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Policy & Governance

Trump directs departments to bypass environmental regulations

Donald Trump has signed an executive order requiring federal agencies to waive environmental restrictions in order to fast-track infrastructure projects such as mines, highways and pipelines. The president said this […]

City mayors form global alliance to combat infectious disease

Mayors and governors from 42 cities around the world came together last week to discuss ways to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and share ideas on how they might best recover […]

US unions demand COVID safeguards for federal staff

Unions representing 300,000 US federal workers have written a letter to president Trump urging his administration to prioritise the safety and security of government employees in the face of COVID-19. […]

Australian government to refund 470,000 unlawful welfare debts

The Australian government is to refund AUS$721m (US$486m) worth of debts it unlawfully claimed from welfare recipients through its controversial ‘robodebt’ income compliance scheme. The news comes after a leaked […]

Pointing the way forward on civil service reform

Delivering reforms means “changing the engine as the plane is in flight”, Singapore’s civil service head Leo Yip told colleagues from 17 countries at the 2020 Global Government Summit. Matt […]

Top Australian former officials blast country’s ‘failure’ on climate change

Former Australian civil service leaders have condemned successive governments’ failure to tackle climate change, with former Australian Public Service chief Martin Parkinson calling their efforts “incoherent” and ex-Treasury secretary Ken […]

May and Johnson failed to protect civil servants from Brexit-related attacks, says think tank

UK PMs Theresa May and Boris Johnson failed to defend civil servants whose impartiality was called into question during the Brexit upheaval of the last four years, an investigation has […]

Chinese ambassador’s threats a “wake up” call, says former APS chief

Australia’s former Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Martin Parkinson has backed calls for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus. The retired civil service leader was […]

US government agencies to begin “phased transition” to normal working operations

The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has published a notice stating that the federal government will begin a “phased transition” to normal working operations, in line with guidelines unveiled […]

South African civil service ‘return to work’ drive sparks safety fears

The South African government has asked many civil servants to return to work, sparking criticism from the Public Servants Association (PSA) union – which warns that plans for ensuring health […]