Matthew Rycroft’s Post

Pointers for Incoming Ministers … Part One At any point in time in Australia someone in opposition is only about six weeks way from being in government. All it takes is for a first minister somewhere to wake up and think “I’m over this”. Next thing you know they’re in the limo up to Government House and hey presto, it’s election time! Over the past few months I’ve been reflecting a lot on the challenges I’ve seen new governments and new ministers face when they take up the reins of power. And I’ve had the opportunity to test and refine my ideas with a small group of people drawn from politics, the public sector and wider civil society. The result of all that is a set of ‘pointers’ for incoming ministers. I’ve formed my views over 30 years of Australian Government and state public service, industry advocacy and general armchair commentary. For what they’re worth - and they’re only my views - I thought that over the next few months I’d post them here and this is my first pointer: 1. When it comes to the public service, you’re not looking for a friend ... The public service is an institution full of professionals waiting to give life to your ideas. You are looking for honest advice from them, well thought through ideas, integrity and implementation of your agenda. You are not looking for friends. Friends pull their punches. Friends do each-other favours. Friends don’t have difficult conversations about expectations and about performance. Friends sometimes avoid speaking truth to power because they don’t want to offend. Friends also cheer for each-other, often publicly. This is not the role of public servants. If it’s not appropriate for a senior public servant to appear behind a minister shaking their head ‘no’ when they don’t agree with what’s being said, or to share a minister’s social media posts with ‘frowny’ faces and negative comments, then the opposite isn’t appropriate either. Both undermine the principle of impartiality, and that’s a ‘no-no’ under most public service legislation and conduct codes. Always try to maintain a level of respectful separation. There’s a great scene in The West Wing where President Bartlett is speaking behind closed doors with his Chief of Staff, Leo McGarry. The President encourages Leo to call him by his name. Leo responds by saying that it’s important for him to remember that when he’s advising Bartlett he’s advising him in his role as President of the United States, not as his friend. You want the public servants you work with to be like Leo. #government

"Decision Based Evidence Making". The Australian Senate inquiry into the ‘Management and assurance of integrity by consulting services’ has received some intriguing evidence into consulting practices and how advice is provided to government. Last week, one witness described the practice of consultants engaging in “decision based evidence making”.��This phenomenon is described by Peter Tingling and Michael Brydon in their 2010 article as, 'marshalling facts and analysis to support a decision that had already been made'. Artificial credibility is also a key issue as observed by former Competition Regulator head, Professor Allan Fels, who stated in the same senate enquiry, that there is a 'halo' effect whereby big accounting firms add legitimacy to decisions and audits even if that legitimacy may not be warranted. With the Public Sector being hollowed out and an apparent reluctance to provide ‘frank and fearless’ advice, there is little wonder that we are being plagued by appallingly poor business cases and bad decision making. The Robodebt debacle is a case in point. In my last blog on how to manipulate business cases https://lnkd.in/gGzkCtp2 , I discussed the need for business cases to be transparent and subject to scrutiny. Business cases should also be robust, impartial, and evidence based. One of the key takeaways on this topic comes from Prof. Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner's book “How Big Things Get Done” https://lnkd.in/gbtwCpQ6. For projects, ‘Reference Class Forecasting’ should be used to validate cost estimates, and ensure risks are understood and can be appropriately managed. If there is no reference class or evidence available, then why should massive amounts of resources be committed in the hope things go the plan. As Flyvbjerg and Gardner state, only 1 in 200 projects achieve the stated benefits on time and on budget. Hope is not a strategy.  

With thanks to the Newsroom team, this time with the full text of the article available. Reflections based on experience as a beehive staffer (working for two of the PMs in the image below) and 20 years of research with Richard Shaw examining the genesis of the political adviser, and the risks and opportunities attendant upon the interface between politics and administration in the executive branch of government in Aotearoa New Zealand, and internationally. Includes comments on Chiefs of Staff, how little we know, how much power and influence that can wield, and what can - and did - go wrong. And what the new team of Beehive residents should be reading!

