Critical reflections on Australian public policy: selected essays

Description

"This collection of 'critical reflections' on Australian public policy offers a valuable contribution to public discussion of important political and policy issues facing our nation and society. These essays are important not only because of the reputation and position of the various contributors, but because they are incredibly 'content rich' and brimming withnew ideas."--Publisher's description.;Part 1. Reflections on federalism -- 1. Federalism and the engine room of prosperity -- Modern federalism -- New financial framework reforms -- Schools reform -- Transparency in school reporting -- Schools in low socioeconomic status communities -- 2. Does federalism work? -- Victoria's reform record -- Cooperative federalism -- Making federalism work better -- Reform of ministerial councils -- Clarifying overlapping responsibilities -- 3. What has federalism ever done for us? -- What have the states ever done for us? -- System isn't perfect -- Appetite for change -- Some proposals -- Opportunity for change -- 4. Splicing the perspectives of the Commonwealth and states into a workable federation -- Griffith University's federalism project -- Twomey and Withers' federalist paper for the Council for the Australian Federation -- Victorian Skills Reform package -- Key challenges for the future -- COAG a new reform framework -- Better ways to deliver -- 5. Reform imperative and Commonwealth-state relations -- Reform challenge -- Need for action -- Evolving federalism -- Vertical fiscal imbalance -- National Reform Agenda -- 6. Fostering creativity and innovation in cooperative federalism -- the uncertainty and risk dimensions -- Framing public sector innovation objectives as a response to handling uncertainty and risk -- Choosing the best conceptual tools -- Implications for cooperative federalism -- Part 2. Reflections on policy and politics -- 7. Cabinet government: Australian style -- 8. Consumers and small business: at the heart of the Trade Practices Act -- Protection of small business under the Trade Practices Act -- 9. Constitutional litigation and the Commonwealth -- How do constitutional cases come before the courts? -- How does the Commonwealth become aware of constitutional cases? -- By what power does the Commonwealth participate in constitutional cases? -- How does the Commonwealth participate in constitutional cases? -- What are the advantages of the way the Commonwealth participates in constitutional cases? -- 10. Evidence-based policy making: what is it and how do we get it? -- Advancing further reforms will be challenging -- Why we need an evidence-based approach -- Most policies are experiments -- Conditioning the political environment -- Essential ingredients -- Some implications for the Public Service -- Part 3. Reflections on governance and leadership -- 11. The two cultures re-examined: a perspective on leadership and policy management in business and government -- Two cultures of business and government -- Public order and the civic order -- Political cultures of the United States and Australia -- Leadership profiles in the United States and Australia -- Telecommunications regulation in the political culture of Australia -- Appendix 11.A: Decision making in the public and private sector is different -- 12. Leading the Australian Defence Force -- The basis of successful leadership in the Australian Defence Force -- Strategic direction -- Leading the Australian Defence Force -- 13. Essential linkages -- Transparency -- Freedom of information is vital -- Part 4. Reflections on adaptive change -- 14. Higher education: it's time ... (to change the policy framework) -- 15. Achieving a 'conservation economy' in indigenous communities -- 16. From crystal sets to the double helix in one journalist's lifetime -- Television era -- ABC -from promise to paucity -- Radio -- Decline ofnewspapers -- Internet -- New genres of journalism -- Double helix.