Asia Pacific News

New Zealand ministers and top civil servants take pay cut amid corona crisis

New Zealand’s PM, ministers and public service chief executives – the most senior officials in each government department – will take a 20% pay cut for six months, in solidarity […]

India launches apps to track corona cases and tackle misinformation

The Indian government has launched a coronavirus tracking app, two weeks after it created a WhatsApp chatbot – designed to provide citizens with information about the pandemic – which has […]

Australian Public Service swings behind working from home amid redeployment drive

The Australian Public Service (APS) is to begin a “deliberate and phased” approach to working from home, public service commissioner Peter Woolcott said on Tuesday. The move follows reports of […]

Australian leaders link corona response to civil service reform

Two of Australia’s most senior civil servants have praised officials for their dedication to service delivery during the coronavirus pandemic, and reminded employees that the need for agility underpins the […]

Malaysian states adopt ‘e-wallets’ to encourage online payments

A second state in Malaysia has launched its own digital wallet – or ‘e-wallet’ – as it looks to drive greater take-up of online payments. The state of Sabah, home […]

India to develop blockchain voting system

The Election Commission of India is to collaborate with the Indian Institute of Technology to develop a blockchain system for voting.   The country’s chief election commissioner, Sunil Arora, made the […]

Australian government was aware ‘robodebt’ programme unlawful, emails reveal

Civil servants administering a controversial welfare debt recovery system run by Australia’s Department of Social Services (DSS) received advice that their operations were unlawful, a string of newly released emails […]

Public sector in Cambodia to be linked digitally with other countries

Cambodia’s public sector is to be digitally linked with other countries in a new initiative launched by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The Cambodian programme is the latest of a […]

Change or be changed, Singapore civil service chief tells workforce

The head of Singapore’s civil service, Leo Yip, has called on his colleagues to come together as “one public service” and to push ahead with the Public Sector Transformation (PST) […]

100 former officials challenge discriminatory Indian identity programme

Over 100 retired civil servants – including a former Cabinet secretary and chief information commissioner – have written an open letter urging the Indian government to back down on a […]