What's Next, Beyond Coaldrake

Business Improvement and Innovation in Government Network Festival – 2024

Well, it’s been two years since Peter Coaldrake urged us all to let the sunshine in.

And in that time there’s been a lot of curtain opening.  

You’ll shortly hear from David Mackie on that.

This is all important work. But the question I want to ask today is “What’s next, beyond Coaldrake?”

His report primarily addressed questions of integrity. And of course, we need a public service based on that solid foundation.

A public service that lives up to the motto on the Queensland coat of arms – “Bold but Faithful”.

Faithful to the government of the day.

But bold enough to put Queenslanders first in the advice we give and the services we provide.

But we also need a public service that’s effective in guiding Queensland to its best possible future.

Because one thing we know as we rush to meet that future, is the opportunities and challenges we face don’t improve with time.

We know the Queensland of tomorrow, will be vastly different to the Queensland of today.

Our state will grow, putting pressure on our lifestyle and environment.

We’ll undergo an economic transformation, as we embrace our clean energy advantages.

And we’ll become more dependent on state services, not less.

But whether that future is all it can be for the people of Queensland, or whether we fall short of our full potential, essentially comes down to the role government plays.

Government that creates a just transition to a new economy.

Government that ensures the fair and equitable delivery of services.

And government that works with business interests… but always protects the public interest.

As Mariana Mazzucato says: “Policy is not just about intervening. It is about shaping a different future.”

And shaping a different future takes public servants who are risk aware, not risk averse.

It takes a willingness to create markets, not just fix market failure.

And it requires tilting playing fields, not just levelling them.

Of course, it takes integrity. But so much more as well.

The centuries-old structures and systems of Westminster government have withstood the test of time. They still serve us well.

But the need for citizen-centricity, place-based planning and outcomes-orientation in the face of complexity were never an imperative in medieval England when they wrote the Westminster rule book.

That’s why these days, when we talk about the need to collaborate, we’re still incentivized to show up with our department’s position in mind, not the problem we’re trying to solve.

When we want public servants to be bold in the advice they give and the action they take, we still act to avoid the slightest criticism, whether that’s from the media or other parts of the sector.

When we know the problems we’re trying to solve don’t fit neatly into single departmental silos, we still keep holding departmental leaders to account for the results of their agency alone.

So here are some thoughts about how we can enhance the role of government to shape a better future.

Firstly – Let’s allocate funds to the outcomes we want, rather than to siloed departments.

Because outcomes that mean something in the real world, rarely fit neatly into agency administrative orders.  

Budget allocations for wicked problems that require a multi-agency response - like youth suicide - could be made available only if several departments develop a genuinely integrated proposal.

A single agency can still take the accountability to satisfy the auditors.

But many agencies can be held responsible for the shared outcome.

Second – Let’s put as much emphasis on implementation as we do on policy and resource allocation.

Policy and money on their own don’t get outcomes. The sound implementation of good policy does.

So let’s make implementation an equal consideration with policy as we assess options, allocate funds, hire people, structure our efforts and develop skills.

And let’s require formal implementation and evaluation plans to accompany budget bids.

Third. Let’s give a real voice to place-based views of land-use, infrastructure and services.  

Most departments have regional plans. But sometimes when those siloed plans come together locally, they don’t align.

Take industry development and housing for example. More can be done to ensure the workers engaged in new industries have homes in strong regional communities.  

We need to give local knowledge and local aspiration an influential voice in 1 William Street’s decisions.

Fourth. Let’s strengthen our “mega projects” capability.

Two things are driving a huge investment in Queensland’s Big Build:

a rapidly growing population that requires new social infrastructure;

and the need to retool our state for a decarbonized economy.

The sheer size of the capital program is pushing more of what we build into the mega projects category.

And Bent Flyvbjerg points out in his book “How Big Things Get Done”, that the complexity of mega projects demands more than traditional project management.

So, as projects and programs get larger and riskier, we’ll need that specific capability in more places across government.

And an agency responsible for setting the standard.

Fifth. Let’s break down the barriers to collaboration and understanding between government and business.

I’ve spent my career involved with both. And I’ve always believed both have a role to play in a better society.   

I understand there are valid concerns about confidentiality, conflict of interests and influence which make public servants nervous about engaging.

But solutions will often be better if we partner.

And partnerships will always be better if we understand each other.

So we need the ability to explore more frankly what each sector brings to the table.

I applaud efforts by the University of Queensland and the Queensland Futures Institute to create a program that allows emerging leaders in the public and private sectors to safely share experiences and perspectives as part of their development.

And I look forward to supporting the initiative.    

And finally, sixth. Let’s close the widening gap between citizens’ experience of public and private services, particularly digital services.

The private sector has an advantage here. They can target their offerings to chosen segments of the market to maximise profit.

In government, our market is typically everyone, everywhere, all at once… because we have an obligation to deliver services equitably.

But that’s no excuse to tolerate second best.

People deserve citizen-centric government services when, where and how they need them. Especially on-line.

So there are six ideas that go beyond Coaldrake.  

And they’ll form part of my brief to the incoming government this October, whatever the election outcome.

Because these suggestions are not political.

They go to how government protects the public interest, how we deliver the best outcomes, and how we boldly shape a better future for the people of Queensland.

Because that’s the role of the public sector.

It’s our role.