Scapegoating ministers

02 March 2010We are often quick to blame government ministers, but in rushing to criticise we often let ourselves off the hook too easily, writes John Warhurst in Eureka Street

TOO OFTEN government ministers are made scapegoats. This applies to three federal ministers at the moment: Peter Garrett, the Minister for the Environment; Stephen Conroy, the Minister for Communications; and Bill Shorten, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities. Too often criticism of ministers neglects the wider context and fails to recognise the responsibility of the broader community...

Read the full article

Photo: Mushroom and Rooster

Related Topics

Politics

Related content

Most viewed: This week

1
Web and Information Coordinator - Australian Policy Online (Position number: 29499)
2
Can nations measure well-being?
3
Six provocations for big data
4
What do pop-up shops and homelessness have in common?
5
Evidence-free policy making? The case of income management

Noticeboard

Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (the ACNC) starting in July 2012
07 March 2012

In May 2011 the Federal Government announced that the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) would commence operations from 1 July 2012 and that it would initially be responsible for determining the legal status of groups seeking charitable, public benevolent institution, and other not-for-profit (NFP) benefits on behalf of all Commonwealth agencies. 

Regulatory Impact Analysis: Benchmarking: new study
01 March 2012


The Productivity Commission has been asked to report within 9 months on Regulatory Impact Analysis: Benchmarking. The study requires a benchmarking of the efficiency and quality of regulatory impact analysis processes used by the Commonwealth and state and territory governments, as well as those of the Council of Australian Governments.
Access and equity inquiry
20 December 2011

On 18 November 2011, Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Senator the Hon Kate Lundy, announced the establishment of an independent panel of eminent community leaders to conduct an inquiry into Australian Government services to ensure they are responsive to the needs of Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Topics

APO