All over the world, governments are grappling with how to make the most of AI. But one lesson of history is that often you need to change your underlying structures and processes to use new technologies to the full. Part of the answer may lie in the idea of the
If the post‑war decades were characterised by expansion without universality, the years from 1969 to 1984 were defined by sustained debates over system design. Election speeches from this period revive earlier moral claims about fairness and personal responsibility while coupling them with increasingly technical debates over levies, administration, and the
It could easily be an episode of infamous public service documentary Utopia or a contender for the Gruen Transfer’s “How do you sell” segment (both on the ABC), but a major official beauty pageant to evangelise the federal High Speed Rail Authority has just hit the market. As the nation
On the back of a year-long ‘AI in Government’ benchmarking initiative in collaboration with The Mandarin, Liquid last week released ‘Speed. Safety. Scalability. A roadmap for responsible AI adoption in Australia’s public service’. In this article, Liquid Partner Steven Marrinan focuses on why leaders need to first understand where friction
The federal government is one step closer to fulfilling the promise of the Universities Accord, with the formal opening of a guiding body for the higher education sector. Legislation establishing the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC) came into force on April 29, following the passage of legislation last month. ATEC
The Department of Home Affairs is the latest to announce voluntary redundancies ahead of the May budget. Secretary Stephanie Foster announced the redundancy drive to Home Affairs staff on Tuesday. All non-SES in the department and the Australian Border Force are eligible. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and intelligence agencies
Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has vowed to cap base salaries for new senior public service contracts if the Coalition wins the November state election. The proposed cap would be set at $598,248, the same level as the chief justice of Victoria’s Supreme Court. Public service executives are being paid
The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) will receive restoration funding of $222.2 million in the upcoming state budget. The investment will go towards technology upgrades for VCAA, to ensure its operations are more reliable and its budget is sustainable. Minister for Education Ben Carroll announced the pre-budget measure on
When the system works and fraud still occurs For years, cybersecurity conversations in government have been framed around a familiar threat, the attacker trying to break in. But some of the most interesting fraud cases emerging internationally suggest a different challenge may be taking shape and one that doesn’t involve
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are being rapidly adopted, but many organisations still struggle to answer a basic question: Is it working? Without credible evaluation, AI rollouts risk becoming a mix of hype, ad‑hoc pilots and adoption metrics that say little about real outcomes. This white paper makes the case for
The Clerk of the Senate has agreed to consider shortening the time it takes to process questions on notice, following criticisms from Senator Jane Hume about delays during the most recent round of Senate estimates. Hume questioned clerk Richard Pye on February 9 about the length of time between the
As more women take on public leadership and regulatory roles, Australia’s first eSafety commissioner warns they could require security protections similar to elected parliamentarians due to plausible online threats made against them. Julie Inman Grant made history when she was appointed to lead Australia’s eSafety Commission in 2017, a world-first
All over the world, governments are grappling with how to make the most of AI. But one lesson of history is that often you need to change your underlying structures and processes to use new technologies to the full. Part of the answer may lie in the idea of the
If the post‑war decades were characterised by expansion without universality, the years from 1969 to 1984 were defined by sustained debates over system design. Election speeches from this period revive earlier moral claims about fairness and personal responsibility while coupling them with increasingly technical debates over levies, administration, and the
It could easily be an episode of infamous public service documentary Utopia or a contender for the Gruen Transfer’s “How do you sell” segment (both on the ABC), but a major official beauty pageant to evangelise the federal High Speed Rail Authority has just hit the market. As the nation
On the back of a year-long ‘AI in Government’ benchmarking initiative in collaboration with The Mandarin, Liquid last week released ‘Speed. Safety. Scalability. A roadmap for responsible AI adoption in Australia’s public service’. In this article, Liquid Partner Steven Marrinan focuses on why leaders need to first understand where friction
The federal government is one step closer to fulfilling the promise of the Universities Accord, with the formal opening of a guiding body for the higher education sector. Legislation establishing the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC) came into force on April 29, following the passage of legislation last month. ATEC
The Department of Home Affairs is the latest to announce voluntary redundancies ahead of the May budget. Secretary Stephanie Foster announced the redundancy drive to Home Affairs staff on Tuesday. All non-SES in the department and the Australian Border Force are eligible. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and intelligence agencies
Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has vowed to cap base salaries for new senior public service contracts if the Coalition wins the November state election. The proposed cap would be set at $598,248, the same level as the chief justice of Victoria’s Supreme Court. Public service executives are being paid
The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) will receive restoration funding of $222.2 million in the upcoming state budget. The investment will go towards technology upgrades for VCAA, to ensure its operations are more reliable and its budget is sustainable. Minister for Education Ben Carroll announced the pre-budget measure on
When the system works and fraud still occurs For years, cybersecurity conversations in government have been framed around a familiar threat, the attacker trying to break in. But some of the most interesting fraud cases emerging internationally suggest a different challenge may be taking shape and one that doesn’t involve
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are being rapidly adopted, but many organisations still struggle to answer a basic question: Is it working? Without credible evaluation, AI rollouts risk becoming a mix of hype, ad‑hoc pilots and adoption metrics that say little about real outcomes. This white paper makes the case for
The Clerk of the Senate has agreed to consider shortening the time it takes to process questions on notice, following criticisms from Senator Jane Hume about delays during the most recent round of Senate estimates. Hume questioned clerk Richard Pye on February 9 about the length of time between the
As more women take on public leadership and regulatory roles, Australia’s first eSafety commissioner warns they could require security protections similar to elected parliamentarians due to plausible online threats made against them. Julie Inman Grant made history when she was appointed to lead Australia’s eSafety Commission in 2017, a world-first
