bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ADMINISTRATIVE CHRONICLE VICTORIA*
Authors: Holmes Jean
Published: March 2008

In its final months the outgoing Thompson Liberal Ministry was largely pre‐occupied with the implementation of its New Directions strategy. It introduced a public service bill in December to bring about greater effectiveness in the public service and ensure that its policy priorities were understood, thus complementing the Effectiveness Review Committee already set up, and it began a review of the three central coordinating agencies, the Public Service Board, the Treasury and the Department of the Premier, with an independent American consultant. The thrust of these three measures was to advise the government on proposals to set up new departments, relocate personnel and manpower resources, to set up programs for effectiveness reviews, and to bring forward amendments to the Public Service Act of 1974 which had followed Sir Henry Bland's inquiry in the early 1970s. These were intended to give the Public Service Board extended powers to allow it to conduct effectiveness reviews into statutory authorities, to extend Board employment powers to such authorities and to bring them into the public service framework, ensuring a more cohesive and less fragmented State public service. Senior staff could now be employed on term appointments, with performance‐oriented objectives, giving greater flexibility at the top. And finally, the Board was to have power to become involved in specific industrial issues at the departmental level, sharpening its current generalized industrial powers.
TRANSITION: TAKING OVER POWER IN 1983
Authors: Weller Patrick
Published: March 2008

Abstract: From 1979 the Labor Party had devoted considerable attention to planning for a future administration. It came to power with a detailed scheme covering the organization of cabinet, relations with caucus, the internal organization of the public service and public authorities. With the cooperation of a well‐prepared public service the transition appeared smooth and well coordinated. The decision taken by senior ministers, with the subsequent approval of caucus, to create an “inner” cabinet may cause future tensions with the outer ministry and in their relations with caucus. It also had an impact on the structure of cabinet committees. The committee system, designed to reduce the workload at cabinet meetings, appeared to function well in the first three months. Compared with 1972, relatively few changes were made to administrative arrangements and the appointment of ministerial staff proceeded smoothly.
NEGOTIATING TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE IN THE COMMONWEALTH BANKING CORPORATION
Authors: Griffin Gerard
Published: March 2008

Abstract: In May and June 1981 Automatic Telling Machines (ATMs) were introduced into sixty‐one branches of the Commonwealth Banking Corporation in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT. In contrast to union bans which had been imposed on ATMs in the private banking sector, the Commonwealth Bank Officers' Association (CBOA) actively supported the use of this new technology. After outlining the industry industrial relations system this paper examines the three‐way process of negotiations, involving the union, management and the federal government, which led to the introduction of ATMs. The terms of the agreement reached — a 19 day working month, early voluntary retirement after age 55 and a joint consultative committee on technological change in return for supports for ATMs — are analysed and the factors which contributed to the absence of industrial conflict during the negotiations are discussed.
POLITICAL RIGHTS OF VICTORIAN PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
Authors: Plehwe R.
Published: March 2008

Abstract: The article examines the history of legal restrictions on political activities by Victorian public employees from the introduction of responsible government in 1856. As in other Australian jurisdictions, the rules have gradually become less restrictive. Special aspects of the Victorian experience examined include: (a) the short lived experiment of not excluding permanent officials from membership of Parliament; (b) the creation of separate parliamentary constituencies for public employees in 1903; (c) the attempt to devise safeguards against political pressure by public employees after separate representation was abandoned; (d) special restrictions on the police, including disenfranchisement from 1854 to 1888 and the ban on participating in elections otherwise than by voting.
THE GOVERNMENT AND HOSPITAL COMMITTEES OF MANAGEMENT IN VICTORIA
Authors: McCoppin B.
Published: March 2008

Abstract: A new method has recently been introduced for selecting members of Victorian hospital committees of management: they are to be appointed by the Minister of Health, instead of being nominally elected by “contributors” to the hospitals. The 1977 Health Commission Act, which contains these new appointment provisions, gives the state government additional powers over the hospitals, and the power to appoint committees of management could contribute to this augmented control. The new method of selection, however, is expected to make little difference in practice to the committees. Neither the former Liberal state government, in framing the Health Commission Act, nor recent official inquiries have considered seriously the capacity of these committees as they are now constituted to maintain a high degree of hospital autonomy, despite the hospitals' heavy reliance on public funds. By leaving undisturbed these inheritors of the voluntary hospital tradition, the former Liberal government, though it has left its Labor successor with some new powers, has left it also with a potential obstacle to implementing the kinds of reforming measures recommended for the state's health services.
CLASSIFICATIONS OF PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES
Authors: Aldons M. E.
Published: March 2008

