Robodebt probe to grind on, update reveals no APS sackings Community & Social Out of 16 people referred to robodebt investigators, one has been let off and just four cases have progressed to ‘preliminary determination’.
Premium Insights and analysis Big name, no consequences: Justice for robodebt heist ebbs away November 14, 2023 By Julian Bajkowski Career Advice There’s now a real question as to whether the APS can heal itself to avoid past errors. Ain’t no sunshine. Ain’t no closure.
Public servants set to escape sackings over robodebt November 13, 2023 By Julian Bajkowski Community & Social Justice delayed is justice denied. Now the APSC is facing questions of the efficacy of its sanctions and Shorten flags more litigation.
First robodebt royal commission scalp confirmed at PwC July 7, 2023 By Julian Bajkowski and Tom Ravlic Community & Social Acting PwC Australia boss confirms a partner who worked with the Department of Human Services had parted ways with the firm.
Where Holmes has flagged urgent need for systemic APS reform, MoG changes, after sending robodebt to criminal jurisdiction July 7, 2023 By Julian Bajkowski Community & Social There are problems in the APS that extend well beyond potential criminality. Holmes shows the government couldn’t fix its own machinery.
Premium Case studies Transformers vs Care Bears: How an APS culture war produced the monster of robodebt July 7, 2023 By Julian Bajkowski Community & Social The seeds of robodebt were planted a decade before it spawned. Forcing public servants to pick sides was the bitter harvest.
Mobile shopfronts now serving veterans August 19, 2019 By The Mandarin Federal The Department of Veterans’ Affairs has hitched its wagon to the trucks that take Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support services on the road for those who don’t live anywhere near a government office.
Human Services beefs up digital forensics and data-matching capabilities to target fraud August 6, 2019 By Stephen Easton News The Department of Human Services has opened a second digital forensics laboratory to help it stop organised criminal gangs that are defrauding the welfare system. Staff at the “scientific, technically advanced and secure facility” in Brisbane will support “efforts to disrupt organised criminal activity” on Centrelink’s patch and in the Medicare system by analysing digital evidence of fraud.
Former NSW department head Martin Hoffman to lead Services Australia transition taskforce July 15, 2019 By Stephen Easton Communications & Technology Former New South Wales department head Martin Hoffman lost out in recent machinery-of-government changes but has been hired by the Commonwealth government to guide the Department of Human Services’ transition into Services Australia.
Is Services Australia the last great hope for federal digital transformation? May 29, 2019 By Miguel Carrasco Communications & Technology The Australian government has often been a world leader in service-delivery innovation, but the time has come for the next wave of reform. And if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the NSW government should feel very chuffed.
Lessons from the Hawke and Howard years of Australian governance May 17, 2019 By Nicholas Gruen Career Advice In politics, you sign up to a struggle on behalf of those you claim to represent. You owe them everything you can manage to stitch together to achieve victory. If you want to be a grand failure, better to pick religion, philosophy or art. Not politics. So says Nicholas Gruen in this reposting of his 2008 article on Bob Hawke.
We know WHAT we need to do. Will someone tell us HOW? March 21, 2019 By Nicholas Gruen Features When policy problems are complex, we need to understand and learn from the front line. Nicholas Gruen explains ways to improve the early, middle and late stages of institutional learning and change-making, to enable successful policy development. It’s election season in Australia. I can feel the announceables coming on; indeed whole focus groups of them. […]
Efficient, easy transactions still top digital government wish list March 27, 2018 By Julian Bajkowski Features New research reckons citizens want transactions that go through in one online hit as the core digital baseline. Agencies on Facebook? Not so much.
Tax nudge helps myGov crack 5 million users September 26, 2014 By Stephen Easton News As soon as it became necessary to use myGov to file online tax returns this year, Australians began signing up to the single-login portal for government services in droves.
Social media: beat the journos, don't say anything stupid September 17, 2014 By Stephen Easton Features Australia’s chief technology officer discussed social media policy and the power of direct online publishing at a forum in Canberra. Public servants are now breaking news, he says.
