkett In just the last months Ashley Madison, Target, Sony and the United States Office of Personnel Management have been headline victims of highly sophisticated cybersecurity breaches.
Collaboration is king, but 'healthy silos' may still have their place October 26, 2015 By Stephen Easton Career Advice There is a keen awareness in the public sector that agencies can no longer exist as islands, but significant groundwork must be laid down before
Digital change: lessons from the DTO, IBM and abroad October 22, 2015 By The Mandarin Australian government can be a leader in digital transformation. But agencies have a lot to learn — and must undergo their own transformation to keep
All about listening: the lie public organisations tell themselves October 16, 2015 By Harley Dennett Features Last week the South Australian government announced the completion of a civic reform that divides many a community: how motorists and cyclists can share the road.
Electoral commission goes to Switzerland to defend iVote October 9, 2015 By Stephen Easton Communications & Technology Last month, the New South Wales Electoral Commission’s ongoing battle to defend the integrity of its online voting system took chief information officer Ian Brightwell
Get nimble, get positive, Michael Thawley tells Canberra September 25, 2015 By Stephen Easton Career Advice Australia’s top bureaucrat has flagged structural changes to government ranks, as the new prime minister demands a more agile public service. But Michael Thawley, after 10
Empowered citizens and the government challenge September 15, 2015 By Tom Burton Tom Burton: Welcome to the Mandarin and today we’re going to talk about the issue of public leadership in the digital era. And we’re discussing