Premium | The Mandarin

Interviews

Interviews

Mary Ann O’Loughlin: how I fell in love with policy-making, and figured out what works and the evil problems that don’t

Editors' Picks

Mary Ann O’Loughlin landed in one of Australia’s most purple phases of creative policy-making and promptly fell in love with it. Young, curious, engaged and…

Interviews

Simon Cooper on the new public sector skills needed to match the speed, scale, and intensity of Australia’s digital transformation

By Peter Debus

Communications & Technology

Interviews

Federal public servants will soon have a ‘responsibility to share’ data for public benefit, but they need to lean on the experts and be careful not to overreach

By Stephen Easton

Federal

Interviews

Miriam Vogel delivered implicit bias training for Obama. Now she guides AI developers: ‘Many more lives are impacted by the bias of that black box’

By David Donaldson

Communications & Technology

Interviews

Bringing Islamic State survivors to the UN: Obama’s ambassador Samantha Power on breaking out of bureaucratic isolation

By David Donaldson

Features

Interviews

‘Technology is the easy part’: innovation needs workplace cultures where smart people can ask dumb questions, says Sam Hannah-Rankin

By David Donaldson

Features

Interviews

Understand the context and motivations behind the minister’s request, recommends Gillard CoS Ben Hubbard — and don’t be an ‘adviser denier’

By David Donaldson

Features

Interviews

Mike Pratt on everything it takes to make customer service and satisfaction a central part of government — especially the need to be authentic

By Martin Stewart-Weeks

Features

Interviews

Are ministerial staff untamable? Peter Hughes’ creative solution allowing political advisers to do their politics while respecting neutrality of public servants

By Peter Debus

Features

Interviews

From rules and manuals, to Better Public Services and a spirit of service: you say you want a revolution, but maybe evolution is better

By Peter Debus

Features

Interviews

Collaboration, consultation and civility: what Verity Firth learnt about contending with commercial lobbying when trying to deliver public health policy

By Becky Freeman

Features

Interviews

Peter Shergold was the accidental public servant. Apprenticed to a titan at the age of 40, he learned to lead through listening. His own legacy is the reimagining of public impact

By Martin Stewart-Weeks

Editors' Picks

Interviews

Practice saying no and stop under-rating implementation, says Fran Thorn. Then, learn how to convince everyone your idea is not entirely stupid

By David Donaldson

Features

Interviews

Setting up a social impact bond requires thinking through many barriers around data and measuring success. Amy Auster is stewarding two rollouts with an eye to early intervention

By David Donaldson

Features

Interviews

Emily Phillips leads a highly distributed, highly visible agency. Finding the breathing space for innovation has taken contemporary leadership, strategy and partners

By David Donaldson

Features

Interviews

The ABS’s chief methodologist on the common pitfalls of using data and why fishing makes him better at work

By David Donaldson

Features

Interviews

What exactly does a chief resilience officer do? Bringing stakeholders together to address the stresses and crises faced by our cities

By David Donaldson

Case studies

Interviews

Early career advice: maintain your work connections and play 'the mind game' if you want to get your ideas in front of senior staff

By David Donaldson

Features

Interviews

Sarah Pearson on leadership: how to inculcate innovation into the public sector, take risks, create impact, and remain an optimist

By Martin Stewart-Weeks

Editors' Picks

Interviews

Private sector recruits don't have 'mystical powers', and have actually been responsible for many policy disasters. Why Simon Phemister still believes in 'frank and fearless'

By David Donaldson

Features

Interviews

Richard Di Natale: cooperating on policy. You won't get anywhere if you assume you can't have open and frank conversation with people. I haven’t been burnt yet

By Scott Hamilton & Stuart Kells

Editors' Picks

Interviews

Government and startups don't speak the same language. Kate Cornick helps them help each other, improving services and keeping jobs local

By David Donaldson

Communications & Technology

Interviews

Craig Ritchie sees the mistakes public servants make working with Indigenous communities. How he finds policy and delivery success in 'me knowing you and you knowing me'

By David Donaldson

Features

Interviews

'Licensed to operate differently' ― How Adrian Turner achieves large-scale digital innovation with porous boundaries and multi-disciplinary teams

By Stephen Easton

Features

Interviews

Steve Hodgkinson is banning 'stupid digital stuff'. Relentless incrementalism, empowered staff and reusable platforms allow for cheap, fast 'micro services' that users love

By David Donaldson

Communications & Technology

Interviews

Underperformance in the public sector is difficult and painful: Linda Waugh talks about how to guide and advise a way through it

By Verona Burgess

Features

Case studies

In the trenches, winning the battle to reduce violence against women is a daily, brick-by-brick process

By Stephen Easton

Case studies

Interviews

Gill Callister on ethics, female leadership and how to manage a department through a messy public corruption scandal

