Operation Scotty: the transformation that Finance cannae do alone Career Advice The APS efficiency and transformation agenda doesn’t have to be, and won’t be, an overnight activity with all the solutions known today, says the Department
Why public sector corporations need an independent watchdog February 22, 2016 By Stephen Easton Career Advice After a lunchtime lecture on public sector reform at Parliament House last year, Finance Department secretary Jane Halton side-stepped a question from an audience member
Keane: after years of decline, who'll rescue the public service? February 12, 2016 By Bernard Keane Features There are public service bungles, of various scales, under every government. No public administration is ever perfect, no matter the government. But the Australian public
New 'open by default' public data policy just the beginning December 7, 2015 By Stephen Easton Communications & Technology Data can fuel innovation, improve service delivery and underpin genuine evidence-based policy — but public servants aren’t remembering to make it available. A new 18-month
Jane Halton: achieving the goal of ‘collect once, use many times’ November 16, 2015 By Jane Halton Career Advice Information is a vital government asset, and while we progress more and more into the digital world, we need to ensure this asset is managed
Confidence v being the 'ball-breaker': female bosses speak up November 4, 2015 By Stephen Easton Features It’s unfair that confidence and assertiveness are often seen as negative traits when displayed by women, no question, but that’s no reason to give up
Agencies offered support in Digital Continuity 2020 push October 28, 2015 By Harley Dennett Communications & Technology It’s the inevitable future of e-government, with ministers declaring digital transformation “non-negotiable”, but for now real change still requires the public servants to be won
Halton: get over the fear of failure or drown in red tape October 22, 2015 By Stephen Easton Career Advice A report on internal red tape commissioned by federal mandarins has been completed and is being considered for public release, as federal public servants try
'We need to move away from our focus on quantitative KPIs' September 28, 2015 By Stephen Easton Career Advice Jane Halton The Enhanced Commonwealth Reporting Framework is forcing public servants to rebuild a culture of evaluation and develop the skills
Let ideas transcend jurisdiction: ACT invites widely for first territory IPAA conference September 18, 2015 By Stephen Easton Career Advice The ACT branch of the Institute for Public Administration Australia has a unique position with two very different governments from which to draw its members.
Commissioner eyes private sector HR, not bandwagons September 7, 2015 By Stephen Easton Career Advice In the US, major blue-chip companies are reportedly getting rid of standard annual or six-monthly performance reviews and asking their managers to give employees more
Fear of failure can be managed with smart risk understanding: Halton August 18, 2015 By Stephen Easton Career Advice Commonwealth agencies must overcome deep cultural patterns to develop the more sophisticated risk management approach demanded by public management reforms and, ultimately, their external stakeholders.
Jane Halton: worry less, the axe is falling on internal red tape August 14, 2015 By Stephen Easton Career Advice The Department of Finance will soon begin cutting out internal red tape that constrains federal agencies, but it also wants public servants to stop making
‘I walk in with ten more facts than the minister, and I survive’ August 10, 2015 By David Donaldson Career Advice Ministers don’t always appreciate the range of skill sets required to run a department and tend to choose secretaries based on how well they perform in
