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.
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 lessons we shouldn't forget.
Podcasting since 2023 • 65 episodes
The Westminster Tradition
Latest Episodes
Imagine if … your sleepy grants program woke up
When politics meets process, what’s a conscientious public servant to do? This “Imagine if…” episode puts Alison and Danielle in the shoes of a project manager caught between legality, leadership and media heat — and explores what good judgment...
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Season 3
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Episode 22
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52:23
Inside the public service's ‘Human Handbrake’: why reform stalls and how to fix it
Demos has released a fascinating paper, The Human Handbrake, on the five human habits that stall public sec...
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Season 3
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Episode 21
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50:03
“It’s just a minor restructure” said no calendar ever
In our second change management episode, Danielle pulls apart the myth of the “minor” restructure and lay out a practical way to change without breaking the work. From function mapping and ministerial comms to union engagement and the “fourth t...
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Season 3
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Episode 20
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49:11
Who Really Moved My Cheese? Tales from the change management trenches
Danielle takes us on a romp through change management, starting, as with all good contrarians, with a challenge to the idea of ‘change management’ itself. Some of the ideas covered:Change is happening all the time in gov...
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Season 3
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Episode 19
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43:26
Regulator/policy cage fight: ANZSOG National Regulators Community of Practice Conference 2025
Our first live show at the wildly successful ANZSOG NRCOP Conference in Brisbane August 2025.The conversation tackles head-on the structural disconnections between our regulatory and policy systems, particularly in federated models like ...
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Season 3
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Episode 18
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48:33
