Michelle Grattan

Political journalist Michelle Grattan has used the 2023 Speaker’s Lecture to call for the public service to become frank and fearless.

Both China and the United States have suffered reputational damage with the Australian public as a result of their handling of the coronavirus crisis, according to a Lowy COVID poll.

Australia’s leading institutions, including government, business, NGOs and media, are among the least-trusted in the world at a time when the Australian economy has experienced 25 years of economic growth. What can the Australian Public Service do to help bridge the trust divide?

The damning report says academic decline is widespread and “equivalent to a generation of Australian school children falling short of their full learning potential”.

Allowing the media into the policy process is not as scary as some mandarins think, the veteran political correspondent writes. When journalists had access to bureaucrats the public had more understanding.