Two reports published last week demonstrate that modern slavery is a real and present problem in Australia and that our current laws are not doing enough to address it. Shockingly, the Global Slavery Index 2023, released last week, estimated 41,000 people in Australia are living in slavery, and that Australians…
It was with relatively little fanfare that the federal government released the draft Data and Digital Government Strategy: The data and digital vision for a world-leading APS to 2030 alongside the Budget. The strategy deserves attention, however. It does not overstate the case when it says that data and digital…
Like every other consulting company, we have a conflict. At least we are open about it. If you want a different outcome, you have to do something different — and now would seem to be a good time to try. Consulting companies are not your friends. The bigger the company,…
Politicians, the general public and many academics blanch at the thought that public servants should have power and influence, let alone that they should exercise it. Arbitrary rule by the bureaucracy is not something any of us want; robodebt would pale by comparison. But what if we shift the lens…
Among many other things, the federal government is confronting the issue of unscrupulous labour-hire arrangements. This will likely have various unintended consequences for small business people. I hope these would be unintended, not deliberate. Many of the changes unnecessarily add further complexity to workplace regulations in response to union demands.…
You might not have noticed, but the second thing the treasurer said on Tuesday night was that the Budget delivers a historic investment in the care economy. In my 25 years in the sector, this is the first time I can remember a government linking the care economy to the…
The big news out of yesterday’s Budget is that in 2022-23, the current financial year, there is a small budget surplus forecast. The treasurer says this is due to a surge in revenue to the tune of $146.5 billion, driven by strong employment and wages growth, as well as high…
“Equity” is the principle of fairness and justice in the distribution of resources, opportunities and privileges among individuals or groups, taking into account their different backgrounds, needs and abilities. It is often used as a means of addressing systemic and structural inequalities, such as discrimination based on race, gender, socioeconomic…
Australia has had a number of recent reminders of the importance of an independent public sector being able to offer frank advice to governments, with a range of challenges across Australian jurisdictions in navigating the ever-shifting interface between politics and the public sector. At the commonwealth level, we are seeing…
We’ve seen what happens when a public service fails to do its job, and when individuals are either afraid to speak up, not listened to or absolve themselves of responsibility. While the final report is not due until the end of June, the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme reveals…
The biggest choice facing this country is between poor public services and inadequate government income support or more taxes. Unfortunately, I fear next week’s Budget will seek to avoid this choice. The purpose of government is to choose, and the best record of those choices and consequently a government’s priority…
Just how hard is it to improve public service culture and accountability? Very hard it would seem — especially if your heart’s not really in it. That’s one conclusion easily drawn from the Palaszczuk government’s strolling-pace response to Professor Peter Coaldrake’s now nearly-year-old review of culture and accountability in the…
It is almost 50 years to the day that Australia exited the Vietnam War*. Fifty years later, our veterans system remains largely unchanged. They say those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it. For younger generations, some may think that the system we have in place today is…
In government, we often speak about policy levers. But in the real world, a lever without a fulcrum is just a plank of wood. Levers are needed to lift a load, but without a fulcrum you can’t move it very far. Fulcrums are needed to dramatically increase the impact of…
The National Anti-Corruption Commission’s main focus will be on public servants and government procurement contracts, rather than politicians, when it begins operations mid-year if the experience of state integrity bodies is repeated at the federal level. ArcBlue, a leading procurement and supply chain consultancy, is advising public servants to get…