Yehudi Blacher

The resignation of a director at Whittlesea Council has led to the councils executive leadership team consisting solely of interim staff. Community services director Russell Hopkins stepped down last week, less than a month after the Victorian government appointed Yehudi Blacher as an independent monitor to oversee the council.

Too much scrutiny is creating faint-hearted public servants, says former secretary Yehudi Blacher. Government needs to do better developing the skills of its workforce and build in collaboration, he told Public Sector Week.

Can an appointed administrator be an influential voice in reform of the local government sector? The VLGA says it expects the new three-person team appointed to run City of Greater Geelong to be a full participant.

Indigenous groups have welcomed a rejig of Victoria’s Aboriginal affairs unit. The changes will enhance policy capacity, following a review and a shuffling of mandarins. But a new executive is needed.

Yehudi Blacher, currently IPAA vice president, has been called back from retirement to head up a review into the VPS’ Aboriginal Affairs agency. The state’s annual Aboriginal Affairs report has also been pushed back six months as the government seeks to have its $30 million budget measures included.

Large omnibus government departments are cost-effective and prevent silos, proponents argue. But could they actually undermine governance? The Mandarin investigates.

He reformed local government, put on the Commonwealth Games and created a new department with eight ministers. But Yehudi Blacher says ministerial advisers often don’t make it easy.