implementation

In the latest Utopia series, Tony finds himself in trouble over a failed scheme to subsidise the installation of rooftop solar on 1 million Australian homes – the program is available, but it’s fallen far short of expectations. “Maybe the problem is your implementation?” offers Nat, as a helping hand.   Indeed. Tony finds that the online application system for solar subsidies is completely unusable. People are just giving up. Even when free money is on the table.  It’s an “Aha!” moment for the fictional Nation Building Authority (NBA). But in the real world, the role of implementation is no less […]

Grant Lovelock PSM has been recognised for outstanding public service but he very nearly became an optometrist instead.

Investing in defence to secure national and regional security is a critical starting point for a bigger picture, says Richard V Spencer.

From the outset, the emergence of a global pandemic put government in the spotlight like never before. As the gravity of the situation took hold, anxious constituents looked to local and national governments to provide information, economic relief and an expansive range of services. As Deloitte explained in Government Trends 2021 “As citizens ‘rallied around […]

From the outset, the emergence of a global pandemic put government in the spotlight like never before. As the gravity of the situation took hold, anxious constituents looked to local and national governments to provide information, economic relief and an expansive range of services. As Deloitte explained in Government Trends 2021 “As citizens ‘rallied around […]

Initial advice for progressing practical Murray-Darling Basin water market reforms has been delivered to resources and water minister Keith Pitt.

Experts say the federal government’s so-called ‘first’ national mental health plan is, in fact, the sixth such national mental health strategy.

A series of follow-up audits conducted by the Australian National Audit Office over seven years indicates major issues with the long-term implementation capabilities of the Australian Public Service, according to new research.

Leaders from across the public sector, the private sector, and academia have come together to discuss the ins and outs of delivering great policy advice. Last month the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA), and four departmental secretaries launched the Delivering Great Policy initiative. The four key […]

Treating the public service like a business has become the norm, with the structures, language, practices and incentives inherited from private sector managerialism. We know that citizens don’t expect public sectors to act the same way — which is evident in the feedback, discussions, user research and myriad public engagements — yet when we adopt the mindset of a business we create pressure to act more like a business in everything we do.

The Department of Education has been praised for the design and governance of its child care package, acting as a good example for other agencies. Child care functions were transferred from the Department of Social Services to Education in September 2015.