Something strange happens when politicians leave the political stage. The other side suddenly becomes much more civil – even affectionate. There is an outbreak of bipartisanship or non-partisanship. It is as though, after years of fighting across the chamber, the political opponents shove babel fish into their ears and hear each other for the first time. Read More
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
The high risk of political corruption is the main reason for special ICAC-style oversight, but governments must be allowed to govern, says former WA Premier Geoff Gallop. Doing so in the public interest, he argues, is a lot more complex than it sounds. Read More
When the young union legal officer Penny Wong, active in Labor politics since her university days, considered a run for federal parliament, she concluded that… Read More
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
Digital democracy is here, but what does that mean? To find out more about the way technology is changing democracy and how you can help your agency prepare, come along to our Vivid Ideas event on Tuesday 5 June at the State Library of New South Wales. Read More
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
The ship of state has been listing for a while, and last week some of its key personnel fell overboard, writes David Donaldson. But it hasn't sunk yet. Read More
The CPSU came out all guns blazing to attack the government's enterprise bargaining policy in a Senate inquiry. But the policy remains intact and the government seems comfortable for the impasse to continue. Read More
Plenty of federal public servants think they are too restricted from expressing political views on social media. The Australian Public Service Commission asked for their views and has published over 5000 words of their thoughts. Read More
In the age of social media, public servants who enjoy political activities and contributing to public life often find the rules oppressive or hard to decipher. Nine tips on how far your freedom of speech goes on Facebook. Read More
A new website offers tips on setting up public service mutuals and hosts a series of federally funded case studies demonstrating some apparently successful members of the small but growing sector. Read More
Commonwealth public servants are trying to cut back internal red tape. But ministers and mandarins must get over their fear of failure to achieve agility. A review of internal red tape could be made public. Read More
A new Prime Minister will demand a more agile public service, Canberra's top bureaucrat has warned. But after 10 months in the job he's also singing public servants' praises. Read More
The changing role of the PMO could be a key factor in the inability of any prime minister since Howard to balance support and policy agenda. Former mandarins say the chief of staff is critical to effective use of the public service and Drew Clarke could restore trust and relationships. Read More