By David Donaldson

Education

Interviews

Blending in wasn't going to work for Carmel McGregor. Now she mentors those with vision, not just personal ambition

By Verona Burgess

Editors' Picks

Case studies

Australia's top librarian tells how the National Library fosters a culture of in-house innovation. In two words: 'radical incrementalism'

By Stephen Easton

Editors' Picks

Latest Articles

NSW digital chief off to Queensland

By Shannon Jenkins

Public sector union requests payment for firefighting members, Fair Work boss brought in to negotiate

By Shannon Jenkins

Deputy premier blames national parks agency for not doing enough on bushfire prevention, again

By Shannon Jenkins

‘What was feared and what was warned…is here.’ Australian filmmaker’s devastating message on climate change

By Samantha Sault

Why your 5G phone connection could mean lousy weather forecasts

By Marc Prosser

Interviews

Mary Ann O’Loughlin: how I fell in love with policy-making, and figured out what works and the evil problems that don’t

Categories Back

Simon Cooper on the new public sector skills needed to match the speed, scale, and intensity of Australia’s digital transformation

For public sector leaders who are informed, prepared and solution focused.

Federal public servants will soon have a ‘responsibility to share’ data for public benefit, but they need to lean on the experts and be careful not to overreach

Miriam Vogel delivered implicit bias training for Obama. Now she guides AI developers: ‘Many more lives are impacted by the bias of that black box’

Bringing Islamic State survivors to the UN: Obama’s ambassador Samantha Power on breaking out of bureaucratic isolation

‘Technology is the easy part’: innovation needs workplace cultures where smart people can ask dumb questions, says Sam Hannah-Rankin

Understand the context and motivations behind the minister’s request, recommends Gillard CoS Ben Hubbard — and don’t be an ‘adviser denier’

Mike Pratt on everything it takes to make customer service and satisfaction a central part of government — especially the need to be authentic

Are ministerial staff untamable? Peter Hughes’ creative solution allowing political advisers to do their politics while respecting neutrality of public servants

From rules and manuals, to Better Public Services and a spirit of service: you say you want a revolution, but maybe evolution is better

Collaboration, consultation and civility: what Verity Firth learnt about contending with commercial lobbying when trying to deliver public health policy

Peter Shergold was the accidental public servant. Apprenticed to a titan at the age of 40, he learned to lead through listening. His own legacy is the reimagining of public impact

Practice saying no and stop under-rating implementation, says Fran Thorn. Then, learn how to convince everyone your idea is not entirely stupid

Setting up a social impact bond requires thinking through many barriers around data and measuring success. Amy Auster is stewarding two rollouts with an eye to early intervention

Emily Phillips leads a highly distributed, highly visible agency. Finding the breathing space for innovation has taken contemporary leadership, strategy and partners

The ABS’s chief methodologist on the common pitfalls of using data and why fishing makes him better at work

What exactly does a chief resilience officer do? Bringing stakeholders together to address the stresses and crises faced by our cities

Early career advice: maintain your work connections and play 'the mind game' if you want to get your ideas in front of senior staff

Sarah Pearson on leadership: how to inculcate innovation into the public sector, take risks, create impact, and remain an optimist

Private sector recruits don't have 'mystical powers', and have actually been responsible for many policy disasters. Why Simon Phemister still believes in 'frank and fearless'

Richard Di Natale: cooperating on policy. You won't get anywhere if you assume you can't have open and frank conversation with people. I haven’t been burnt yet

Government and startups don't speak the same language. Kate Cornick helps them help each other, improving services and keeping jobs local

Craig Ritchie sees the mistakes public servants make working with Indigenous communities. How he finds policy and delivery success in 'me knowing you and you knowing me'

'Licensed to operate differently' ― How Adrian Turner achieves large-scale digital innovation with porous boundaries and multi-disciplinary teams

Steve Hodgkinson is banning 'stupid digital stuff'. Relentless incrementalism, empowered staff and reusable platforms allow for cheap, fast 'micro services' that users love

Underperformance in the public sector is difficult and painful: Linda Waugh talks about how to guide and advise a way through it

In the trenches, winning the battle to reduce violence against women is a daily, brick-by-brick process

Gill Callister on ethics, female leadership and how to manage a department through a messy public corruption scandal

Blending in wasn't going to work for Carmel McGregor. Now she mentors those with vision, not just personal ambition

Australia's top librarian tells how the National Library fosters a culture of in-house innovation. In two words: 'radical incrementalism'

Latest Articles

NSW digital chief off to Queensland

Public sector union requests payment for firefighting members, Fair Work boss brought in to negotiate

Deputy premier blames national parks agency for not doing enough on bushfire prevention, again

‘What was feared and what was warned…is here.’ Australian filmmaker’s devastating message on climate change

Why your 5G phone connection could mean lousy weather forecasts