Unexpected election result means public servants know what to expect
After an unexpected result in Saturday's federal election, members of the Australian Public Service have a good idea of what to expect going forward. Read More
Senate
Odd logic: why the Morrison government won’t mandate Essential Eight cyber controls
In an unusual piece of logic, the federal government says it will not mandate the Australian Signals Directorate’s Essential Eight information security controls for all… Read More
Electoral commissioner: agency made the best of a tricky situation
The Australian Electoral Commissioner has stood up for the public service agency that supports him, and suggests the Australian National Audit Office should have taken greater account of extenuating circumstances in a report on the 2016 election. Read More
Three good old dust-ups from the first day of estimates
As usual there were plenty of dust-ups between the Dorothy Dixers on the first day of the Senate's supplementary estimates hearings yesterday. Here's a run-down of some of the clashes, claims and counter-claims. Read More
Like it or lump it, Barnaby tells staff: ‘you’re a servant of the people’
The ill-advised relocation of the APVMA to Armidale stars in Estimates once again, and it's just as difficult to get specialist staff to move from Canberra as almost everyone expected. Public servants don't get to make these decisions, says the Deputy Prime Minister. Read More
Auditor-general won’t look at Centrelink debt recovery
Auditor-general Grant Hehir has decided not to look into Centrelink's debt recovery efforts, as requested by shadow minister Linda Burney. He'll wait and see what the Commonwealth Ombudsman has to say, and might add it to his 2017-18 to-do list. Read More
Turnbull’s bombshell: budget moved, double dissolution date set
BREAKING: The federal government has brought forward its budget to May 3 and flagged a double dissolution for July if union bills aren't passed. Federal agencies may enter caretaker period as early as mid May. Read More
SES on sick leave accused of ‘snowballing’ Senate committee
The chair of a Senate committee has accused a senior executive from the Department of Parliamentary Services of providing "deliberately misleading" answers to questions in Estimates hearings last year. Read More
How the Senate cut 40% off its workers’ comp premium
The Senate's clerk Rosemary Laing is too modest. A 40% drop in her department's workers' compensation premium is down to an "excellent performance" and not crazy bargains from Comcare. Read More