This Month
- Analysis
- Government Observed
How to unlock the productivity power of a forgotten sector
There is a renewed push to get better value from the vast array of government services that make up around 20 per cent of the economy.
- Tom Burton
August
Albanese backflips on sexuality census question
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has agreed to reinstate a census question on sexual orientation, but remains under pressure to survey all gender identities.
- Tom Burton and Phillip Coorey
- Opinion
- Government Observed
A culture war is the least of the census’ problems. Let’s get rid of it
A ditched plan to include questions about the LGBTQ community in the census has raised questions about the future of the $600 million big five-yearly national survey.
- Tom Burton
- Exclusive
- Office
Remote working drives down federal office costs
More workers are sharing desks and work stations as part of flexible work, pushing average staff costs down by $850 per worker.
- Tom Burton
- Analysis
- Government Observed
The $340m government IT disaster no one cared about
The idea was simple enough: one back-office system to better co-ordinate all government departments. A decade later, the plan has been abandoned at big public expense.
- Tom Burton
Clean and green but are the new climate tsars conflict free?
Matt Kean’s dual gigs show how limited expertise has brought investors and policymakers uncomfortably close.
- John Kehoe and Hannah Wootton
The hidden jobs revealed by the new skills atlas
A new digital jobs and skills atlas shows where the hidden jobs are and reveals surprising new trends, especially in regional Australia.
- Tom Burton
- Exclusive
- Research
Aussie innovators pushed to focus on five ‘missions’
New priorities, outlined by Science Minister Ed Husic, include the net zero transition, supporting healthy communities and “elevating” Indigenous knowledge systems.
- Updated
- Tom Burton
- Analysis
- Government Observed
Hybrid working mishmash for 1.7m government workers across Australia
The NSW government’s push for public servants to work from their offices has left a jumble of work arrangements for the nation’s largest employers.
- Tom Burton
NSW to lease more offices for public servants ordered back
NSW is ready to lease extra office space after declaring it was time to end pandemic work-from-home conditions for its 80,000 public servants.
- Tom Burton
- Analysis
- Government Observed
Five projects to fix Australia’s productivity woes
The answer to the nation’s sagging productivity is staring us in the face says former NSW minister Victor Dominello.
- Tom Burton
July
- Analysis
- Government Observed
Tech meltdown revealed a fundamental flaw in plain sight
The global CrowdStrike breakdown revealed just how much of the global IT system is built on inherently unsafe code.
- Tom Burton
Senate urged to pass NDIS bill to get reforms back on track
Disability advocates have called for reforms to the NDIS to be passed despite protests that some recommendations could be catastrophic for the severely disabled.
- Tom Burton
- Opinion
- Canberra Observed
Middle Australia is indeed the lucky country
A suite of new data sources has enabled the Productivity Commission to revise its measure of economic mobility. The result surprised everyone.
- Tom Burton
- Exclusive
- Biosecurity
Avian flu surveillance to be upped amid fears of spring outbreaks
A $7 million package of federal initiatives is to be rolled out to prepare for possible outbreaks of the highly dangerous H5N1 avian flu strain
- Tom Burton
Surge in NDIS top-up claims costing $5.5m a day
The number of NDIS participants seeking unscheduled top-ups has jumped by 50 per cent as landmark reforms to control galloping costs are stalled in the Senate
- Tom Burton
Small consulting firms to get a leg-up from new Canberra rules
An overhaul to federal government procurement rules means agencies must now seek quotes from at least one small firm when seeking consultancy services.
- Tom Burton
June
Salesforce slammed for lavish gifts, meals with NDIA
The business software giant spent thousands on golf games, high-end meals and gifts for public servants while managing a $135 million contract.
- Tom McIlroy
Men still winning the best-paid federal jobs
The Commonwealth public sector leads the private sector on gender equity, but women still earn $19,000 less on average.
- Tom Burton
Fights over pay rises challenge a bold prediction in NSW budget
A $10.7 billion windfall from soaring property taxes will pay for more public servants but won’t stop NSW posting deficits for nine straight years and risking its AAA credit rating.
- Updated
- John Kehoe and David Marin-Guzman
