Australia’s former top bureaucrat, Terry Moran, has issued a call to arms for public servants: think big, get confident, face digital disruption and improve the sector’s capability or lose more ground to outsourcing.
The greatest pleasure of my three years as IPAA national president has been the chance to meet and hear from public servants around Australia.
Most wish to make a difference. They worry about doing the best for their community; they take joy from helping Australians; and they believe that Australia is indeed a fortunate, open, sane society which it is a privilege to serve.
We have regard to the national interest when we ponder policy and we believe in the fair treatment of all Australians by public servants dealing with them.
Indeed there is a professional ethos amongst public servants which is not always apparent in organisations engaged as outsourced service providers.
But, our circumstances are changing because the society in which we serve the public is changing. There are challenges and opportunities ahead for us. We must embrace them to do better.
So what are the big challenges ahead of us?
Read more: The Mandarin