The federal government has named John Bradley as the first head of the National Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). Launching July 1, the EPA will be an independent environmental regulator at the Commonwealth level. Environment and Water Murray Watt said Bradley’s experience made him ideal to set up the new agency.
Most public-sector reform is described from the top. A new strategy, a new program, a new direction, or a new operating model. And then, months later, people start asking why it has not moved as quickly as expected. The usual explanations come out quickly enough. Change fatigue. Poor communication. Lack
The Tax Practitioners Board has investigated an accountant a second time following his blatant disregard for the termination of tax agent registration more than seven years ago. Peter Ristevski was found to have been providing tax agent services unlawfully, and the TPB said the investigation was complex because Ristevski tried
The Department of Parliamentary Services has been told to lift its game and improve its compliance with cybersecurity guidance, a report from the Australian National Audit Office reveals. An ANAO performance audit on DPS cybersecurity systems found that the department, with 4,817 users, fell short of expectations. The review said
COVID-19 stress-tested everything — systems, institutions, relationships, assumptions. Many of our deepest-held beliefs about how government works were destroyed or made redundant in ways we’d never anticipated. We needed courage and candour to admit that and to step forward through the uncertainty that followed. For me, the biggest shift was
Ten New South Wales tertiary institutions governed by specific legislation have cleared the bar for the state of their books, but still have major ground to make up in spending on consultants, direct-source procurement using exemptions, and contingent labour hire. That’s the takeaway from the NSW auditor-general’s latest sniff test
Band 2 Felix Donovan has been promoted to first assistant secretary at the Department of Treasury. Band 1 The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts has hired Kartika Medcraft-Smith as an assistant secretary. Samuel Beever is now an assistant secretary for policy and programs at the Department of
Department of Health officials were unable to provide key details about the government’s proposed changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) at an inquiry this week. Amendments before parliament seek to reduce long-term costs by allocating funding based on “functional capacity” rather than diagnoses. This would act as a
“The rise of powerful AI will be either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity. We do not yet know which.” – Prof Stephen Hawking We still face more questions than answers on the future of AI in government. This is why every voice matters in
The UK government has confirmed an “electronic device” was found hidden in a government building. Home Office Minister David Hanson said a device, which reports have suggested was a camera, was found in a routine check at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The building is the base
The Australian Defence Force has revealed that applications to join elite Special Forces units in the military, including the Special Air Service, have increased for the latest intake of gruelling trials for selection, despite one of its most feted previous operators being committed to trial for alleged war crimes. As
The Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission is on a crusade to help charities and other community groups improve their reporting to the regulator and other stakeholders. ACNC commissioner Sue Woodward told Senate estimates that the commission held a recent webinar to help charities navigate the reporting obligations in legislation. Feedback
The federal government has named John Bradley as the first head of the National Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). Launching July 1, the EPA will be an independent environmental regulator at the Commonwealth level. Environment and Water Murray Watt said Bradley’s experience made him ideal to set up the new agency.
Most public-sector reform is described from the top. A new strategy, a new program, a new direction, or a new operating model. And then, months later, people start asking why it has not moved as quickly as expected. The usual explanations come out quickly enough. Change fatigue. Poor communication. Lack
The Tax Practitioners Board has investigated an accountant a second time following his blatant disregard for the termination of tax agent registration more than seven years ago. Peter Ristevski was found to have been providing tax agent services unlawfully, and the TPB said the investigation was complex because Ristevski tried
The Department of Parliamentary Services has been told to lift its game and improve its compliance with cybersecurity guidance, a report from the Australian National Audit Office reveals. An ANAO performance audit on DPS cybersecurity systems found that the department, with 4,817 users, fell short of expectations. The review said
COVID-19 stress-tested everything — systems, institutions, relationships, assumptions. Many of our deepest-held beliefs about how government works were destroyed or made redundant in ways we’d never anticipated. We needed courage and candour to admit that and to step forward through the uncertainty that followed. For me, the biggest shift was
Ten New South Wales tertiary institutions governed by specific legislation have cleared the bar for the state of their books, but still have major ground to make up in spending on consultants, direct-source procurement using exemptions, and contingent labour hire. That’s the takeaway from the NSW auditor-general’s latest sniff test
Band 2 Felix Donovan has been promoted to first assistant secretary at the Department of Treasury. Band 1 The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts has hired Kartika Medcraft-Smith as an assistant secretary. Samuel Beever is now an assistant secretary for policy and programs at the Department of
Department of Health officials were unable to provide key details about the government’s proposed changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) at an inquiry this week. Amendments before parliament seek to reduce long-term costs by allocating funding based on “functional capacity” rather than diagnoses. This would act as a
“The rise of powerful AI will be either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity. We do not yet know which.” – Prof Stephen Hawking We still face more questions than answers on the future of AI in government. This is why every voice matters in
The UK government has confirmed an “electronic device” was found hidden in a government building. Home Office Minister David Hanson said a device, which reports have suggested was a camera, was found in a routine check at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The building is the base
The Australian Defence Force has revealed that applications to join elite Special Forces units in the military, including the Special Air Service, have increased for the latest intake of gruelling trials for selection, despite one of its most feted previous operators being committed to trial for alleged war crimes. As
The Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission is on a crusade to help charities and other community groups improve their reporting to the regulator and other stakeholders. ACNC commissioner Sue Woodward told Senate estimates that the commission held a recent webinar to help charities navigate the reporting obligations in legislation. Feedback
