Public servants hastily polish up the blue books as new Morrison ministry takes shape
A who's-who of the members in contention for Coalition ministerial positions in the days after the 2019 federal election. Read More
Barnaby Joyce
Joyce sacked Ag secretary ‘to remind him where the authority starts from’
Video has emerged of ex-minister Barnaby Joyce explaining why he sacked former Department of Agriculture and Water Resources secretary Paul Grimes, as the auditor-general confirms… Read More
View from The Hill: NSW result gives federal Liberals a boost in the mind games
The Liberals would delude themselves if they took too much heart from NSW. But at a psychological level it will lift the spirits of their MPs and campaign workers, and provide a better climate in which to launch the April 2 budget than if Labor had won or done significantly better. Read More
Barnaby Joyce’s decision to sell his story is a breach of professional ethics
The ex-deputy PM's decision to accept money for a TV interview betrays a complete lack of understanding of the convention that, in democratic political systems, public officials are accountable through the media to the people. Read More
David Littleproud lines up Philip Moss to investigate Agriculture department
Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud has asked the public sector integrity expert to review the "capabilities, investigative capacity and culture" of his department with respect to regulating the live export trade. Read More
APVMA staff don’t want to change their address, not looking for a New England
At least 110 of around 200 staff have decided to leave the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority rather than move with it to Armidale, but the Member for New England Barnaby Joyce insists it's still a good idea. Read More
Loopholes and lies: the real scandal of Barnaby Joyce
When principles matter no more – that’s the real scandal, says Simon Longstaff. Read More
Cocktail umbrella in a monsoon: public servants watch as public trust abused
The nation’s top agriculture official has been dragged into the Deputy Prime Minister’s swirling scandals, providing him a letter of support that now looks like a cocktail umbrella in a monsoon of controversy. Read More
Verona Burgess: Joyce affair could never happen in the public service… could it?
They're corrosive to the wellbeing of every workplace, yet affairs between married bosses and subordinates can't feasibly be prevented. Sorting it out swiftly with no favouritism, nepotism or misuse of taxpayer money has allowed some officials to survive unscathed, but not all are so lucky. Read More
Cracks form in the convention of cabinet confidentiality, PM&C gets the glue
“Apart from anything else, you ought to be found and sacked," says former head of the Australian Public Service Terry Moran, to whoever is responsible for selling off a secure cabinet full of papers from the actual cabinet. Read More
National integrity commission: got a better idea to strengthen public trust?
COMMENT: A new federal watchdog is the only concrete idea on the table that confronts declining public trust in government. The APS would have to adapt to a new reality where there is more chance of dirty laundry being aired, but would that be such a bad thing? Read More
What a week! High Court throws government further off-balance
The ship of state has been listing for a while, and last week some of its key personnel fell overboard, writes David Donaldson. But it hasn't sunk yet. Read More
Water report provides the ‘systemic fix’ but damage to the public service lingers
Water management failures have damaged the reputation of the New South Wales public service and exposed a culture of expediency. A "systemic fix" has been proposed but it is harder to rebuild trust than to lose it. Read More
Verona Burgess: decentralisation spin lands in the long grass
Just when you might think deputy PM Barnaby Joyce would pull in his head while the High Court resolves the dual-citizenship crisis, he has, characteristically, done the opposite. Read More
Murray-Darling Basin review to examine water rules and compliance
A review led by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority will examine the adequacy of state water regulations and whether they're being complied with, the PM has announced. It's the latest response to allegations of water theft and bureaucratic impropriety aired last week. Read More