The notoriously long average waiting times for Centrelink’s phone lines are “plummeting” after the outsourcing of several thousand extra operators, claims Minister for Human Services… Read More
If the Turnbull government is turfed out of office at the next election, its arbitrary cap on Australian Public Service staffing levels will go with… Read More
The Turnbull government is outsourcing an extra 1500 staff to answer phones for Centrelink, and still blames Labor for the agency’s poor call centre performance… Read More
The Nation Disability Insurance Scheme's coordinating agency didn't predict one factor about its participants -- and hoped it would solve itself over time. That's unlikely, say researchers Eleanor Malbon and Gemma Carey, who have been watching how outsourcing is remoulding the agency. Read More
Two hearings and more than 50 submissions later, the JPCPAA may not be getting far, but the committee leaders are clearly asking intelligent questions, says VERONA BURGESS. Read More
The federal audit committee is gearing up for round two of its inquiry into the messy world of contractors and consultants, as the auditor-general prepares for a yearly look at related issues. Despite all the sound and fury, it's hard to see much changing. Read More
Managing employee mental health is a particularly “complex and sensitive challenge” for emergency services, the Commonwealth auditor-general’s office has observed in an audit report. Read More
Politicians want AusTender to be more than it is. Finance officials warn expanding it into a full expenditure reporting system would be better served though annual reporting. Read More
If the public service were a patient "it would be in palliative care", says Terry Moran. Here's what other secretaries have said about Australia's loss of bureaucratic capacity. Read More
"I'm all into rebuilding the public service, particularly at the senior level," says Tony Shepherd, chair of the Abbott government's 2014 National Commission of Audit. Read More
It's unsurprising a contractor would fail, given the UK's "aggressive" approach to outsourcing, thinks contracting expert Gary Sturgess. Taking the lowest bidder and ignoring the consequences is a bad idea. Read More
If your job involved poring over the best and the worst of government, you'd probably pick up a few things. ANZSOG's Marinella Padula has done just that and identified the top lessons for program leadership, design and evaluation. Read More
Government must be in the driver's seat, not riding shotgun to outsourcers, on big IT projects says the PM's digital transformation point man, Angus Taylor. Read More
A public service HR consultant explains his view on why government agencies increasingly need to rely on big firms like the one he works for. It's a controversial trend, and he sometimes finds himself questioning how his expertise is used. Read More
The days of big bang IT deals to mega vendors could be over. Reforms to stop agencies favouring large incumbent players will shrink deal sizes and liberalise purchasing rules are set to hit imminently. Read More
