Will 2019 be the year of the watchdog?
One of the most compelling areas of public administration demanding attention this year is the role of regulation and oversight across government, says Verona Burgess. Read More
APS review
Martin Parkinson: public servants should school rookie MPs and ministers
The public service should provide training to new members of parliament, ministers and their staff, in the view of senior Commonwealth secretary Martin Parkinson. He also thinks his colleagues should put the spotlight on the cost of restructuring. Read More
What makes a high performance agency in a complex world?
The very understanding of what a high performance staff and culture looks like is changing dramatically says Kathy Hilyard, KPMG’s public sector partner. The speed, volatility, complexity and ambiguity of the modern world is challenging all professions, meaning “even the nature of trying to define high performance is changing.” Read More
The passion for making a difference is our greatest asset ‒ and we must preserve that
APS review panel member and Coca-Cola Amatil Australia chief Alison Watkins reveals her observations of the public service and dwells on the role of business in contributing to the reform debate. Read More
The case for an evaluator-general: why we need it and how we should configure it
The APS Review has been considering what role evaluation of public programs will have in its findings. Australia’s leading evaluator-general proponent, Dr Nicholas Gruen, on the design and implementation issues that will need to be addressed. Read More
The Fifth Risk and what it means for Australia
What is happening in the US public service right now makes an interesting laboratory study from which we could draw lessons for the Thodey Review. Read More
Can former political staffers turn into impartial public servants?
A better system is needed to acknowledge experience in a ministerial office to enable public servants to transfer back at a higher level and non-public servant staffers to have their service recognised in the APS, says Verona Burgess. Read More
APS Review update: panel leaning towards a small list of big ideas
The APS Review panel is planning to craft a concise set of big ideas for public service reform rather than a highly prescriptive blueprint, according to its chair. Read More
Canberra ‘too remote’ from most Australians, says de Brouwer
Government risks becoming separated from the people, warn a group of mandarins, as policy and service functions move apart. Read More
APS review: panel member Glyn Davis senses momentum for a major rethink
Submissions to the ongoing Australian Public Service review indicate enthusiasm for fundamental changes rather than just a few tweaks and adjustments, says panel member Glyn Davis. Read More
Dr Martin Parkinson: Brexit, multilateralism and how the media impacts policy work
The secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet was interviewed by the UK government's Civil Service Quarterly about what a post-Brexit UK can learn from Australia, how policy development is changing, and rebuilding capability and public trust. Read More
Mathias Cormann: the ‘state of the service’ is strong
Commonwealth administration spending controls are staying, the Finance Minister signals. He urged the APS to not forget the basic enabling skills as it builds new skills like data analytics and coding. Read More
Peter Woolcott: where to for the Australian Public Service
The APS needs to become more politically astute in its advice to ministers, the Australian Public Service Commissioner says in his first major address. Read More
The most influential voices outside of government on improving the APS
The panel reviewing the APS should reinforce its identity as a distinct institution within government, and build a stronger general consensus around what federal bureaucrats and ministerial advisers are supposed to do these days, argues a group of Canberra's most experienced ex-mandarins. Read More
DIRDC secretary Steven Kennedy’s thoughts on the role of the APS
Dr Steven Kennedy is the secretary of the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities. This is the second half of a speech hosted… Read More