Poor Decisions, Compliant Management and Reactive Change: The Public Sector in 2003

Prasser, Scott

doi:10.1111/j.1467-8500.2004.00363.x

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 5 publications

(8 reference statements)

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“…The drawbacks include the problems of (mis)interpreting practice through the lens of 'failures'; staff morale and recruitment problems arising from public September 2008 perceptions about incompetent practice; and expensive and/or contradictory recommendations, with similar problems being identified repeatedly (Corby 2004;Munro 2004;Reder, Duncan and Gray 1993). There is also the larger concern of public policy and public administration being reactive and crisis driven through inquiries, as opposed to being more proactive and planned (Prasser 2004).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making Child Protection Policy: The Crime and Misconduct Commission Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Foster Care in Queensland

Tilbury¹,

Mazerolle²

2008

Aust J Public Adm

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Internationally as well as in Australia, public inquiries have become one of the dominant means of scrutinising child protection services. As such, inquiries have become a policy mechanism for defining the problem of child abuse, and developing possible solutions. This article examines the 2004 Crime and Misconduct Commission Inquiry into the Abuse of Children in Foster Care in Queensland. It discusses both the problems and potential of public inquiries in promoting positive change in a contested policy field like child protection.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making Child Protection Policy: The Crime and Misconduct Commission Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Foster Care in Queensland

Tilbury¹,

Mazerolle²

2008

Aust J Public Adm

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“…In his commitment to implement the recommendations of the Fitzgerald Inquiry, incom-ing Labor Premier Wayne Goss set up the Public Sector Management Commission, and a wide range of reforms were undertaken to reduce the number of departments, improve coordination across government agencies, build capacity and improve professionalism (Prasser and Aroney 2009). Across Australia and the world, there had been increasing attention focused on the efficiency of government, increased interest in governance arrangements and a push to evaluate and measure policy development and outcomes (Davis and Weller 2001;Pierre 2000;Prasser 2004;Rhodes 1997;Wanna, O'Faircheallaigh and Weller 1992). Therefore, apart from addressing local political conditions, these shifts were consistent with a worldwide push for public administration reform.…”

Section: Political Change and Administrative Reform 1989-2011mentioning

confidence: 99%

Tourism Reform, Policy and Development in Queensland, 1989–2011

Dredge¹

2011

Qld. rev.

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Tourism has been a major driver of economic and social development in Queensland since the end of World War II. In 2011, tourism's direct contribution to the economy was estimated to be $7.8 billion, and it generated direct employment of an estimated 118,000 full-time equivalent jobs (Queensland Tourism 2011). The multiplier effects of tourism account for another $9.2 billion, making it the most important component of the state's service sector. These figures suggest that the approach adopted by the Labor government over the last two decades to manage and develop Queensland tourism has generally been positive. However, a closer examination of recent trends and criticisms reveals that visitor demand has flat-lined: the industry is struggling under the weight of global and local pressures, investment has slowed, and there are issues of stagnating demand, competitiveness, service quality, industry capacity and innovation. Moreover, Queensland is losing international market share compared with New South Wales and Victoria (Tourism Research Australia 2011). Given that governments have a key role to play in creating and maintaining policy conditions that contribute to both a healthy economy and social well-being, what have been the Queensland Labor government's contributions to tourism, and what are the key challenges into the future?

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“…Others go further and suggest that 'real reform' which seeks to make major changes to overcome public service inadequacies is rarer than some suggest (Prasser, 2004).…”

Section: The Rise Of Public Service Reformmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The public service in Australia, like those in most other OECD countries, is very different in size, structure and operating processes from what it was in the 1970s (Prasser, 2004). While there is considerable debate about the outcome of this reform, the concept of 'New Public Management' (NPM) has been identified as the common driver of these changes (Armstrong, 1998;Barrett, 2003;Mark Considine & Lewis, 1999;Dent, Chandler, & Barry, 2004;Halligan, 2002;Hoggett, 1996;Pollitt, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Factors Impacting the Adoption and Operation of Corporate Governance Reform in Australian State Government Departments

Ramage¹,

Armstrong²

2009

The International Journal of Knowledge, Culture, and Change Man

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Corporate governance reforms are increasingly common in public sector organisations.Despite the scope of recent and ongoing public sector change, the processes used to adopt and operate public sector corporate governance reform are not clearly documented. In some cases there is evidence of reform failure.This study sought to identify and describe the variables associated with corporate governance change in Australian state government departments, particularly the factors that impact on the adoption and operation of reform. Concepts associated with scientific management (rational/technocratic influences) and organisational culture (political/cultural influences), and their impact on change, were combined to produce a framework that was tested in two phases.Phase one focused on the collection of qualitative data relating to corporate governance reform in the Victorian Department of Human Services. The second phase involved the collection of quantitative data from chief executives and senior executives in all Australian state government departments. The qualitative data collected in phase one was used to validate the conceptual framework which was then further tested using quantitative methods during phase two.Phase one and two findings were consistent with the conceptual model. In particular, a factor analysis of phase two results identified the adoption of change being influenced by leadership capability; external improvement drivers; internal improvement drivers; organisational politics; the capacity of an organisation to interpret knowledge; and changes in an ii organisation's operating environment. The operation of reform was influenced by continuity of leadership; actions taken to embed change and build supportive attitudes to change; management of organisational politics; and the capacity of an organisation to understand change.The immediate implication of this research is the definition of a new model to manage corporate governance change. The rational/scientific and political/cultural factors identified by this project provide an integrated approach that can be drawn upon by change actors. It acknowledges the significance of the rational/scientific and political/cultural factors that come into play during corporate governance reform.This study has filled a gap relating to how public sector organisations go about making corporate governance changes and provides customised and practical recommendations for future corporate governance reforms in Australian state government departments. These include giving priority to corporate governance reform training (the research found that only around one in two senior officers had been trained in corporate governance reform) and further strengthening organisational leadership (leadership was identified as a critical factor at both the adoption and operation stages of corporate governance reform).This research provides new insight into understanding corporate governance change in an Australian public sector context and provides a model to more effectively manage...

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Poor Decisions, Compliant Management and Reactive Change: The Public Sector in 2003

Cited by 6 publications

References 5 publications

Making Child Protection Policy: The Crime and Misconduct Commission Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Foster Care in Queensland

Making Child Protection Policy: The Crime and Misconduct Commission Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Foster Care in Queensland

Tourism Reform, Policy and Development in Queensland, 1989–2011

Factors Impacting the Adoption and Operation of Corporate Governance Reform in Australian State Government Departments

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