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
Josh Frydenberg
The government’s biggest challenge? Avoiding a recession
For six months, the Australian economy has been growing at an annualised pace of just 1% – way, way short of its potential. Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg were elected to manage the economy, and that means doing whatever is needed to avoid a recession and the long-term damage to lives and living standards it would deliver. Read More
Key challenges for the re-elected Coalition government: experts respond
The Coalition has won the federal election. So what will this mean for key policy areas? Read More
Coalition plans $1.5bn APS budget cuts, promises to spare a few agencies
A re-elected Morrison government would aim to extract $1.5 billion from departmental budgets over four years, "building to $5 billion over the medium term" to more than offset new spending commitments, according to an election-eve financial statement. Read More
The federal election campaign through the ‘distorted prism’ of social media
Home Affairs head Michael Pezzullo has described social media as a “cesspit” while former Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Peter Varghese warned it… Read More
Coalition budget commits $20m to study and stimulate social impact investing
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet scored $5 million in last week's budget to consider how the Commonwealth can encourage private investment in positive social outcomes, and the government has appointed two social impact investing gurus to advise them. Read More
Federal Budget 2019: funding ‘Innovation’, at least in name
Malcolm Turnbull’s “Innovation boom” might be a thing of the past, but that doesn’t mean innovation has vanished from the budget entirely. Read More
Federal Budget 2019: Coalition promises funding boost for finance regulators
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority will both get significant funding increases this year to “restore trust” in the… 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
Why the Environment and Energy merger makes sense
Some are worried putting the Environment and Energy portfolios together under a Liberal minister is setting the cat among the pigeons. But there's a good case for merging the portfolios — and recent precedent in Victoria. Read More
Cutting the red tape burden: where public servants come in
The public sector has a significant role to play in cutting red tape, Tony Abbott's regulatory point man told bureaucrats yesterday. The Mandarin was there. Read More