Deliberative democracy shows the path to better public consultation

The way the public service communicates with the public was a front-of-mind issue for leaders at The Mandarin’s Trust and Integrity Conference.

Given the independent feedback they’ve received in recent months, that’s not surprising.

Government services Minister Bill Shorten told an audience of senior public servants failure to consult across the hierarchy, and between service departments is resulting in duplications and inefficiency in the service.

“Consultation at early stages just saves tears later. if we don’t seek diverse views we have a narrow policy base creating policy that reflects the last problem, not future challenges,” he said.