‘Blowtorch on failures’: Parliamentary Committee to examine ‘sloppy record keeping’ and APS culture through ANAO reports Thursday November 12, 2020 By Matthew Elmas News A Parliamentary Committee will examine ten highly critical Auditor-General reports for clues about how the public service can improve.
Big Four consultancy firms receive $640m a year to perform ‘day-to-day’ public service jobs Wednesday June 17, 2020 By Shannon Jenkins Federal Labor MP Julian Hill has called for an inquiry into what he describes as 'privatisation of Australia’s public service by stealth'.
Labor questions $1.2b ‘blowout’ on consultancy contracts Friday March 13, 2020 By Shannon Jenkins Federal Over the course of the decade to 2018–19, the government spent more than $490 billion on procurement contracts.
New secretaries for Infrastructure and Environment departments Friday November 8, 2019 By Shannon Jenkins News Two new secretaries have been appointed to lead the Australian Public Service. David Fredericks has been appointed to lead the Department of the Environment and…
National Archives budget at ‘breaking point’ as agency looks to David Tune for relief Wednesday November 6, 2019 By Stephen Easton Communications & Technology The federal opposition says the National Archives lacks the resources to lead major reforms to information management practices in the Australian Public Service due to…
For those on the left, the Coalition's actions speak louder than the Prime Minister's words Tuesday August 27, 2019 By Stephen Easton Federal Federal Labor members and the public sector union both agreed with parts of the Prime Minister's speech to his public service troops but argued the…
'Blatantly political' appointments risk public trust, says Labor MP Wednesday August 15, 2018 By David Donaldson Features Australia should reconsider how it doles out senior public service jobs following a rash of "blatantly political appointments", argues public servant-turned-Labor backbencher Julian Hill.
Opposition promises to remove APS staffing cap, with 'no impact on budget' Thursday August 9, 2018 By Stephen Easton Federal If the Turnbull government is turfed out of office at the next election, its arbitrary cap on Australian Public Service staffing levels will go with…
Auditor-general Grant Hehir defends his independence from ministerial direction Monday July 16, 2018 By Stephen Easton Federal The Treasurer had no right to stop the auditor-general telling his parliamentary oversight committee about a last-minute funding change this year, according to official legal…
Legislature vs executive: auditor-general's independence trumped by budget secrecy Wednesday May 30, 2018 By Stephen Easton Features This year, budget secrecy trumped the independence of Commonwealth auditor-general Grant Hehir, and the deputy chair of the parliamentary committee that backs him up is…
Consultancies 'adding up to billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money' Wednesday April 11, 2018 By Verona Burgess Career Advice Two hearings and more than 50 submissions later, the JPCPAA may not be getting far, but the committee leaders are clearly asking intelligent questions, says…
Learning the art of saying nothing: moving between politics and the public service Wednesday March 21, 2018 By David Donaldson Editors' Picks One of the things that struck Julian Hill about moving from politics into the public service was the need to learn the art of saying…
Paying for credibility: 'Don't you need a logo on it?' Friday February 23, 2018 By Stephen Easton Features Why do public servants need to use consulting firms so much? And how can you be a skilled buyer of consulting? Senior officials tell their…
No evidence to support APS staff cap, no idea how many contractors fill the void Tuesday February 20, 2018 By Stephen Easton Career Advice Politicians want AusTender to be more than it is. Finance officials warn expanding it into a full expenditure reporting system would be better served though…
Using up your budget in June? The public accounts committee is watching Tuesday January 23, 2018 By David Donaldson Features From dodgy contracts to money-saving headcount caps that cost more, Public Accounts and Audit wants to hear from you for its inquiry into contracts and…
