'Stop trying to fix women — fix the system' People & Capability It's still true that the higher you go in the public service, the fewer women there are. Progress is not happening fast enough for many,… Read more
Chris Eccles: governing in an era of distrust Thursday August 17, 2017 By Chris Eccles Features Victorian Public Service chief Chris Eccles contemplates how government can win back citizens' trust in his keynote address at Public Sector Week. Read more
'Have a crack' at promotion, Eccles tells young women Friday February 24, 2017 By David Donaldson Features A push to increase female representation in executive ranks at Victoria's DPC is paying off as the gender ratio nears parity. It's the responsibility of… Read more
Big critter: Chris Eccles' doubling of 'unconventional' DPC Monday February 13, 2017 By David Donaldson Features With responsibilities for equality, women’s affairs and Aboriginal affairs, Victoria's Department of Premier and Cabinet is "unconventional" in its structure, explains secretary Chris Eccles. It's… Read more
Chris Eccles, the 'accidental public servant' Wednesday February 8, 2017 By David Donaldson Features INTERVIEW: Chris Eccles is perhaps the only public servant to have headed up three chief minister's departments. The surfing secretary discusses his career start… Read more
We're determined to support those doing the right thing, says Eccles Monday January 30, 2017 By David Donaldson News Corruption investigations into Victoria's Education Department have put complacency to the sword, says the state's most senior public servant, Chris Eccles. Read more
Survive or thrive? Eccles' seven Cs for success as a new public servant Monday October 10, 2016 By David Donaldson Editors' Picks Public service newbies should seek out broad experience and build a culture of collaboration. Vic DPC secretary Chris Eccles and VPS commissioner Belinda Clark advise… Read more
Explain the facts, not the politics, but talk to the public (and media) more Thursday September 29, 2016 By David Donaldson Features Secretaries weigh in: bureaucrats have to be more visible. In a world rife with spin, public service leaders are increasingly seeing the value in providing… Read more
Chris Eccles: what will the public sector look like in ten years? Thursday June 30, 2016 By Chris Eccles Editors' Picks SPEECH: Victoria's top public servant finds lessons for the future in one of our greatest public policy achievements. Success starts with a moral purpose… Read more
MoG change reporting 'inconsistent and incomplete' Friday May 6, 2016 By David Donaldson News Unlike the Commonwealth, Victoria has no framework for consistently calculating the costs and benefits of MoG changes. This must be addressed, says a parliamentary report. Read more
Chris Eccles: getting buy-in for family violence 'moral duty' Friday April 29, 2016 By Chris Eccles Editors' Picks SPEECH: There's a "moral duty" to reform public services to tackle family violence, Victoria's top bureaucrat says. Government needs buy-in from a range of… Read more
Victoria promises Australia-first Family Violence Agency Thursday March 31, 2016 By David Donaldson News Victoria will create an independent family violence agency, as recommended by the Royal Commission into Family Violence. Silos have obstructed responses in the past, advocates… Read more
Should public servants count their efforts in six-minute blocks? Thursday March 24, 2016 By David Donaldson News Would keeping time sheets strengthen the often woolly numbers on how much individual programs cost? Victoria's Treasury head argues it would be counterproductive. Plus, why… Read more
Adam Fennessy: how — and why — to say sorry in government Monday March 7, 2016 By David Donaldson Energy & Environment PART TWO: Admitting mistakes and better consulting not only leads to happier citizens but better outcomes, DELWP secretary Adam Fennessy tells The Mandarin. Plus… Read more
'Name blind' recruiting less critical than unconscious bias training Monday February 22, 2016 By David Donaldson News The UK is anonymising job applications to tackle the problem of candidates with ethnic-sounding names getting fewer callbacks. So why is Victoria's top public servant… Read more
