Mike Mrdak | People | The Mandarin

Out of the blue: PM shows the Secretaries Board who’s boss

By Shannon Jenkins

Federal

Just last week the Australian Public Service Commissioner Peter Woolcott said the Secretaries Board had been busy advising Scott Morrison on his response to the…

Four departments and five secretaries cut while one returns, as PM reshapes the public service

By Stephen Easton

Federal

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has unveiled a massive Australian Public Service shake-up, which will see five secretaries out of their jobs, after a morning of…

How to deliver great policy advice

By Shannon Jenkins

Federal

Leaders from across the public sector, the private sector, and academia have come together to discuss the ins and outs of delivering great policy advice.

Multiple APS secretaries tipped to get the sack in Morrison’s massive MoG changes

By Stephen Easton

Federal

Prime Minister Scott Morrison plans a major restructure of the Australian Public Service, which may see multiple secretaries lose their jobs, according to news reports…

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Columnists

The APS needs to radically and quickly overhaul what 'service delivery' means to them. That should start with genuinely listening to their front-line people

By Verona Burgess

Features

Much of the APS needs to lose the attitude that policy is the apex of public administration and service delivery is done by lesser mortals,…

Phil Gaetjens promoted to head of PM&C, Dr Steven Kennedy to lead Treasury

By Stephen Easton

Federal

Treasury secretary Phil Gaetjens will lead the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet from September, and be replaced by the secretary of the Department…

Towards a professional approach to public policy: reforming people instead of structure and process

By Stephen Easton

Features

The importance of thinking about how implementation is going to work when designing policy is well recognised but remains a challenge, said Sir Chris Wormald…

Re-elected Prime Minister's public message to department heads

By Stephen Easton

Federal

Prime Minister Scott Morrison brought department heads out in front of the media cameras on Thursday and told them not to get in the way…

Mike Mrdak: public servants must ditch the business jargon, stop being scared of citizens

By Stephen Easton

Communications & Technology

Government agencies need to be more open, honest and direct with the public, come to terms with social media and realise that working with people…

ABC searches high and low but finds the right managing director already in the office

By Stephen Easton

Federal

A “national and international search that produced many impressive candidates” has only served to convince the ABC board it already had the perfect managing director…

Verona Burgess: changing of the guard

By Verona Burgess

Features

Nearly half the Australian Public Service get new bosses this month as Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Martin Parkinson puts his stamp on the Secretaries…

Mike Mrdak shows how an experienced leader doesn’t mince words

By Harley Dennett

Editors' Picks

How to get states and territories to co-operate, is the federation working, and which agencies can't be trusted with reform — the federal Infrastructure and…

APS leadership turnover set for another jolt — for better or for worse

By Verona Burgess

Editors' Picks

The high turnover of APS secretaries is expected to continue next year, but a ministerial reshuffle could cut short even more top mandarins' careers, writes…

Policy proof: Mrdak on Infrastructure's evaluation renaissance

By Stephen Easton

Features

It's not good enough to simply enact the policies of government and assume it's all going according to plan, says one department head. Public servants…