After any change of prime minister or general election, a new administration is likely to bring both new policy priorities and new ministers. But making change in policy is not only about policy design and delivery, it is also about paying for those changes and...

The matters highlighted in this report from the Legislative Council Privileges Committee (Vic), based on findings contained in the (IBA) Operation Watts report, indicate that Mr Adem Somyurek committed a number of breaches in the performance of his parliamentary duties.

Ministers make appointments to powerful roles across the public sector. These can be controversial, so ensuring a high calibre of appointees is important. This report responds to concerns about the appointments process – and standards in public life generally – by proposing reforms to restore...

This joint investigation, conducted by IBAC and the Victorian Ombudsman, was initiated following allegations of serious corrupt conduct involving Victorian public officers, including Members of Parliament. The joint investigation examined a range of matters, including allegations of misuse of electorate offices, ministerial office staff and...

This guest paper reveals patterns in ministerial leadership styles that have profound impacts on the relationship between ministers and civil servants. The paper identifies two distinct styles of ministerial management and leadership of civil servants – and finds evidence that male and female ministers adopt...

In this report, Jonathan Slater, who was the most senior civil servant in the Department for Education (UK) from 2016 to 2020, writes that while public engagement is a core part of the role of local government policy-makers, it is not seen as important for...

This report explores how the powerful fossil fuel, gambling and tobacco industries are attempting to take advantage of Australia’s weak integrity laws, thereby distorting the nation's democratic processes, to put profits ahead of society's wellbeing.

Much like what occurs in Australia, this paper argues that while creating a new department can be useful to focus on a high priority issue or to bring together related policy areas, most changes in the United Kingdom are rushed through either to send a...

This report analyses the extent to which the coal industry is embedded in Australian federal politics. It demonstrates how coal’s pivotal position in key networks of influence has enabled its interests to remain central to the climate and energy policy agenda of the Morrison Government.

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 Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s corporate plan outlines the direction for the organisation over the next four years.

Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries are entrusted with the conduct of public business and must act in a manner that is consistent with the highest standards of integrity and propriety. The public, quite rightly, has high expectations of them, in terms of their personal conduct and...

Presents the initial results of a survey of staff working in Ministerial offices in New Zealand.

The accountability of ministerial staff has re-emerged as an issue during the hearings of the Senate Committee inquiring into "a certain maritime incident". The growth of ministerial staff numbers and the perception that they operate independently of direct ministerial supervision suggests that new accountability mechanisms...