Abstract: Scrutiny committees of the Thirty‐Third Parliament (1983‐84) are classified as undertaking work in one or more of the following categories: legislation; nonlegislative policy; administrative oversight; and information systems for increased accountability. Only Senate committees scrutinise legislation. The majority of scrutiny committees examine non‐legislative policy. In contrast, administrative oversight work (compliance and efficiency) is undertaken by a relatively small number of committees. Information systems for increased accountability are a special category and represent the work of several committees particularly in respect of statutory authorities. Reports on non‐legislative policy and administrative oversight are classified against the functional classifications of expenditure used in Budget Statement No. 3. In seeking to explain limited policy scrutiny in areas such as taxation and social security and welfare, one cannot ignore the effects that the strategic priorities of adversary politics have on bi‐partisan committee inquiry. From classification and related comment one can question whether there is insufficient scrutiny of legislation, insufficient oversight of the administration and too much policy scrutiny. This in turn opens up the broader question of the overall direction and scope of scrutiny committee activity.
DEVELOPMENTS IN PUBLIC SECTOR AUDIT: HOW EFFECTIVE ARE EFFICIENCY AUDITS?
Authors: Dillon M. C.
Published: March 2008

Abstract: A crucial issue facing the public sector is the extent to which efficiency and effectiveness are elements in the concept of accountability to parliament and the people. This paper argues that the recent moves towards efficiency audit in many countries, including Australia, need to be extended to effectiveness audit, and that to the extent that this does not occur, efficiency (and compliance) audit in the public sector is ineffective and accountability lacking.

An examination of Australian public sector auditing is undertaken first, based on a discussion of the 1974–76 Royal Commission on Australian Government Administration, the 1977–82 Review of New South Wales Government Administration and the subsequent implementation of their recommendations as the means of clarifying and elucidating the definitions of compliance, efficiency and effectiveness audit, as well as a means of critically analysing Australian developments. Developments in public sector auditing in the United Kingdom and the United States of America are critically examined. Finally, the future prospects and problems facing public sector audit in Australia are reviewed, and policy options relating to the development of comprehensive audit are outlined.
ELECTRICITY PLANNING IN TASMANIA AND NEW ZEALAND: POLITICAL PROCESSES AND THE TECHNOLOGICAL IMPERATIVE
Authors: Kellow Aynsley
Published: March 2008

Abstract: This paper considers but rejects a thesis that there is some sort of ‘technological imperative’ in operation in the process of electricity planning which requires the integration of electricity generating systems with large industrial consumers. It is argued that there is nothing about the technical features of electricity generation and supply that does not translate into costs and benefits (which can be subsequently paid, enjoyed or ignored by decision‐makers). Instead a Galbraithian thesis of technocracy is examined, but this is found to be insufficient to explain fully the electricity planning process in Australia and New Zealand and the relationship of that process to electricity‐intensive industry. After examining cases of forecasting and planning in New Zealand and Tasmania (both predominantly reliant on intensive hydro‐electric systems), it is concluded that a full appreciation requires an understanding of the relationship between government and business, a relationship which is rooted long ago in the colonial origins of both countries.
THE PROMOTION APPEALS SYSTEM ADMINISTERED BY THE GOVERNMENT AND RELATED EMPLOYEES APPEAL TRIBUNAL: A PUBLIC SERVICE RIGHT OR A COSTLY ANACHRONISM?*
Authors: Mulcahy D. L.
Published: March 2008

Abstract: This paper is based upon the experience of the New South Wales Department of Lands with the Government and Related Employees Appeal Tribunal (GREAT), a body established in New South Wales in 1981 to hear promotion appeals from employees of the public sector. Serious doubts are expressed as to the value of the promotion appeals system and questions asked about its contribution to efficiency. Statistics show not only a substantial commitment of resources by the Department to the maintenance of selection decisions, but suggest a very large overall financial commitment by the state if the costs are representative of other departments and authorities. Proposed changes and possible reforms are reviewed and evaluated. Although confined to a study of a single system, the conclusions have relevance to the promotion appeals systems of all Australian public sectors because of the many common features which they share.
WOMEN AND MANAGEMENT IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Authors: Bryson Lois
Published: March 2008

Abstract: Although welcome gains have been made towards greater equity for women in the public service in recent years, many issues have yet to be tackled adequately. The paper is essentially concerned with the problems which arise because EEO programs have been couched in managerial terms, as part of the recent management reform and improvement programs within the public sector. This technocratic approach is very masculine in style and largely requires assimilation to the dominant male form of management. In concentrating on formal organisational issues. EEO programs can deflect attention from a direct engagement with the relevant value matters. Nor is the relationship between the work environment and other institutions, most importantly the family, dealt with in the managerialist approach.
SCALE ECONOMIES IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Authors: Easton S.A. , Thomson N.J.
Published: March 2008

