Don’t keep history a mystery: National Reconciliation Week in action
Australians are being urged to learn more about their national history as part of National Reconciliation Week. Queensland has launched a Reconciliation Action Plan. Read More
News
Blogging the latest government news and public sector briefs ...
Western Sydney, Perth, Adelaide ‒ ‘that’s not decentralisation’: ex-deputy PM
The former chief advocate for decentralisation policy in the Commonwealth government is anything but impressed with how the implementation is going. Read More
They said WHAT!? A week of Senate estimates in eight short clips
One popular pastime during the Senate's budget estimates is making short video clips of interesting, revealing or bizarre moments and presenting them with little contextual explanation. We've compiled some of our favourites from the first week. Read More
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The Mandarin is growing and we are looking for talented and energetic policy, engagement and communication professionals who want to improve the public sector. Bring your ideas and passion on how to make the public sector better and make them happen as part of our fast moving team. Read More
Decentralisation delayed, but not deprioritised
Federal department admits little progress has been made with its plans to spread more public service jobs around the country, and more from the latest estimates hearings. Read More
Avoiding the sprawl: which cities really face the longest commutes
New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics certainly makes you wonder about the government's argument for decentralisation -- that public servants could live like "kings and queens" in regional Australia. Read More
Agriculture deputy to lead APS ‘reform taskforce’ and other estimates tidbits
Several new appointments in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet were confirmed in Senate estimates this morning, including the two main support officers for Malcolm Turnbull's public service review. Read More
Ultranet: former VIC deputy secretary Darrell Fraser charged
Former deputy secretary at the Victorian Department of Education Darrell Fraser has been charged over his role in the failed software project Ultranet. Read More
‘Measuring success differently’: New Zealand budget’s shift in economic thinking
With its first budget, New Zealand's Ardern government is articulating a bigger role for government in society, talking up wellbeing over traditional economic measures -- while still playing on the standard "fiscal responsibility" narrative. Read More
Home ground advantage: local milk fans overturn NSW Health procurement decision
In a surprising example of democratic procurement, the New South Wales Health Minister has reversed a departmental decision to buy milk from one dairy co-operative in favour of another. Read More
How can the APS exclude suppliers with poor tax records from procurement?
The Tax Office will soon have a role in giving the green light to high-value Commonwealth procurement, and Treasury's new Black Economy Division is calling for input as to how the new system should work. Read More
Proud to be an ally — how public sector leaders participate in IDAHOBIT
A growing tradition in public sector engagement is celebration and recognition of International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia -- IDAHOT or IDAHOBIT -- held every year on May 17. Read More
Social impact investing ‘promising’ — but beware the risks
Social impact investing holds significant potential in addressing housing and homelessness needs, argues a new report -- though there are multiple risks, too. Read More
From risk to benefit: public servants change their minds about cloud security
Only a few years ago, a lot of public service leaders saw cloud computing as a security risk; now it is mainly seen as the… Read More
Vic privacy commissioner: publishing de-identified citizen records is a ‘risky enterprise’
Victorian privacy commissioner Rachel Dixon has commissioned critical advice for public servants from three Melbourne academics who have worked hard to raise awareness of the… Read More