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The Westminster Tradition

The Westminster Tradition

Unpacking lessons for the public service, starting with the Robodebt Royal Commission.In 2019, after three years, Robodebt was found to be unlawful. The Royal Commission process found it was also immoral and wildly inaccurate.Ultimately the Australian Government was forced to pay $1.8bn back to more than 470,000 Australians.In this podcast we dive deep into public policy failures like Robodebt and the British Post Office scandal - how they start, why they"re hard to stop, and the public service

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All Episodes

51:05

🗳️ Election special 🗳️ Caretaker conventions, IGBs...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2025/03/31

The starter's gun has gone on Australia's national elections for 2025 and Parliament has been prorogued. In this episode, former head of Cabinet Office and keeper of the Caretaker Conventions, Alison answers Caroline and Danielle's increasingly pointed questions, and we end with arguing about the importance of formatting. Stay tuned to the end for some fabulous insider advice for managing caretaker period and elections as a public servant. This episode is dedicated to the significant bi...

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40:53

Picking the Scab of Recruitment - Part 1 'The Applicant'

The Westminster Tradition ·

2025/03/17

Drawing on overwhelming feedback from our listeners, in this episode we unpack the experience of being recruited into the public sector (or ghosted along the way). Danielle takes us through What goes in Role Descriptions (hint: it shouldn't be slabs of legislation)The madness of defined requirements like 'driving' and 'interstate travel' (and whether Caroline's sister can really change a tyre)Alison's idea of an X factor style button for use in interviews when it's immediately clear thi...

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35:02

Oakden aged care scandal part 3 - “Boss on the floor”...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2025/03/03

How did the abuse at Oakden remain hidden for so long? And what finally brought it to light? In this episode we discuss: why families might not complainhow small, isolated outposts can hide terrible thingsthe importance of following up on things that don’t feel quite right.Intro grab from the RN Background Briefing episode A Failure to Care: The Oakden Nursing Home, featuring Lorraine Baff, whose father was a patient at Oakden. You can find the full ICAC Report into Oakden here, and the...

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34:17

REDUX - What the NACC is going on? Updates on...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2025/02/21

In light of this week's decision that the NACC will pursue investigations into six public officials, we thought we would repost this episode from December 2024 explaining why the NACC's original decision to take no further action needed to be revisited, with a little explainer up front on the latest news. You can find out more about the NACC's announcement on 18th February 2025 here. In this episode, we talk about where things are at, managing conflicts of interest, and whether corruption alw...

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45:10

Oakden aged care scandal part 2 - there’s no $$$ in...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2025/02/17

For over a decade, the state government vacillated about whether or not to privatise the Oakden Older Persons Mental Health Facility. Once the 2007 accreditation crisis had passed, however, it never reached the top of the ‘to do’ list. Meanwhile, investment in facilities and staffing were endlessly postponed pending a decision. In this episode, we discuss: the dangers of decay while waiting for strategic directionswhether an organisation is ever really too broke to buy a $15 piece of eq...

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35:15

Oakden aged care scandal part 1 - good in a crisis...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2025/02/03

We return for 2025 with a series on the Oakden Older Persons Mental Health Facility, an SA Government run facility whose scandalous conditions and institutionalised elder abuse were exposed in 2017, prompting (among other things) a Commonwealth Royal Commission. In this episode, we unpack a missed opportunity in 2007 to move Oakden from a mid-twentieth century asylum to a modern aged care facility, when the facility failed Commonwealth accreditation standards. Why is it so easy for exec...

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41:34

Ask a Secretary! Mike Kaiser (former) head of the...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2025/01/13

What do Secretaries really think when junior staff ask for career advice? Why are silos so impermeable? And should Christmas really be cancelled? Join Danielle and Caroline as they take Mike through listener questions.Now for some appropriately bureaucratic disclaimers....While we have tried to be as thorough in our research as busy full time jobs and lives allow, we definitely don’t guarantee that we’ve got all the details right.If you want rigorous reporting on Robodebt, we recommend the wo...

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48:36

Mike Kaiser, former DG of Department of Premier and...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2024/12/30

Mike Kaiser, recently departed head of the Queensland Public Service, joins us to chat about the interface between political offices and the public service, lessons from robodebt, why delivery is everything in government and the secret of leadership. Now for some appropriately bureaucratic disclaimers....While we have tried to be as thorough in our research as busy full time jobs and lives allow, we definitely don’t guarantee that we’ve got all the details right.If you want rigorous repo...

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34:26

The State of the Service - drawing the threads from...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2024/12/16

Danielle unpacks the recently released APS State of the Service, with a look over our should at where we’ve come from - from the 1976 Coombs Royal Commission on Australian Government Administration, to the 2019 Thodey Review of the APS. How are women, First Nations and people with disability going in the APS? What about class?Now for some appropriately bureaucratic disclaimers....While we have tried to be as thorough in our research as busy full time jobs and lives allow, we definitely d...

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32:35

What the NACC is going on? Updates on Robodebt and...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2024/12/02

Keeping track of the National Anti-Corruption Commission and Robodebt is tricky - first there's no investigation, then there's some kind of review, then there's a search for an eminent person....In this episode, we talk about where things are at, managing conflicts of interest, and whether corruption always involves brown paper bags.For Rick Morton's reporting on this:Eight minutes outside: how the NACC failed on robodebtNACC dumped Gleeson over concerns for CoalitionNACC integrity officer qu...