Abstract: Part of the argument put forward in support of amalgamating local government authorities is that large councils have advantages of economies of scale. This article quantifies scale economies by a range of expenditure functions. It shows that amalgamation benefits may be as readily achieved through combining functions as in changing geographic boundaries. Furthermore, the study provides clear evidence that larger councils not only offer more services to ratepayers than smaller councils, but receive less support per capita than small councils from state and commonwealth government sources. This latter conclusion has important implications for those charged with the task of administering the scarce funds available through intergovernment financial arrangements.
WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION IN THE USA: LESSONS LEARNT AND TO BE LEARNT
Authors: Caiden Gerald E. , Truelson Judith A.
Published: March 2008

Abstract: In the 1970s, both Australia and the United States instituted legal reforms aimed at promoting greater accountability among public servants. Prompted by growing awareness of the need to encourage and protect federal government whistleblowers, Congress enacted whistleblower protection measures in the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. Although the notion of open government in Australia has never been extended to include whistleblowing by public servants, probing the issue of whether or not United States whistleblower protection can serve as a reform model in the search for more effective legal mechanisms for ensuring government accountability can provide lessons and insights of value to Australian public administrators. Analysis of the role and impact of the Office of the Special Counsel and the Merit Systems Protection Board as established under the Civil Service Reform Act reveals many difficulties associated with whistleblower protection. Research has substantiated the jurisdictional ambiguities, administrative and procedural deficiencies and lack of sanctioning power which plague this reform effort. Similar deficiencies also impede the protection of parliamentary witnesses in Australia. Evaluation of whistleblower protection leads to the conclusion that reform models in either country for ensuring government accountability must not be judged solely through examination of statutory provisions. There must also be in place strong stabilising factors such as political unity, economic comfort, social discipline, civic virtue and public service ideology in order to achieve the common public service goal of rendering governmental decision‐making more accountable to persons affected by it and open to review by independent decision makers.
PUBLIC SECTOR CULTURE MANAGERIALISM OR MULTICULTURALISM?
Authors: Sinclair Amanda
Published: March 2008

Abstract: Despite dramatic change in the Australian public sector, little attention has been paid to organisational culture. With the importation of private sector strategies and structures the traditional values of public administration have been eroded. Public organisations and their members have experienced consequences of “culture shock”, even “cultural revolution”. Managerialism is an introduced culture which has been criticised by some academics and public servants. It is seen as inappropriate to the distinctive values and operating context of the public domain, as purporting to value‐free technique while in effect operating as the mystifying ideology of a dominant elite. Managerialism has been constructed, it is argued, on simplistic and now superseded concepts of rational “management man”, goal setting and planning. While managerialism is not the culture which will endow public organisations with new meaning and propel them to excellence, it can expect to increase its hold in the absence of the development of new models of the culture of public organisation. While new public sector cultures will need to be organisation‐specific, to accommodate the differentiation between and within public organisations, an overarching framework of public sector values and principles will be required. One of the distinctive features of most public sector organisations is die number and diversity of their stakeholders. A multi‐cultural model of public sector culture is proposed, which construes this diversity of subcultures as an instrument of strategic flexibility.
TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION
Authors: Charles David
Published: March 2008

In capitalist reality as distinguished from its textbook picture, it is not that kind of competition which counts but the competition from the new commodity, the new technology, the new source of supply, the new type of organisation (the largest‐scale unit of control for instance) — competition which commands a decisive cost or quality advantage and which strikes not at the margins of the profits and the outputs of the existing firms but at their foundations and their very lives (Schumpeter 1981).
LOCAL ENTERPRISE INITIATIVES: BETWEEN STATE AND MARKET IN ESPERANCE*
Authors: Moon Jeremy , Willoughby Kelvin
Published: March 2008

Abstract: This paper presents an analysis of the Esperance Local Enterprise Initiatives Committee, which is at the heart of an archetypal emerging pattern of local economic development distinct both from top‐down statist models and from market alternatives. The model is composed of a mixture of state resources (notably finance, information and legitimacy), elements associated with entrepreneurialism, grass‐roots orientation, bottom‐up implementation, the pursuit of profit, and a network system which interlocks the ELEIC with different government departments and agencies.
COMPETITIVE MARKETS AND THE PROVISION OF PUBLIC SERVICES
Authors: Schott Kerry
Published: March 2008

