Geoffrey Hawker
Geoffrey Hawker was director of research for the Royal Commission on Australian Government Administration (the Coombs Commission) 1974-76 and writes on Australian and African politics and history.
Recent articles by Geoffrey Hawker
6 November 2023
Troubling tenure again: Would ministers appoint permanent mates?
The system of fixed term contracts for department heads is not in itself the cause of the recent debacles of Robodebt and Home Affairs. Restoring permanent appointments for departmental heads is unthinkable, not least because the former system rested upon powerful public service boards, now abolished everywhere. We could not restore such bodies even if we wanted to. Would some ministers then appoint permanent mates?
16 September 2023
Tenure and its troubles
Discussion of the tenure of senior officials in the Australian public service continues in P&I, with some former officials recently pointing to the difficulty of giving the fabled frank and fearless advice when contracts may not be renewed.