One of the key functions of the APS is how it interacts with ministers, and the nature and quality of that relationship affects the quality of public administration. This paper explores those interactions, how they have changed over time, and explores a new vision of the APS which is open to the community.

Australia needs to fundamentally reframe its policy approach. Ad hoc and set-and-forget approaches to policy will not deliver what we need in the future.

Why do parties have so much trouble learning from past successes and failures? ELECTION postmortems are a ritual of grieving – a necessary safety valve to contain the damage and internal recrimination that might otherwise break out after a devastating and unexpected election loss. After ceding power to Labor’s Daniel Andrews in late 2014, the...

In this monograph, Anne Tiernan and Jennifer Menzies capably chart the often hazardous terrain of the 'caretaker period' that ensues from the time an election is called until a new government is formed. This is a landscape fraught with political and administrative dangers - particularly for public servants who are required to 'mind the shop'...

Family First’s preferences helped get Labor across the line, but the party needs a new strategy in this changing electorate, according to Anne Tiernan.