Abstract: There is no universal panacea to improve the efficiency of public enterprises. However there is a worldwide trend at present to place more emphasis on markets than on centrally devised planning. The ownership of public enterprises is examined and it is argued that the performance of public enterprises is related to placing them in a more competitive environment. The importance of industry structure to competition is then discussed. The next sections turn to more practical matters. The first notes the present federal reforms of public enterprises and notes some similarities with the reforms set out in British White Papers in the 1950s and 1960s; and these reforms did not work in the sense of providing greater efficiency. Finally by way of example the deregulation of the NSW egg industry is examined; and the role of the government as a shareholder is discussed in the context of Australian Airlines. The paper concludes with a short summary.
THE TRIUMPH OF ECONOMIC RATIONALISM: THE TREASURY AND THE MARKET ECONOMY
Authors: Whitwell Greg
Published: March 2008

The 1980s have seen the triumph of economic rationalism. Greater efficiency has become a sacred goal. Increased competition and the unlocking of market forces, we are told, are the key means to obtain it. Proponents of economic rationalism insist that the public sector is riddled with inefficiencies. The private sector, by contrast, is self‐evidently superior. To the extent that the private sector often operates less than optimally, a major reason is the plethora of perverse governmental regulations which hamper its efficiency. Despite the problems, the public sector needs to model itself wherever possible on the private. And where public sector activities can be or are being done in the private sector, then the public sector should surrender such activities. The inevitable result will be an increase in net economic welfare: the economy will become more dynamic and scarce resources will be allocated more efficiently. Such is the rhetoric of the economic rationalists.
COMMENTARY
Authors: Painter Martin
Published: March 2008

My comments are addressed primarily to one aspect of the Curran “manifesto”, and to one part of Eric Groom's wide ranging discussion of the Curran Report: the possible pitfalls of corporatisation and/or privatisation when viewed from a political angle. Other issues, such as Curran's conclusions on the public debt, are left to others better equipped to comment on them (see, for instance, Evatt Research Centre 1989).
ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE AND ORGANISATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS
Authors: Jans N. A. , Frazer‐Jans J. M.
Published: March 2008

Abstract: This paper reports a study which addressed the relationship between organisational effectiveness and two dimensions of organisational culture, both of which have been stressed in the prescriptions for and descriptions of successful private sector organisations. The study examined a number of public sector organisations to assess the extent to which the perceived degree of bureaucracy and the priority given to HRM in each organisation were associated with favourable perceptions of organisational effectiveness. The data for the study were obtained by two recent surveys of APS organisations. The first was a population survey of the SES of the APS, conducted by mailed questionnaire in mid‐1989 (response rate of 52%). The second survey was of all staff in the 16 branches of a large Commonwealth agency (“Department X”), conducted in early 1989 (response rate of 87%). The data support the hypothesis that organisations which give high priority to the HRM function are likely to be more effective than those whose cultures give a low level of support to HRM. There is equivocal support to the hypothesis that organisations which are hierarchical in their working arrangements are less likely to be effective than those. which are relatively non‐hierarchical. Most agencies surveyed apparently do not give high priority to the HRM function, particularly if the issue is asked of those at the lower levels of the organisation. This is explicable in terns of the relatively low value placed on “people” skills by senior executives. These results support those writers who argue that private sector models are relevant to the public sector.
PRIVATE PRISON MANAGEMENT: PANACEA OR PRETENCE?*
Authors: Vallance Sarah
Published: March 2008

Abstract:Private prison management has been examined as a policy initiative by at least two state governments in Australia. Queensland boasts the only privately managed gaol in the country, and New South Wales has expressed interest in the possibility of contracting out the management of one of its new gaols. In the United States where it had its genesis, private management of adult correctional facilities has existed since the mid‐1980s. Governments in America at federal, state and local levels have turned to private prison management because of budgetary constraints and chronic levels of overcrowding in their prisons and gaols due to an escalating rate of crime and incarceration. Private prison management in the United States has provided a last resort to a crisis situation. Among policy‐makers in Australia there seems little appreciation of the factors which have motivated private prison management in the United States. In Queensland and New South Wales there is a view at government level that the private sector may well be a better manager of gaols than government, and that private management will achieve cost savings for government. Even in the United States, however, private prison management is still at an experimental stage and there is no evidence as yet to support assumptions about superior management and cost effectiveness. Governments in Australia are not experiencing the same crises which have prompted certain governments in America to adopt private prison management. Instead of introducing private corporations into the field of corrections in Australia, governments should be attempting to improve the performance of their own gaols and to make greater use of the private sector in those areas where its contribution can be of most significance — in the design and construction of prison facilities.
ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC POLICY
Authors: Power John
Published: March 2008

Comparative State Policies. Edited by B. GALLIGAN (Melbourne: Longman Cheshire, 1988, 303pp).

From Fraser to Hawke: Australian Public Policy in the 1980s. Edited by B. HEAD and A. PATIENCE (Melbourne: Longman Cheshire, 1989, 525pp).

