New analysis by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has found that environment minister Sussan Ley refused outright 39 freedom of information requests in the last financial year, while granting just one in full and three in part. The audit Access denied: How Australia’s freedom of information regime is failing our…
Before the recession we were on a collision course with environmental disaster. The recovery provides a rare opportunity to do things differently; to rebuild a better economy that can support living standards without irretrievably damaging the environment. The closer we get to irreversible climate change, the harder that will become.…
The end of coal-fired generation in Australia is inevitable. Zero marginal cost, zero emissions energy is now a reality. Wind and solar are cheaper sources of new electricity than coal in most cases, putting significant pressure on the profitability of the inflexible, ageing coal generators. The only questions are when…
For many of us, one of the upsides of 2020 was being freed from the grind of the daily commute. For the 40% of the workforce able to “telecommute”, COVID-19 social distancing measures saved us an average of about an hour a day – and much more for those of…
A collaborative craft malting facility for brewers, distillers and bakers and the development of new bio and geothermal renewable energy sources are just a few of the new pilot projects about to get underway in Gippsland, as the region charts a new path beyond coal-fired power generation. Located in the…
Australia’s COVID vaccine rollout will now begin in mid- to late February. Vaccination will commence with workers dealing with international arrivals or quarantine facilities, frontline health workers and those living in aged care or with a disability. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government “optimistically” aims to vaccinate 80,000 Australians…
Incredibly, a whole year has passed since the first emergence of COVID-19. What looked like a temporary inconvenience at first is turning into a permanent fixture that might forever change life as we knew it before 2020. But how long will people continue to comply with the measures necessary to…
A new year, a slew of new books, and after the nightmare of 2020 you can believe there are roughly a million on the pandemic alone. Below are some of the most important releases of 2021 for Australian public servants, organised across five categories — COVID-19; climate change and natural…
In our final feature for 2020, The Mandarin explores how APS leaders are reflecting on the most extraordinary and taxiing year for public administrators in a generation, and what priorities those leaders are already setting for what is shaping up to be an immensely consequential 2021. It’s been a full…
As 2020 draws to a close public service consultants reflect on achievement within a crisis-laden year, and where emerging priorities lie heading into 2021, where the work of external contractors is expected to be just as important as ever. Public sector consultants should prepare themselves for a very real snakes…
The torrid year that has been 2020 is drawing to a close, but as anyone who works in the public service knows, next year is just around the corner and for some may as well already be here. After the rolling crises of the past 12 months, touch wood 2021…
FOCUS: CHINA, AUSTRALIA AND THE PUBLIC SECTOR. A rapidly deteriorating relationship with China is shaping up as Australia’s largest trade policy challenge of 2021 as Washington looks to realign priorities across the Pacific under the incoming administration of President Joe Biden. The public service is frantically picking up the pieces…
FOCUS: CHINA, AUSTRALIA AND THE PUBLIC SECTOR. A new wave of bureaucracy is about to descend on subnational governments as Canberra moves to leash interactions with foreign powers. Four years ago, Canberra’s relationship with Beijing was on much less complicated footing than it is now. Outbound trade with the people’s…
With federal leadership on a net zero 2050 target missing, state and territory governments are tackling the the climate crisis themselves. Over the next month, with the pandemic now controlled, public servants will celebrate the New Year, (hopefully) take a breather, and then redouble efforts on the much larger challenge…
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the biggest challenges and opportunities at public sector leaders in a generation. But when it comes to ethical leadership, Neil Scales credits consistency and clarity of communication with enabling some of the most complex and difficult decisions of his career. The Queensland government’s director general…