Former Melbourne University vice chancellor Glyn Davis takes up his role as secretary for the department of Prime Minister & Cabinet promising a new approach to policy.
Family obesity is a strong marker for poverty. But it is a symptom, not a cause, says incoming prime ministerial secretary Professor Glyn Davis.
Davis looked closely at the problem, searching for the causes, rather than problems as a result of poverty. ANU vice chancellor and Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt best reflects the chorus of enthusiastic support for Davis’ appointment. The change was – and still is – radical, and Davis met a wall of cantankerous professors and deans concerned their empires were to be dismantled.“He didn’t get it because things were handed on a plate or anything. He was incredibly strategic at both planning and then executing,” Schmidt says.
Another of his VC peers observes: “Anyone who thinks he is a soft leftie misunderstands the man. He’s very softly spoken, he’s not aggressive, he’s not overbearing. He wins you over with the power of ideas. And once you are won over, you’re sold completely.”In a pointer to his style, Davis once warned his VC colleagues against hubris. “Praise is kryptonite. Gossip is equally undermining.
That report laid out an ambitious reform program focused on revitalising the APS, exploiting the power of digital technologies and data, and restoring its reputation as home to the country’s best policy minds. Many of Reid’s recommendations, including fewer central controls, more authority for chief executives, and a more corporatist approach to government businesses, were embraced by the newly elected Hawke government.This ushered in the era known broadly as “new managerialism”, which sought to focus on performance and outcomes and to let the “managers manage”, as former PM“The result was the largest change to the Australian Public Service in nearly a century of operation,” Davis says.
“As a result, the Australian Public Service struggles to be the reliable point of continuity across administrations, learning from accumulated experience and improving policy outcomes over time. It has fewer opportunities to ponder messages from failed service delivery and draw these into the next generation of program design.
Top-down government is being turned on its head by newly empowered citizens and communities who, through the internet, have been able to give voice to their needs. This trend has been disrupting governments around the world for more than decade, and saw its political manifestation most recently in the election of theDavis believes governments need to embrace this shift and, under his influence, the Thodey report made a strong call for governments to fundamentally recast its role.
“Government as network is a metaphor that can be pushed further. The Thodey report introduces the idea of the Australian Public Service as partner, working with state and local government, business and charities to deliver place-based integrated services.”, and Davis marries this focus on empowering communities with a need to bring a strategic approach to resolving social policy challenges.
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