Hawke and Australian Public Policy: Consensus and Restructuring. Edited by E. JENNETT and R. STEWART (Melbourne: Macmillan, 1990, 422PP).
STUDYING FEDERALISM: PERSPECTIVES AND PROSPECTS
Authors: Painter Martin
Published: March 2008

Governing Federations: Constitution, Politics Resources, edited by MICHAEL WOOD, CHRISXIPHER WILLIAMS, CAMPBELL SHARMAN (Sydney: Hale & Iremonger in association with the Royal Australian Institute of Public Administration, 1989, 281 pp).

Federalism in Canada t Australia: Historical Perspectives 192088, edited by BRUCE W. HODGINS, JOHN J. EDDY, SHELAGH D. GRANT, JAMES STRUTHERS (Peterborough: Frost Centre for Canadian Heritage and Development Studies, Trent University, 1989, 511 PP).

Australian Federalism, edited by BRIAN GALLIGAN (Melbourne: Longman Cheshire, 1989, 278 pp).
CAN VIRTUE BE REGULATED? AN EXAMINATION OF THE EARC PROPOSALS FOR A CODE OF CONDUCT FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS IN QUEENSLAND
Authors: Preston Noel
Published: March 2008

Abstract: This paper reviews the proposed Code of Conduct and accompanying ethics regime under consideration for the public sector in Queensland. While noting the limitations of codes of conduct, it examines the proposition that ethics regulation has the potential to enhance good government, concluding that it has under certain conditions. It canvasses the need to give priority to an educative process within an ethics regime, considers some implications for ethical theory about codes, and includes a prognosis for the Queensland initiative with its converging objectives of regulating and nurturing virtue in public office.
THE ROLE OF THE INDUSTRY COMMISSION IN RELATION TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT*
Authors: Hundloe Tor
Published: March 2008

Abstract: The Industry Commission is the Australian government's independent advisory body on industry and industry matters. The Commission's role is to make recommendations on ways to improve the nation's overall economic performance. It performs this task by holding public inquiries and producing reports that are presented to the parliament.

While the Commission's perspective is economic efficiency, it is required to report on the environmental consequences of its findings. One of the commissioners is required to have expertise in such matters.

The extent to which it has met this challenge is illustrated by reference to a number of inquiry reports. The Commission has found that both economic efficiency gains and better environmental outcomes can go hand in hand, but it has recognised that the intergenerational equity prescription underpinning the concept of sustainable development is an ethical issue beyond the limits of economics.
LET THE MANAGERS GOVERN: MINISTER‐BUREAUCRAT RELATIONSHIPS IN NEW SOUTH WALES
Authors: Laffin Martin
Published: March 2008

Abstract: This article considers the relationships between ministers and chief executives in the New South Wales Liberal‐National government. It looks at how ministers have set about taking charge of the public service against the background of the new political and economic realities confronting the state government. Senior ministers have consciously sought to limit their dependence on public servants and they have used a range of strategies to do so. They have remoulded the public service in a new “managerialised” form. Policy‐making has been further internalised into ministerial offices and party circles and away from departments. The role of cabinet has been strengthened to impose a new corporate purpose as a counterbalance to traditional departmental interests. New incentive systems, based on contract employment and performance agreements, have been introduced to focus public service loyalties on the goals of the government. Advocates of managerialism, usually career public servants, have been appointed to key positions. Ministerial advisers have been used as countervailing sources of advice and as extensions of ministerial authority. Many ministers themselves have assumed an involved style of ministerial management of departments.
ACCOUNTING FOR RESULTS: PORTFOLIO EXPLANATORY NOTES BECOME PROGRAM PERFORMANCE STATEMENTS
Authors: Noon Adrian
Published: March 2008

Abstract: This paper outlines the place of performance evaluation in the recent administrative reforms and, in that context, assesses the changes made for the 1991–92 Program Performance Statements. The changes constitute a concerted attempt to improve the system of program evaluation throughout the Australian Public Service. Coherent and logical, they are based on a model of governance that seeks to establish a definitive demarcation between policy and administration, and hence confirm traditional notions of ministerial accountability. Analysis of these changes from a parliamentary perspective suggests that, unless there are serious reforms introduced into parliament, there is an increased likelihood that the monitoring of the bureaucratic machinery of government will become inadequate.
ROAD GRANTS, INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMPETITION AND THE BENEFITS OF DUPLICATION
Authors: Painter Martin , Dempsey Kathy
Published: March 2008

