How do you resist attempts to pre-determine advice by the ministerial office? Top mandarin Andrew Kibblewhite has some advice for public servants facing political interference or an inaccessible minister. Read More
Reduced welfare dependency and improved social outcomes are the targets underpinning New Zealand's social investment. The Centre for Social Impact looks at how communities and the government's finances are faring. Read More
SPEECH: There a few 'F words' to consider when providing "free and frank" advice, says Andrew Kibblewhite, the head of New Zealand DPMC. Advise without fear or favour — but don't be foolish. Facts, focused, future and ... fallible? Read More
Benign neglect of Freedom of Information reform has undermined the institutional capacity to deliver effective, informed and high-quality advice. The perception that ministers and public servants are not playing fair grows. Read More
Tasmania's eight department heads have jointly committed to gender parity in senior roles. Getting to 40% women at the top level by 2020 is their first target as the State Service tackles the merit paradox. Read More
The ABS's decision to link Census data is not a breach of privacy but an extension of the social compact, argue prominent health academics. Citizens expect governments to use de-identified data to improve their lives. Read More
CASE STUDY: The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission found itself the top of the APS innovation agenda setting this month, but it had a difficult birth. Despite no crisis precipitating it, co-production shepherded a regulatory culture fit for purpose. Read More
Government no longer has a monopoly on public services. Despite decades of rhetoric, adapting governance to fit the three-sector reality has merely complicated it, argues former PM&C deputy secretary Meredith Edwards. Read More
Big data overload is already beginning, but analytics can't do everything. So focus on business needs, experiment, and look for actionable insights, say government's data experts. How DIBP is using AI to measure risk. Read More
NSW has led the way in a customer-led digital revolution inside government agencies. But other states are now snapping at their heels, competing and learning from each other. Read More
Social impact bonds are just a new form of privatisation, argues CPSU Victorian branch secretary Karen Batt. A "race to the bottom with low wages and casualisation" or a more targeted way to achieve results? Read More
Australia lags nations like the US and UK in data-driven policy design and harnessing public data for business. So how can agencies build a passion around data analytics to better serve citizens? Read More
Is DTO taking over myGov, toppling Human Services as lead agency? The media narrative doesn't much resemble the policies from this campaign, and perhaps misses the more important trend inside digital services. Read More
A US start-up used government data to make $1.5 billion. The New Zealand government put data to work to find $954 million. The potential for Australian agencies is enormous. But internal barriers remain. Read More
Focusing on a handful of targets has helped New Zealand make progress on a range of complex social problems, improving collaboration across government and with the community. Read More
