Aged care, the NDIS and Australia’s other care systems are being remade at an unprecedented pace and scale, driven by royal commission mandates, budgetary pressures and a shared recognition that the status quo was untenable. Policy decisions get all the media attention, but what counts is what happens on the

The Better Policy Program is a flagship professional development offering from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), designed to build and strengthen policy capability across the Australian Public Service (APS) and industry. Originally developed to improve policy and decision-making within the Australian Department of Defence, the program ...

NSW government agencies have failed to properly report at least $18.3 million in consultant expenditure, a new audit report on internal controls and governance says. The annual report from the audit office examines how agencies control and record expenditure. This year’s deep dive found agencies reported a decline of more

As the Australian Public Service bargaining round gains momentum for the ranks below the Senior Executive Service, there are many reasons to follow the money, but also many ways to do it. None offers much hope that the yawning gaps, known as “pay fragmentation”, can ever be bridged or meaningfully

An attempt by the New South Wales Department of Communities and Justice to push a turnkey corporate reform process onto beleaguered frontline child protection and permanent care staff has come undone, after the state’s Public Service Association rolled out agency-wide bans against the allegedly defective product known as ‘EVOLVE’. The

Kym Peake, Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) secretary from 2015-20, has spoken of the constant reform cycles a portfolio like social services experiences and where public confidence in systems is most exposed. Sharing her policy reform insights about the care economy, Peake said many things were driving

National secretary of the Community Public Sector Union Melissa Donnelly has been appointed secretary-elect of Australia’s peak body for trade unions. Donnelly has been national secretary of the CPSU for seven years. She has served on the ACTU’s executive during this time, and is a director of ACTU Education, the

The Tasmanian government will start publishing cabinet decisions a month after they’re finalised, under changes to the state’s transparency regime. The subset of cabinet documents will be publicly released on the Department of Premier and Cabinet website from September 1. The disclosures will only include final decisions, not minutes, briefs,

The Sydney Plan was launched Thursday, with the NSW Planning and Public Spaces Minister describing the strategic document as a guide for councils, government agencies, and industry for a future in which the city’s population hits 6.6 million. Paul Scully said the plan identified where homes, jobs, transport, open space,

According to latest figures from the ABS, the national gender pay gap now sits at 11.3%. This means women who work full-time in Australia today earn, on average, an extra $325.50 a week compared to May 2022. In a statement, Minister for Finance and Women Katy Gallagher said the result

So far, Australia has not followed the concerning US trend under Donald Trump of disparaging and dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. This is a good thing, as DEI initiatives in organisations and societies are associated with stronger social, economic, and organisational outcomes. However, Queensland appears to be heading

Whistleblower David McBride has been released from a Canberra prison after more than two years behind bars, following a successful parole bid. His parole was considered and granted by Attorney-General Michelle Rowland on Thursday morning, a spokesperson confirmed.  “The government does not provide specific commentary or details about individual parole