Abstract: This article argues that direct commonwealth involvement in road funding and road policy has benefited the states and local government. Although inefficiencies and friction are evident as a result of joint funding, the benefits of multiple accountability outweigh the costs. A competitive dynamic underlies the involvement of all three levels of government, producing outcomes that no single government dominates, but which reflect in part the responses of each to their respective constituencies. The commonwealth has been driven to more intrusive forms of intervention as existing controls failed to achieve the commonwealth's objectives, and to expanding its financial contributions to counter the diversion of funds by state governments. Its commitment to funding the road program is likely to be highest when its specific purpose grants can be identified closely with the provision of roads in particular regions and localities. In sum, joint funding of the road program produces a system that is responsive to competing conceptions and interests, and the commonwealth's “voluntary vacancy” from all but “national” roads is on balance likely to be detrimental to the program.
THE ROLES OF GOVERNMENT A PARTICIPANT'S PERSECTIVE*
Authors: Porter Robert
Published: March 2008

Hasluck is unusual in the lengths he went to the define the responsibilities of the various offices in which he was involved. Many of the functions and processes of government have changed since Hasluck was an active participant in the political process. Interest groups have increasingly influenced political decision‐making, organisations external to the public service now play a greater role in influencing the development of public policy, the operation of a number of areas of the public service has become more visible and open to external scrutiny, there has been a constant trend towards political appointments within the public service, and it appears unlikely that the emphasis on public relations and marketing techniques as an integral feature of government communication will diminish. Likewise, the demands on ministers' time have increased and, while it is questionable whether ministers now handle a larger ministerial workload than Hasluck did, it is doubtful whether very many then or since have had his capacity for hard work or for handing the matters which cross their desk without the support of a professional advisory staff.

The functions and operations of government evolve and the adaptation of roles and functions may not necessarily weaken the effectiveness of government administration. However, the fundamental tenet of Hasluck's writings on the roles of government remains compelling: the participants in the various areas of government should have an appreciation of the constitutional responsibilities of their position, its relationship to other areas of government and the fundamental principles which are required to maintain the credentials of the office into the future.
“NOT A DEPARTMENTAL STATEMENT”: A CASE STUDY OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN DEPARTMENT OF TAFE 1978–84
Authors: Bradley Denise
Published: March 2008

Abstract: This paper traces the background to the 1979 and 1984 equal opportunity policy statements in the South Australian Department of TAFE. It documents the process of policy development and planning for implementation and, through an examination of the content of each statement, evaluates the intentions of the authors. It concludes that there is little evidence of commitment at political and bureaucratic levels to deal with the issues the policies sought to address. By use of documents produced within the department at the time, the paper traces resistance to external pressures for change and failure to establish a firm and realistic program for policy implementation.
VOLATILE SUBSTANCES: COORDINATING PETROL‐SNIFFING PROGRAMS FOR ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES IN A FEDERAL SYSTEM
Authors: Robbins Jane
Published: March 2008

Abstract: This paper considers the problems involved in coordinating policy in a federal system. It examines the programs developed to control petrol‐sniffing in South Australian Aboriginal communities and analyses the processes which determined policy outcomes. Both intergovernmental and intragovern‐mental factors are identified as contributing to the failure to achieve coordination. The particular characteristics of Aboriginal Affairs as a concurrent constitutional responsibility combined with its position as a client‐specific portfolio impede efficiency in matters of funding, definition of administrative jurisdiction and political commitment to cooperative action.
FISCAL STRESS AND HEALTH POLICY IN THE A.C.T.*
Authors: Butler J. R. G. , Neil Amanda L.
Published: March 2008

Abstract: Since 1981, the financing of the‘ ACT has been subject to five inquiries by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. These inquiries have incorporated the ACT into the fiscal equalisation process between Australian states and territories. and have significantly affected the ACT'S general revenue grants from the commonwealth. The inquiries produced evidence of generous commonwealth funding of the ACT compared with the other states. This funding has given rise to “over‐spending” on service provision by the ACT government. The ACT government is not currently responsible for all identified “over‐spending”. being buffered to some extent by transitional allowances recommended by the Grants Commission. The ACT government is, however, experiencing fiscal stress for the “overspending” for which it is responsible. This stress is expected to increase in the future as the ACT government comes to bear the full burden of all “overspending”. A significant cause of the “over‐spending” identified by the Grants Commission was health services expenditure. This situation has raised a number of interesting questions. Is the “overspending” on health a conscious policy decision to produce a higher quantity/quality combination of health services in the ACT? Or does it represent inefficiency? What policy options are appropriate in view of the “over‐spending” on health? This paper addresses these questions using data from the Grants Commission inquiries and a recently released study of hospital utilisation and costs in Australia. It is concluded that, at least with respect to public hospitals in the ACT. excessive stafting is the primary cause of “over‐spending”. There is little evidence to support an argument that this “over‐spending” is resulting in superior health outcomes for ACT citizens.
RESTRUCTURING THE STATE ENERGY COMMISSION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Authors: Harman F.J.
Published: March 2008

