The most recent,a four-month review of culture and accountability by Professor Peter Coaldrake AO,found a public service held back by an overreliance on outsourcing,a “trivialising” of parliamentary committees,and an internal culture beset by bullying and short-term political thinking.
His 131-page report,Let the Sunshine In,has called for tighter lobbying regulation,stronger and more independent integrity bodies,a reinvigorated public service,and a singular “clearing house” for complaints to allow better navigation of the patchwork of agencies who receive them.
Coaldrake also called for cabinet submissions,agendas and decisions to be published online within 30 business days — rather than the years-long approach taken by the state and Commonwealth government,and closer to the approach taken by New Zealand in 2019.
Griffith University adjunct public policy professor Anne Tiernan said whether Westminster-style cabinet processes remained fit-for-purpose was a question,and such a shift would be “Australian-leading”.
Howard Whitton,a public sector ethics specialist and former Queensland Electoral and Admin Review Commission adviser,said it was not only a good idea for transparency.
“It[also] puts a serious discipline on public servants to put up advice,and on cabinet to take notice of the advice,knowing that it’s going to be published in a very short time,” Whitton said.