Reactive, slow, professional: what leaders really think of the APS
To get a sense of what federal mandarins think of the Australian Public Service, look no further than the APS Review's latest release of consultation results. Read More
APS review
Former secretary: ‘persuasion and trust’ the keys to ‘complex’ role of leading a department
The most useful tools for senior public servants are “persuasion and trust” in the view of former Commonwealth secretary Gordon de Brouwer, who sits on… Read More
Delivering local solutions should not be an afterthought
Placing citizens at the centre of policymaking and service design means they have the opportunity to shape policy and services in areas that matter to… Read More
Greg Moriarty: collaboration is the key to reform a ‘change-resistant bureaucracy’
The Department of Defence secretary believes collaboration will be the single most important vector for improving the Australian Public Service. Read More
Federal Budget 2019: incoming APS workforce strategy to ‘have regard’ to APS Review
A new whole-of-government workforce strategy under development by the Australian Public Service Commission and the Department of Jobs and Small Business will be finished by… Read More
Getting the work of government done
The APS seeks outcomes for Australians through complex systems of organisations, rules and relationships. How the APS designs and stewards these systems matters. Research prepared… Read More
APS reviewer Belinda Hutchinson: both major parties want to pursue public service reform
Both major parties are “showing strong signs of taking on board” the panel’s recommendations, according to APS reviewer Belinda Hutchinson. The University of Sydney chancellor… Read More
Finalised APS Review must be a ‘strategic masterpiece’ to survive whichever party wins government
If there is a change of government, the questions are, would Labor continue the review, abandon it, or reconstitute it, and where would it lead in terms of policy and legislation? These are questions that the federal opposition isn’t yet in any real position to answer, other than taking a sensible ‘interested observer’ stance. Much might depend on what they find if and when they get into the departments and look at the books. Read More
The next long wave of reform — where will the ideas come from?
Terry Moran's Accountability Roundtable address pays tribute to Jim Carlton AO; lays out how Moran views the next wave of reform; and cites the key steps Moran thinks must be taken as part of David Thodey's review of the Australian Public Service. Read More
APS Review draft: everyone’s heard it all before, implementation is the challenge
David Thodey says that implementing lasting reform for the APS would be challenged by the requirement for both realism and and optimism. As always, reform will need strong leadership and enthusiastic support at all levels, in all locations and across all functions. Read More
What ‘common pay’ really means and other things we learned questioning David Thodey
One of the more interesting ideas that emerged from the Australian Public Service Review this week was a move towards “common pay”, but as excitement buzzed the review chair realised something was amiss. Read More
Cormann welcomes APS Review priorities for change
The federal government "welcome" the interim findings of the independent review released Tuesday, says Mathias Cormann. Read More
Learning from failure and success
Evaluation of policies and programs together with a culture which learns from success and failure is pivotal in producing evidence for effective policy development and… Read More
APS Review sets out four priorities for change
Common pay, a professional stream model and more transparent secretarial appointments are some of the suggestions in today's interim report. Read More
No more long knives: bring back permanent secretaries, argues 1980s Treasury dep sec
Former Westpac chief executive and Hawke-era Treasury deputy secretary David Morgan has added his voice to those who argue the Australian Public Service needs leaders who don’t fear the axe. Read More