Abstract: In the “WA Advantage” statement of February 1992, the Western Australian premier announced restructuring proposals for the State Energy Commission of Western Australia (SECWA). The Dampier‐Perth natural gas pipeline will be taken out of SECWA and operated by an independent authority on an open access basis. SECWA will also withdraw from the Pilbara region to be replaced by a Pilbara Electricity and Gas Authority. To be considered by the Carnegie Commission are proposals for the separation of electricity and gas operations and, within electricity operations, separation into generation, transmission, distribution and supply functions. The rationale for these policy changes is an attempt to introduce competition into these sectors of the energy market to improve efficiency and reduce the disparities in energy costs between Western Australia and the other Australian states. If carried out to their full extent, the proposals for SECWA will amount to the most comprehensive restructuring of a publicly owned energy utility in Australia.
COMPETITIVE TENDERING POLICIES IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS
Authors: Dommerger S. , Hensher D. , Wedde S.
Published: March 2008

Abstract: This paper compares and contrasts the application of competitive tendering policies in the public and private sectors. It is based on information derived from a large‐scale survey of public and private sector organisations in New South Wales. Analysis of the survey responses suggests a common approach to the basic elements of the tendering (market‐testing) process. However, there are also some important differences, the most striking of which is that public sector organisations advertise more frequently and generally review more tenders. Despite this, there appears to be little difference in the degree of effective competition achieved between the two sectors. More generally, while nearly all organisations surveyed collect information that is relevant to performance evaluation, it does not appear to be systematic or rigorous enough to secure contract compliance.
THE IMPLICATIONS OF HIGH LEVELS OF PUBLIC SECTOR DEBT FOR ECONOMIC POLICY‐MAKING: THE CASE OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Authors: Fuller Don
Published: March 2008

Abstract: The relatively small and open South Australian economy has been facing the difficulties associated with the structural adjustment of its industry for over 15 years. In addition, the South Australian public sector has been contending with financial difficulties largely as a result of a reduction in grants from the commonwealth before the failure of the State Bank of South Australia. This paper reviews the growth and current level of government indebtedness in South Australia and discusses which group(s) is likely to bear the main burden of such debt. The main consequences of high levels of state public sector debt, including budgetary inflexibility, are also examined. The paper suggests that it will be necessary for relative wages and prices to adjust more freely if the negative impacts of an inevitable state government budgetary consolidation are to be minimised. If wages and prices are not free to adjust then unemployment will continue to take the brunt of the adjustment process. In addition, out‐migration of businesses and people from South Australia will accelerate, leading to a further erosion of the taxation base. The State Bank indemnity arrangements and consequent levels of public sector debt incurred will require the state government to reduce the level and quality of services provided by the state public sector, sell state public sector assets and further improve efficiency and effectiveness. However, there are a number of important arguments why taxation should be an important means by which the South Australian government moves to retire public sector debt as soon as practicable. Not the least important of these arguments is the need to ensure accountability by elected representatives of government for their expenditure decisions.
CHANGE IN THE GOVERNANCE OF AUSTRALIAN RURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Lovett Siwan
Published: March 2008

Abstract: Australian rural research and development underwent a period of sustained organisational and managerial change during the 1980s and early 1990s. The transition from a scattered and disparate research effort prior to 1985, to one which is today highly structured, commodity‐specific and strategically oriented, raises a number of issues concerning the processes used, the motivation for the change, and the manner in which that change has been accomplished. This article reviews the reforms that have been made in the sector, and seeks to assess their impact on the stakeholders involved. In so doing it highlights the changing nature of the expectations placed upon the rural research and development community, and raises questions concerning the appropriateness of the reforms and the methods by which they were implemented.
WOMEN AND ENTERPRISE BARGAINING: THE CORSET OF THE 1990s?
Authors: Lee Julie‐Anne
Published: March 2008

The corset is, in economic theory, substantially a mutilation, undergone for the purpose of lowering the subject's vitality and rendering her permanently and obviously unfit for work (Veblen 1899, ch.7).
THE HEARTLANDS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE US STATES
Authors: Laffin Martin
Published: March 2008

Abstract: Over recent years the American states have re‐emerged as centres of policy innovation and reasserted themselves within the federal system. In contrast, at least until Bill Clinton's accession to the presidency, the federal government has lost the initiative. Indeed, Clinton's accession from what in the past would have been regarded as an obscure southern governorship symbolises the shift of the states to the centre stage of American politics.

