Service sector reform: a roadmap for community and human services reform

This paper examines strategies to improve the way that government and community services work together to address the needs of vulnerable community members.Introduction In late 2012 I was appointed to lead the Service Sector Reform project. The goal was to explore how government and non-government service providers can work together to improve outcomes for Victorians. I was asked to lead a process that engaged all stakeholders in a discussion about community and human services and in particular, to examine how support for Victoria’s most vulnerable people could be delivered in a more integrated way.An intensive five-month consultation process took place between February and July 2013. During this period my project principal, Dr Bronte Adams, and I listened to the views of people in the community sector, public administration and the private sector. Consultation included public forums, individual meetings, focus groups and a submission process. We talked to ministers and departmental secretaries as well as frontline staff, case managers and community workers. We also heard from service users.This report is a summarised account of many hours of discussions and more than a hundred submissions. The report represents my findings, although it is clear it also seeks to capture the voice of the community

Service sector reform: reflections on the consultations

This report examines feedback from the community sector and the public on the discussion paper for the Victorian Government\u27s Sector Service Reform project.A snapshot from the consultations captures the top 5 priorities for reform as being to: Focus more on outcomes.Increase collaboration across services.Explore new funding models and improve reporting and database systems.Improve workforce capability.Improve research and evidence

Five minutes with Peter Shergold: “There needs to be a much greater negotiated understanding between academics and policy-makers about what the expectations of research are”

Too much of the evidence-based knowledge of academia is not informing public policy. Peter Shergold, Chancellor of the University of Western Sydney, argues that one way forward is to broaden how research is valued by the higher education system so that academics have incentives to take their research into the realm of public policy

Helping refugees build new lives: from consultation to collaboration

Professor Peter Shergold was appointed as the New South Wales (NSW) Coordinator General for Refugee Resettlement in 2015, providing him with an opportunity to reimagine how the not-for-profit, public and private sectors could collaborate to improve the wellbeing of refugees settling in NSW, Australia. Through collaboration, NSW agencies are shifting the service response from one that is reactive to refugees’ immediate settlement needs towards an investment approach that creates employment pathways. By identifying and building on refugees’ strengths, resilience and human capital, Professor Shergold believes NSW can deliver better outcomes for both refugees and the communities they live in. PHRP asked him about his role, its objectives and its achievements

The colour purple: perceptions of accountability across the Tasman. by Peter Shergold

This article explores the changing rhetoric and substance of accountability in the relationships between parliamentarians and public servants in what Alex Matheson terms the 'purple zone' where the 'blue' of political strategy and 'red' of public administration merge in 'strategic conversation'

Sir Roland Wilson Foundation Lecture 2004 : Once was Camelot in Canberra? Reflections on public service leadership

Lady Wilson, Professor Terrell, distinguished guests. I am honoured indeed to present the Sir Roland Wilson lecture. It is an opportunity for me to pay tribute to the extraordinary achievements of a great public servant and to reflect on the manner in which the Australian Public Service has changed since Sir Roland’s time