Food standards body avoids threat of regulatory capture
Food Standards Australia New Zealand could have suffered regulatory capture but the government backed down on changing the way its board is composed. Read More
New Zealand
Events in February: UK cabinet lessons, WA policy talk, women and leadership
There's never much on in January but February offers a range of interesting events for people with an interest in the public sector including guests from the UK and CEDA's new women in leadership series. Read More
Charlie Shandil: Frank, fearless … and replaceable
While politicians get "captain's picks" in selecting departmental heads, is the role of the Australian public service to provide impartial advice being undermined? The lack of safeguards is an ongoing concern. Read More
Aged care complaints at arms length from department
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 2011 reform blueprint. Read More
How political appointments tip the scales of fearless advice
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 tweaks could help, writes ANZSOG's Chris Aulich. Read More
Australian team burns midnight oil to win Paris agreement
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 Bishop is leading delegates from multiple federal departments. Read More
Education secretary Lisa Paul to exit public service
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 career has been to embrace the scary as an opportunity. Read More
Give us respect, and no more gotcha games: Parkinson’s plea
Incoming public service chief Martin Parkinson opens up about his approach to reform, the need for political leadership, more risk taking and innovation from public servants, and a bipartisan policy on Asia. Read More
DFAT’s women in leadership target ‘ultimately about productivity’
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 gender imbalance. Read More
Efficiency dividends ‘encouraged’ agency budget over-bids
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 the dynamic between service delivery agencies and the gatekeeper agencies tasked with budget control. Read More
Forum: citizen engagement must include listening
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 and Public Sector Practice. Read More
Adapting to digital: reassessing the approach to cybersecurity
Traditional cybersecurity practices are failing to deter determined and well-resourced attackers. Agencies need to reassess their fundamental approach to protecting sensitive data. Read More
Collaboration is king, but ‘healthy silos’ may still have their place
Employment secretary Renee Leon is embracing collaboration within and beyond government with "a bold new experiment" in collaborative, outcomes-focused outsourcing. Read More
Digital change: lessons from the DTO, IBM and abroad
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. Read More
All about listening: the lie public organisations tell themselves
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 struggle to listen as much as they talk? Read More