Writer
PaddyGourley
Paddy Gourley is a former senior public servant.
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Appointment of Home Affairs Secretary Foster not merit-based
On 1 November 2023 the Minister for the Public Service, Senator Gallagher said “in the next stage of reforms” to the public service the government would introduce “requirements for the Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary to conduct merit-based appointment processes for Secretary roles to build rigor into the advice provided to the Prime Minister on Continue reading »
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The time for “slow” has expired: Reduce reliance on consultants now
The excessive use of consultants and contract labour was one of the most damaging injuries sustained by the Australian Public Service in the 10 years or so before the 2022 election. Continue reading »
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Against the tide: Defence secrecy in a modern age of openness
In the 1970s a study was undertaken into aspects of management in the Department of Defence. When an honest, conscientious and mildly critical report was provided to the Department’s Secretary, Sir Arthur Tange, he scrawled “CRANSTON” on its front page and gave the relevant file a stiff security classification. Continue reading »
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Getting the facts right on departmental tenure
Commentary on the tenure of Secretaries of Commonwealth Government departments is becoming perilous territory as those wading into it continue to make basic errors of fact. Continue reading »
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Asleep at the wheel of public service reform
The rehabilitation of the federal public service is a slow waltz – one step forward, one sideways and a couple backwards. To stretch the metaphors and with apologies to Don Gibson’s fine 1961 hit song, while the administrative ship of state is adrift in a sea of heartbreak, its principal stewards seem half asleep at Continue reading »
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Martin Flanagan’s ‘The Empty Honour Board’ draws us in to an unnatural world
The boarding students were far from home and the variable consolations of family life. They were shackled with priestly companions, pledged to lives of celibacy, who also had been removed from their families in their early teens and isolated from society in religious institutions from which they were then turned out, with scant proper preparation, Continue reading »
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Campbell’s AUKUS appointment did not meet standards of public service
There are solid grounds for suspecting that the appointment of Ms Kathryn Campbell, of Robodebt notoriety, to the Department of Defence’s AUKUS division did not meet the normal standards required for other appointments in the public service. Those responsible for the appointment of Ms Campbell and the suspension of her salary have got little to Continue reading »
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The problem for commentators in the so called “mainstream media”
They rely significantly on feeds of material that’s not otherwise readily available. As they’re in the news business, they need something new to keep in the hunt. Continue reading »
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Lack of tenure “core driver” of Robodebt disaster
It’s to be hoped that as much as possible can be squeezed from the Robodebt disaster not only to avoid a repeat but more generally to improve the working of the Australian government and its public service. Continue reading »
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Swathes of pro-integrity rhetoric no match for departmental “accountability shyness”
This is a brief, unhappy yarn about the struggle for accountability and integrity in a Commonwealth government organisation. The yarn’s principal character is the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C), now headed by Dr Glyn Davis, the de facto leader of the Australian Public Service (APS). The Department is at the forefront of Continue reading »
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Getting public service on an even keel key to better government
It may not be widely appreciated that door knocking religious proselytisers can be kept at bay by insisting they partake in discussions on public administration in exchange for whatever divine light is being diffused. It’s not that religion and public administration don’t mix; it’s that public administration is so tedious for all but those triple Continue reading »
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Robodebt and the APS
If the Australian Public Service and its satellite institutions were to last a thousand years, people will still say “The Robodebt was one of its most dismal hours”. Continue reading »
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The Order of Australia system: a bunyip aristocracy
The Order of Australia system is a bunyip aristocracy that reflects the hierarchies of British society in which the high and mighty get the cream and others are left with the skimmed milk. Continue reading »
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Glyn Davis struggles to address his troops
In recent years the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) has in the Christian Advent season delivered an “annual address to the Australian Public Service.” Continue reading »
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Ministerial staff reform vital after Morrison
There has been enough talk about ministerial staff in the Commonwealth government over the last couple of years to sink a battleship. It’s now time to do something. Continue reading »
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Paralysis by analysis: Extravagance clots Michael Pezzullo’s security sermon (Canberra Times, Nov 3)
Pezzullo’s 2020 list tries to cover everything, a serious failure. As pointed out by US scholars, if policy makers try to address all imaginable threats, security will paralyse government. Continue reading »
