Helen Silver’s independent review into the Victorian Public Service was handed to the state government in June. Six months later, Jacinta Allan’s government has revealed what measures it will adopt to find $4 billion in savings, including scrapping eight agencies, the absorption (MOG) of seven entities into umbrella departments, and
The NSW and South Australian governments have made a court application to intervene in a matter challenging minimum age laws for social media platforms. Australia’s world-leading social media regulations for under-16s are set to come into force later this week. The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024
Calls for more “joined-up and outcome-focused” ways of working and for public servants at the Department of Social Services (DSS) to develop a more nuanced understanding of systems and the people they serve have received a formal response. DSS released its capability action plan on Monday, announcing that a dedicated
Former APS commissioner Lynelle Briggs was asked in early 2023 to review the appointments process for government boards. The government’s response, finally announced last week (with the release of Briggs’ report), effectively rejects every substantial recommendation, providing cover for political appointments to all Commonwealth public offices, ...
Australia’s healthcare system is facing unprecedented strain. The combination of crippling clinician shortages, which are drastically widening the gap in care for rural and remote areas, an aging population, and the rise in chronic disease, is pushing patient needs beyond the system’s capacity. The severity of the challenge is undeniable:
Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino has announced the two-year appointment of Dr Scott Farrell as Digital ID and Consumer Data Right (CDR) data standards chair. Farrell replaces former NSW chief data scientist Dr Ian Oppermann, who has joined the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) as a full-time commissioner. An experienced
The 2025 Frank and Fearless survey by The Mandarin and Indeed found that only 30% of public sector employees see clear career pathways, while 22% describe their prospects as “hopeless.” Yet, at the same time, 83% say they’re proud to work in the public sector, a number that has stayed
I recently had a staff member come to me and start a conversation by saying, “I’ve made a really big mistake”. Much to her surprise, I immediately responded happily, “Okay, I’ve got just the thing,” and pulled out the big eraser, which is clearly for those big mistakes! After
Senior ministers are travelling to the US for key talks with their counterparts after the Pentagon’s long-awaited review endorsed the AUKUS nuclear submarine pact. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong fly to Washington DC on Monday to meet US secretaries Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio for
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has agreed to spruce up how it reports the impact of its enforcement of audit rules in response to criticisms from the Australian National Audit Office. An ANAO performance audit of the corporate regulator’s audit enforcement function has branded much of what the regulator
The Defence Delivery Agency announced last week by Defence Minister Richard Marles is very much a blast from the past — it’s the effective re-establishment of the Defence Materiel Organisation disbanded in 2015, albeit this time with an independent head reporting directly to ministers. Having a new top bureaucrat
Australia has opened a precision-strike rocket plant to support the army’s new HIMARS, in a move to reinforce its broader push to build sovereign, US-compatible weapons and maintenance capacity. The Albanese government on Friday announced that Lockheed Martin Australia and Defence will commence production of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System
Helen Silver’s independent review into the Victorian Public Service was handed to the state government in June. Six months later, Jacinta Allan’s government has revealed what measures it will adopt to find $4 billion in savings, including scrapping eight agencies, the absorption (MOG) of seven entities into umbrella departments, and
The NSW and South Australian governments have made a court application to intervene in a matter challenging minimum age laws for social media platforms. Australia’s world-leading social media regulations for under-16s are set to come into force later this week. The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024
Calls for more “joined-up and outcome-focused” ways of working and for public servants at the Department of Social Services (DSS) to develop a more nuanced understanding of systems and the people they serve have received a formal response. DSS released its capability action plan on Monday, announcing that a dedicated
Former APS commissioner Lynelle Briggs was asked in early 2023 to review the appointments process for government boards. The government’s response, finally announced last week (with the release of Briggs’ report), effectively rejects every substantial recommendation, providing cover for political appointments to all Commonwealth public offices, ...
Australia’s healthcare system is facing unprecedented strain. The combination of crippling clinician shortages, which are drastically widening the gap in care for rural and remote areas, an aging population, and the rise in chronic disease, is pushing patient needs beyond the system’s capacity. The severity of the challenge is undeniable:
Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino has announced the two-year appointment of Dr Scott Farrell as Digital ID and Consumer Data Right (CDR) data standards chair. Farrell replaces former NSW chief data scientist Dr Ian Oppermann, who has joined the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) as a full-time commissioner. An experienced
The 2025 Frank and Fearless survey by The Mandarin and Indeed found that only 30% of public sector employees see clear career pathways, while 22% describe their prospects as “hopeless.” Yet, at the same time, 83% say they’re proud to work in the public sector, a number that has stayed
I recently had a staff member come to me and start a conversation by saying, “I’ve made a really big mistake”. Much to her surprise, I immediately responded happily, “Okay, I’ve got just the thing,” and pulled out the big eraser, which is clearly for those big mistakes! After
Senior ministers are travelling to the US for key talks with their counterparts after the Pentagon’s long-awaited review endorsed the AUKUS nuclear submarine pact. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong fly to Washington DC on Monday to meet US secretaries Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio for
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has agreed to spruce up how it reports the impact of its enforcement of audit rules in response to criticisms from the Australian National Audit Office. An ANAO performance audit of the corporate regulator’s audit enforcement function has branded much of what the regulator
The Defence Delivery Agency announced last week by Defence Minister Richard Marles is very much a blast from the past — it’s the effective re-establishment of the Defence Materiel Organisation disbanded in 2015, albeit this time with an independent head reporting directly to ministers. Having a new top bureaucrat
Australia has opened a precision-strike rocket plant to support the army’s new HIMARS, in a move to reinforce its broader push to build sovereign, US-compatible weapons and maintenance capacity. The Albanese government on Friday announced that Lockheed Martin Australia and Defence will commence production of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System
