January
PM’s department scores badly for ‘churn and burn’ culture
A review into the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet gave the worst possible score on strategic workforce planning and use of data.
PM’s adviser Glyn Davis returns to lead Melbourne Uni
Davis, who led the country’s highest-ranked university from 2005 until 2018, was approached after the sudden death of Emma Johnston.
November 2025
Flemington’s Birdcage plays host to another round of CEOs and pollies
Julie Bishop made her return after a two-year break, while state politicians, gambling and pub executives, and TV types abounded.
July 2025
Who will be Julie Bishop’s successor as ANU chancellor?
Discussions are underway about potential candidates to succeed Australian National University chancellor Julie Bishop.
June 2025
‘Best of the best’: New Treasury boss takes helm in historic move
Jenny Wilkinson, a “level-headed and sensible” economist, succeeds Steven Kennedy who will shift to secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
February 2025
‘Just call me Bill’: Shorten brings ‘X factor’ to new job
The former Labor minister was joined by an eclectic crowd at his investiture as University of Canberra vice chancellor.
September 2024
Albo keeps it in the family at the AFL commissioner’s lunch
You can’t buy a ticket to Aussie rules’ most exclusive grand final function, so there are few better tests of relevance than trying to score an invitation.
May 2024
Liontown’s Tim Goyder turns up to thank Jim Chalmers
Heavy hitters wary of party political functions have grown fond of the National Press Club’s Great Hall lunch.
December 2023
Glyn Davis wants the public service to surrender control
The federal public sector boss wants to flip big government and put the locals in charge. He admits it will not be easy.
September 2023
The 10 most covertly powerful people in Australia in 2023
Those who wield the most clout behind the scenes in the nation’s business and politics.
July 2023
‘Sobering’: Nation’s top public servant shocked by a year of scandals
“It’s been a year of shocks,” Professor Glyn Davis says a year after he took up the role as head of the public service and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s chief adviser.
June 2023
Why the public service is missing – or ignoring – rorts and wrongdoing
A high-level taskforce is overhauling the many checks and controls that so obviously failed to stop wrongdoings surrounding the robo-debt scheme, a billion dollars of grants, and PwC’s confidentiality breaches.
April 2023
Top bureaucrat makes Canberra encore to help solve education turmoil
Former Canberra bureaucrat Ben Rimmer has returned to lead the development of the government’s higher education and research reforms.
January 2023
Taskforce aims to build back trust in government
Jeni Whalan, formerly of the Ramsay Foundation, will lead a Home Affairs taskforce focused on strengthening democracy and responding to extremism and authoritarianism.
December 2022
Albanese didn’t have valid passport when he had to meet Biden in Japan
For weeks before the election, bureaucrats had been planning for whichever leader would be flying to attend an important Quad meeting. There was one hitch.
November 2022
IR bill ignores business concerns
Raising JobSeeker won’t solve problem; University system must end the cloning; RBA governor’s sorry state of affairs; Message to elites: Voice vote is not in the bag; Westpac’s fertility leave another big step.
‘Somebody’s watching’: Corruption body will change the public service
The public service will need to prepare itself to be questioned and defend its decisions, says Glyn Davis, the secretary of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Meet the man hoping to bring bureaucracy into the 21st century
Opening up government to enable authentic, community level engagement is part of large public sector modernisation program that professor Glyn Davis is pushing.
Time to add colour and diversity to university sector, says Glyn Davis
Australia’s 40 universities are pretty much indistinguishable from each other, the nation’s most senior public servant says, but he believes the new higher education accord can change that.
July 2022
Federal public service more united now, says Gaetjens
The Australian Public Service is more unified with stronger cross sector leadership claims former Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Phil Gaetjens.
