Victoria Anderson will commence as secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) from December, following the sudden departure of the most recent secretary several months ago. Anderson takes the top post at DAFF, having just served as Treasury’s small business, corporate, and law group deputy secretary. She
Coalition Senator Jane Hume has been given night-time reading by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet so she can understand the department’s flexible work arrangements. The department has responded to a series of questions from Hume on the work-from-home arrangements for the Prime Minister’s department, which sought details
What does bureaucracy feel like from the inside? Harriet Martineau imagined bureaucracy as a logical, humane alternative to the fragmentation of local governance. To her, centralisation offered fairness, consistency, and compassion through skilled administration. Charles Dickens, on the other hand, saw bureaucracy as a farcical, self-perpetuating ...
The proportion of Australian Public Service employees accessing flexible work arrangements, such as regularly working from home, has continued to rise, with almost all agencies now exceeding the 50% tipping point for regular sit extra muneris arrangements. The latest annual release of the Australian Public Service Commission’s State of the
It’s nice work, if you can lose it. An employee of a New South Wales government agency was overpaid more than $295,000 between 2021 and 2024 — despite having ceased employment in 2021 — courtesy of a payroll staff-up, the New South Wales Auditor-General has revealed. Another NSW agency continued
The federal government’s recent reforms to the Commonwealth procurement rules (CPRs) mark a pivotal moment in the relationship among the public service, suppliers and the community — and offer a clear opportunity to strengthen accountability, value creation and trust in public sector purchasing. From this month, Australian government agencies will
With this one simple trick, Australia’s housing supply shortfall could quickly be reduced by an estimated 82,000 homes. That’s the number of dwellings that developers are ready to start building in urban growth areas, but can’t because of a lack of sewers, roads and other enabling infrastructure, according to a
Here’s how the shape and size of the public service has changed over the past 12 months. An analysis of 2024-25 workforce data has revealed that federal public service numbers have continued to grow under a second-term Albanese government. In the 12 months prior to June 2025, the number of
Some government entities failed to properly apply rules that require the disclosure of key management personnel in departments and agencies, according to the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office. In its audit report on the state’s 2024-25 finances, VAGO said various material entities failed to provide the required detailed disclosures on senior management
Australia’s State of the Service report has celebrated the growth of public trust in government services. The annual document is a requirement of the Public Service Act 1999, with the latest report painting a strong picture of the Commonwealth public service workforce and workplaces, integrity and capability. APS commissioner Dr
Bureaucracy has always been a part of us and always will be. The metaphor of record-keeping is common in religion. Our sins and judgment are portrayed as an impartial, bureaucratic audit of lives. Our deeds are recorded in two ledgers, with the final tally determining our eternal fate. The image
Technology vendors with a history of cost blowouts and weak delivery on federal contracts will soon face an internal watchlist of serious underperformers, under a new Department of Finance crackdown. In a clear sign of procurement muscle-flexing following a litany of costly major tech-wreck failures illuminated by an inquiry by
Victoria Anderson will commence as secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) from December, following the sudden departure of the most recent secretary several months ago. Anderson takes the top post at DAFF, having just served as Treasury’s small business, corporate, and law group deputy secretary. She
Coalition Senator Jane Hume has been given night-time reading by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet so she can understand the department’s flexible work arrangements. The department has responded to a series of questions from Hume on the work-from-home arrangements for the Prime Minister’s department, which sought details
What does bureaucracy feel like from the inside? Harriet Martineau imagined bureaucracy as a logical, humane alternative to the fragmentation of local governance. To her, centralisation offered fairness, consistency, and compassion through skilled administration. Charles Dickens, on the other hand, saw bureaucracy as a farcical, self-perpetuating ...
The proportion of Australian Public Service employees accessing flexible work arrangements, such as regularly working from home, has continued to rise, with almost all agencies now exceeding the 50% tipping point for regular sit extra muneris arrangements. The latest annual release of the Australian Public Service Commission’s State of the
It’s nice work, if you can lose it. An employee of a New South Wales government agency was overpaid more than $295,000 between 2021 and 2024 — despite having ceased employment in 2021 — courtesy of a payroll staff-up, the New South Wales Auditor-General has revealed. Another NSW agency continued
The federal government’s recent reforms to the Commonwealth procurement rules (CPRs) mark a pivotal moment in the relationship among the public service, suppliers and the community — and offer a clear opportunity to strengthen accountability, value creation and trust in public sector purchasing. From this month, Australian government agencies will
With this one simple trick, Australia’s housing supply shortfall could quickly be reduced by an estimated 82,000 homes. That’s the number of dwellings that developers are ready to start building in urban growth areas, but can’t because of a lack of sewers, roads and other enabling infrastructure, according to a
Here’s how the shape and size of the public service has changed over the past 12 months. An analysis of 2024-25 workforce data has revealed that federal public service numbers have continued to grow under a second-term Albanese government. In the 12 months prior to June 2025, the number of
Some government entities failed to properly apply rules that require the disclosure of key management personnel in departments and agencies, according to the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office. In its audit report on the state’s 2024-25 finances, VAGO said various material entities failed to provide the required detailed disclosures on senior management
Australia’s State of the Service report has celebrated the growth of public trust in government services. The annual document is a requirement of the Public Service Act 1999, with the latest report painting a strong picture of the Commonwealth public service workforce and workplaces, integrity and capability. APS commissioner Dr
Bureaucracy has always been a part of us and always will be. The metaphor of record-keeping is common in religion. Our sins and judgment are portrayed as an impartial, bureaucratic audit of lives. Our deeds are recorded in two ledgers, with the final tally determining our eternal fate. The image
Technology vendors with a history of cost blowouts and weak delivery on federal contracts will soon face an internal watchlist of serious underperformers, under a new Department of Finance crackdown. In a clear sign of procurement muscle-flexing following a litany of costly major tech-wreck failures illuminated by an inquiry by
