Niall Blair

In an example of public-impact procurement, the New South Wales government has placed 84,417 hectares of the Lowbidgee floodplain under the management of conservationists, local

New South Wales Department of Industry secretary Simon Smith was replaced over the weekend by Simon Draper, who has been promoted from deputy secretary for economic policy in the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Water management failures have damaged the reputation of the New South Wales public service and exposed a culture of expediency. A “systemic fix” has been proposed but it is harder to rebuild trust than to lose it.