This book presents a portrait of the role of Commonwealth departmental secretaries and their work from the point of view of a former senior public servant.

Although Andrew Podger was a participant at key moments in recent policy history, this is not merely a memoir: it is an analytic book which offers a number of lessons learned, to be heeded (or not) by the present and future generations of policy practitioners. Andrew has been, at times, an unflinching commentator on issues of bureaucratic performance, accountability and responsiveness to government. Andrew’s reflections are drawn from his own experiences within the inner circle of Australian policy-making.