Controlling the economic narrative is crucial if governments are to maintain political momentum. The challenge with The Voice Referendum, set for the 14th of October, is that the Albanese Government’s policy agenda will be drowned out by an election style campaign, Yes or No for the next 6 weeks. Current polling indicates the referendum will fail with potentially three […]

Last month I commented on the importance of lifting productivity up the priority list for governments and industry across Australia – if we are to retain and improve our living standards.   Treasurer Jim Chalmers has reported that Australians will be 40 per cent poorer by 2063 if the federal government is unable to turnaround lacklustre […]

“When the government changes the country changes,” famously said by former PM Paul Keating in 1996 prior to the Howard landslide.  Never have these words been truer, as the Albanese Government drives its agenda across the whole gamut of economic, cultural, and institutional reform underpinning Australian society.  With Federal Parliament resuming next week don’t be […]

The French Philosopher Voltaire was born in 1694 and came up with ideas about freedom of speech, tolerance, reason, and freedom of religious belief. He fought to make sure people were tolerant and accepted everyone as they were. Voltaire it seems did not want individuals who were different to be persecuted. He also believed that there […]

Does anyone remember an occasion when there was so much attention given to NOT renewing the employment contract of a senior public servant? Dr Philip Lowe, Governor of the Reserve Bank, will complete his term on the 17th of September this year, following an extraordinary period of public media reporting and political speculation.   For most of […]

August is shaping up to be a fiery month for Queensland Parliament, with two weeks of Budget Estimates Hearings ahead of sittings resuming next week, providing a tangible opportunity for the Opposition to get departmental data from critical areas such as housing and health.  The context for these sitting-weeks includes the AFR’s reporting of a state […]

A quick google of the word integrity comes up with 5 personal attributes: values-focused, honest, considerate, exemplary character, and accountable.   Does integrity matter in public administration? You bet!  The very covenant that solidifies our trust in the Westminster System has been sorely tested by the damning findings from the Royal Commission’s investigation into the Robodebt […]

For a communications professional, there is possibly no harder assignment than an organisation with a strong risk-averse culture. Sticking to stringent policies and procedures is the only way to ensure an outcome. There is a right way of doing things, and there’s a wrong way. Unfortunately, the environment that external communications professionals operate in is […]

The end of 2022 was a goldmine for political enthusiasts as three key reviews of the 2022 Federal Election were released. The first was the independent study conducted by the Australian National University and the other two were the Labor and Liberal reviews respectively. In total, I have scanned through 325 pages of research and […]