This article considers the reasons for this shift, stressing the generational change among the governors, the new economic and social challenges faced by the states and the increasing withdrawal of the federal government from the state sphere. In terms of the prospects for the future of American federalism, federal government is likely to withdraw further under Clinton, reversing the trend of earlier Democratic presidencies. Indeed, thanks to the efforts of governors like Clinton, state governments are now better equipped than ever before to shoulder new responsibilities. Their tax base has widened, though many states have faced difficult budgetary situations in the early 1990s. The organisation and structure of most state governments have been modernised, if slowly given the obstacles inherent in the separation of powers. The new breed of governor has a more managerial approach than earlier generations, and contemporary governors have sought to centralise their power within the executive branch. As state legislatures have also asserted their influence over the executive branch, gubernatorial influence has usually been enhanced at the expense of other power centres within the executive.
THE PROCESS OF GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION: SOME SEMIOTIC AND CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS
Authors: Hughes Patrick
Published: March 2008

Abstract: Guidelines for government communication fail to acknowledge that they express a particular model of communication—a Process model—and that other models of communication exist which imply different communication strategies. This article discusses the practical and conceptual limitations of the Process model of communication, outlines alternative models from Semiotics and from Cultural Studies, and considers the communication strategies which each one offers to governments. The article draws on a recent study of the controversy surrounding the Australian federal government's Quality Improvement and Accreditation scheme for child care.
THE PECULIAR TASKS OF PUBLIC MANAGEMENT: TOWARD CONCEPTUAL DISCRIMINATION
Authors: Gregory Robert
Published: March 2008

Abstract:Recent contributions toAJPAhave suggested new conceptual directions for public management in response to the stand‐off between managerialists and their critics. In emphasising the inherent political dimensions of public management, this article seeks to build on these contributions. It does so by combining some of the insights of previous contributors with a simple matrix devised originally by American scholar James Q Wilson. The central proposition is that attempts to render public management more like private management have been too far‐reaching, and do not adequately appreciate the intractable difficulties that stem from the types of task that are peculiar to public organisations. It is suggested that there should be less reliance on dubious metaphors borrowed from the business domain. Instead, a greater degree of theoretical eclecticism and conceptual discrimination should be used in understanding and developing public management.
AGAINST THE SPIRIT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT: THE MAKING OF TASMANIAN TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING LEGISLATION
Authors: Petrow Stefan
Published: March 2008

Abstract: Town planning as part of a wider program of postwar reconstruction gained support in Tasmania in the 1940s. This support resulted in the passage of the Town and Country Planning Act 1944, the first major major piece of town planning legislation in Tasmania. This article examines the background to this statute, focusing on the deliberations of a joint committee of parliament appointed to hear the views of interested parties on town planning. Particular attention is devoted to the dispute over whether municipal councils or a town planning board with wide powers should regulate town planning. The land use planning reforms introduced in 1993 are also assessed.
DILEMMAS OF MEASURING PERFORMANCE IN A GOVERNMENT TRADING ENTERPRISE: THE STATE BANK OF NEW SOUTH WALES
Authors: Lamond David
Published: March 2008

Abstract: In 1990, the State Bank of New South Wales was incorporated as a company, with a view to its eventual Privatisation (which occurred formally on 31 December 1994). Key to the Privatisation process was the attainment of improved organisational performance so that the bank would be seen as an attractive proposition by potential purchasers. Its annual reports in the period 1990‐93 suggested this improvement had indeed occurred. However, a recent case in the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW, involving the bank and the Australian Bank Employees Union, has highlighted the apparent difficulty of measuring organisational and employee performance in the bank. This paper examines performance measurement in the State Bank of NSW in light of the accountability framework established by the NSW government, and highlights the dilemmas facing it and other government trading enterprises (GTEs) in the wider use of their performance data.
CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Authors: Bartos Stephen
Published: March 2008

Abstract: This paper outlines the current state of play in relation to performance information in the Australian Public Service. It highlights the findings of the evaluation of the past decade of management reform in The Australian Public Service Reformed and the Management Advisory Board's Building a Better Public Service in relation to performance information.

It outlines some of the recent initiatives at commonwealth level to improve the quality of performance information. It touches briefly on benchmarking (noting that this topic is covered by other papers at the same session and at the conference). It sets out the rationale behind the recent changes to annual reporting requirements for commonwealth departments: to provide parliamentarians with more focused information and reduce unnecessary duplication and paper overload. Reports so far have tended to confirm the success of this strategy, with some modifications required to provide more detail in agencies' documentation provided at budget time.

It sets out the findings of the recent Department of Finance paper on the use of evaluation in the 1994–95 Budget—in summary, some 75% of proposals for new spending or savings in the budget were influenced by the results of evaluation.

Finally, it makes some observations about the success of the Australian system of making public servants responsible for outcomes as well as outputs, and suggests that this is in part the reason why we have been able to make our evaluation strategy stick.