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41:27

Mr Bates v Post Office part 8 - ‘The One Where The...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2024/11/18

Post Office’s internal inquiries never got to the bottom of the situation. Here we unpack how to choose an investigator, getting the information to the person, and what do with a report.Opening grab from Sir Anthony Hooper, independent chair of Horizon mediation scheme.Subsequent grab from Mr Beer KC and Paula Vennels, former Post Office Limited Chief Executive. Subsequent grab Mr Beer KC and Alice Perkins, former Post Office Limited Chair. Now for some appropriately bureaucratic disclai...

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35:01

Mr Bates v Post Office part 7 - ‘The One Where The...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2024/11/04

Post Office leadership commissioned at least 6 different investigations of varying degrees of independence and rigor into complaints about Horizon after 2010. And yet none of them got to the truth. In the next two episodes, we unpack what not to do when setting up inquiries and investigations. Opening grab from Mr Beer KC and Alice Perkins, former Post Office Limited Chair.Subsequent grab from Mr Beer KC and Alice Perkins, former Post Office Limited Chair.Final grab from Mr Beer KC and Rod Is...

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31:13

TWT Ask Us Anything! Part 2 - culture and integrity...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2024/10/14

Another great round of questions, thanks!Now for some appropriately bureaucratic disclaimers....Those of us in the employ of the State Government speak in a strictly personal capacity, consistent with the Public Sector Code of Ethics that permits public servants to promote an outcome in relation to an issue of public interest - in this case, the betterment of the public service.Nothing we say should be taken as representing the views of the Government or our employers.While we have tried to b...

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29:33

TWT Ask Us Anything! Part 1 - trust in government,...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2024/09/30

Thanks for the questions folks!Now for some appropriately bureaucratic disclaimers....Those of us in the employ of the State Government speak in a strictly personal capacity, consistent with the Public Sector Code of Ethics that permits public servants to promote an outcome in relation to an issue of public interest - in this case, the betterment of the public service.Nothing we say should be taken as representing the views of the Government or our employers.While we have tried to be as thoro...

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47:00

Finally, the APSC has published its findings about...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2024/09/15

The Australian Public Service Commission has released the findings of its Centralised Code of Conduct Inquiry into Robodebt.Outro grab from The West Wing, Season 3, Episode 10.Now for some appropriately bureaucratic disclaimers....Those of us in the employ of the State Government speak in a strictly personal capacity, consistent with the Public Sector Code of Ethics that permits public servants to promote an outcome in relation to an issue of public interest - in this case, the betterment of ...

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41:48

Mr Bates v Post Office part 6 - information dead ends...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2024/08/12

In this episode, we look at why Post Office kept prosecuting Sub Post Masters through the lens of Dan Davies' analysis in his new book The Unaccountability Machine.Opening grab from Mr Beer KC (Counsel Assisting) and Alisdair Cameron, CFO and former interim CE of Post Office Ltd.Subsequent grab from Mr Blake KC (Counsel Assisting) and Graham Brander, former Post Office Investigator.Subsequent grab from Mr Beer KC and Anne Chambers, former Fujitsu Engineer Third Line Support.Final grab from Mr...

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42:33

Mr Bates v Post Office part 5 - prosecuting the innocent

The Westminster Tradition ·

2024/07/29

A massive power imbalance, everyone doing the narrowest version of their jobs, and an overriding culture that assumed postmasters were thieves. These are just some of the ways Post Office ended up prosecuting postmasters for shortfalls that existed only on the computer.Opening grab from Mr Beer KC (Counsel Assisting) and Rob Wilson, former Head of the Royal Mail Group Criminal Law Team.Subsequent grab from Mr Beer KC and Helen Rose, former Post Office / Royal Mail Group Auditor.Final grab fro...

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62:53

The Hon John Hill, on being a Minister

The Westminster Tradition ·

2024/07/08

In this episode, former state Minister for Health and the Arts (among others) the Hon John Hill, shares his insights into what Ministers want - and what they need - from the public service.You can buy his book ‘On being a Minister’ here - and if you’re brave, share with your Minister!Now for some appropriately bureaucratic disclaimers....Those of us in the employ of the State Government speak in a strictly personal capacity, consistent with the Public Sector Code of Ethics that permits public...

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60:38

Andrew Podger AO: Is Thodey public sector reform on...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2024/06/24

In this second interview with former Commonwealth Secretary and Australian Public Service Commissioner Andrew Podger AO, Danielle gets to chat aboutThe pros and cons of bringing all service delivery together in a single agency The valuing of operational expertise v policy leadershipThe role of portfolio budget practices in driving RobodebtCultures of challenge and diversity of thoughtThe future of public service reform.References in the episode2019 Thodey Review of Australian Public Serv...

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60:02

Andrew Podger AO: the induction, tenure and bravery...

The Westminster Tradition ·

2024/06/10

With a decade as a Commonwealth Secretary, and two more as Australian Public Service Commissioner, it is no surprise Robodebt Royal Commissioner Holmes turned to Andrew Podger AO for expert advice on the operation of the public service.In this episode, Danielle talks to Andrew about the impact that granting tenure could have on the quality of advice, the increasing use of labour hire in the public service, and the importance of senior executives having read the legislation.Also referenced in ...

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69 results

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