Mike Mrdak: public servants must ditch the business jargon, stop being scared of citizens
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… Read More
IPAA
Alison Larkins appointed PM&C deputy secretary
Alison Larkins has returned to the job of deputy secretary social policy at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 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
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
From #censusfail to survey by mail: what’s so innovative about a national postal vote?
A few people scratched their heads last year after hearing the Australian Bureau of Statistics won a public sector innovation award for running the same-sex… Read More
Lessons from the hill: Steven Kennedy’s ‘secret list’ of questions to ask yourself during a briefing
Dr Steven Kennedy, one of Australia's most senior public servants, has twice been seconded to the Prime Minister's Office -- picking up a few tricks on the hill that have come in handy in his new role as departmental secretary. Read More
‘Fit for Purpose. Fit for Future.’ — national public sector survey coming your way soon
Professor Peter Shergold is meeting with governments across Australia in August to test of the pulse of the public sector. Read More
Politics of division set to rock public sector at ground-breaking Melbourne conference
The growing polarisation of our politics in the age of Trump and Brexit forms the premise for a fascinating – and potentially confronting – series… Read More
Inclusive growth in the 4th industrial revolution — the challenge of our era
How do governments explain the rise of inequality in advanced economies? Canada's top finance official tells Australian counterparts it is in significant part due to the inability to enforce the 'rules of the game'. Read More
The blueprint for the total overhaul of government you’ve never heard of
With tentacles that reach far across portfolio, federal, state and private sector lines, Bill Ferris has given the Prime Minister a blueprint for government reform that could be interpreted as 'enough rope'. That it is tied so explicitly to innovation spells trouble, writes Verona Burgess. Read More
Uh-oh Canada … public service musical chairs is unsustainable
To attract and retain more millennials in the public sector, it’s not enough to reform slow, complex hiring processes and replace “archaic” technology, according to the head of the Canadian Public Service Commission. Read More
The public service warms to renewal
Public trust in government is cooling, surveys show. Senior public servants are watching this and planning how to rejuvenate their organisations to engage with public persuasion, to see through their customers' eyes, and broaden the axis of trust and policy learning. Read More
Verona Burgess: are public servants so terrified of putting their heads above the parapet?
Canberra sticks to type, railing against gotcha games and handing out stone tablets, and with much-practised expertise, ignoring its own wisdom about the opportunity cost of risk-aversion. Will this time be different, asks Verona Burgess. Read More
Co-design, collaboration, engagement: don’t just throw trendy words around
There's a lot of hope that more collaborative ways of developing public policy can vastly improve outcomes but these approaches are nothing without ministerial support. Public trust also requires authenticity, so don't say it's co-design if it isn't. Read More
Trust crisis: can a big government still act local and involve citizens?
To earn back public trust, perhaps the "policy elite" need to get over themselves. Big government might be back but better solutions may also lie in more participatory, place-based services, co-design with citizens and collaboration with other actors. Read More