Introducing the MTSA Social Secretary 2022/23. If you’re considering standing to be this coming year’s new Social Secretary, listen to this video to learn more about the role. 🗳️

ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ꜱɪɢɴɪɴɢ! ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ɪ ᴀᴍ ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ɴᴏᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛꜱ: https://lnkd.in/g7RJyAbE Regarding the matter of the recently tabled the Social Security (Tables for the Assessment of Work-related Impairment for Disability Support Pension) Determination 2023, changed from Determination 2011 on the 7th March 2023, I have written to the following: - Dr Mike Freelander (This is the response received from his office: Apologies for the delay in response. I have spoken to Dr Freelander and whilst he is in discussion about this with the Minister- he is unable to disallow this legislation as it is not within his capability. We apologies that we aren’t able to assist in this matter but Dr Freelander is aware of your concerns and this will also be brought to the attention of his advisor.) - Professor Alison McMillan PSM (This is the response received from her office: I am writing on behalf of Alison McMillan. Thank you for raising this issue, our office was not consulted on the new determination. You may be aware we are developing the Nurse Practitioner Workforce Plan which includes actions to facilitate nurse practitioners working to their full scope of practice in all settings. We will work to find out if/how we can influence change for this legislation.) - Minister Amanda Rishworth – no response. and three Senators - two haven't responded, and one has passed the email onto another Senator. Any other suggestions? Who has a strong voice? We must get this disallowed before we run out of time, otherwise it will go in the too hard basket.

🏛 Centralisation is back. Through the link below is a brilliant article from The Times on Sunday night that should be required reading for anyone with even a passing interest in how Keir Starmer's future Government will operate. In short, centralisation is making a comeback. Unlike New Zealand, where the Cabinet comprises a neat 20 people gathered around a round table that would make King Arthur jealous, the UK Cabinet boasts 32 members, resembling more of a schoolroom than an efficient meeting space. Therefore, it's not surprising that a future Prime Minister Starmer may seek to address this. As per The Times' released plans, Keir Starmer aims to establish his own kitchen cabinet, named the 'Executive Cabinet,' responsible for making key political decisions before presenting them to the Cabinet. This committee, comprising Starmer, Deputy Leader Angela Rayner, Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves, and Chief Whip Pat McFadden, will essentially be the group governing Britain. While opinions will vary on whether this is a good move or not, it poses an interesting question of how organisations can best engage with the Government when it is so highly centralised. While the obvious approach is to focus advocacy efforts on these four political figures, I believe the key lies in the backbenches of the House of Commons. When power is concentrated at the top, navigating the noise becomes challenging for organisations seeking to be heard. This challenge can be overcome by garnering support from a substantial number of backbench MPs advocating for a specific cause. Should the Executive Cabinet be established, it is inevitable that major corporations and NGOs will be vying for their attention daily. However, Starmer, Rayner, Reeves, and McFadden are astute enough to recognize that keeping their own MPs satisfied is often politically more significant than appeasing the business sector. As such, as we move towards a new Government it is time for organisations and parties to start looking beyond engagement with the Shadow Cabinet, and to start looking at engaging with backbench Labour MPs, and Labour candidates who are likely to win their seats. It is here that you are most likely to find enduring supporters for your cause that when brought together can be a real driving force for change in the future Government. #publicaffairs #labourparty #cabinet https://lnkd.in/ekciJPcJ

One of the most exciting yet terrifying moments for me in this #Q2 has to be declining to run for any #electoral office for months and one morning, I took the decision to be part of a new #administration. On the 18th of August 2023, I ran for the post of a treasurer of my Alma mater’s #Alumni #Association and so glad I won. It was a tough #election! Some of the #challenges I encountered were, 1) Preparing my #manifesto in less than 2 #hours. 2) Had a little disagreement with an acquaintance over the space I used to record the #presentation of my manifesto. 3) Almost missed the #virtual #campaign meeting due to low battery and an unsupportive friend. 4) Being penalized for a violation of an electoral law. I had missed an announcement and I learnt that ignorance was not an excuse. Overall, I learnt the art of taking a vital decision within the shortest time. Basically, I was #courageous, #brave and #determined to do something new and good that was beneficial to others. I gained strength and endurance through this journey and most importantly, I saw support of true #friends. They saw me in the role before I saw myself! They assisted with deploying every #resources at their disposal to me. I pray the next two years of the administration is fruitful! #management #futurism #alumni #treasurer

A possible theory is Australia's previous Coalition Government leader, Morrison, and the previous Minister for almost everything (albeit in secret): Morrison has tested the market and discovered he is unemployable. Morrison's presence in the Parliament House of Australia constantly reinforces a past decade of shambolic government and lost opportunities; his record of lacklustre performance has left Australians with the highest levels of office vacancies in Australia's history if one takes into account B, C and D grade office buildings, the lowest levels of vacancies in Essential Workers accommodation in Australia's history, the most extended waiting lists for social dwellings across Australia in history and record levels of homelessness. However, Morrison went further with the shambolic destruction of Australia's most important trading partner relationships with China whilst campaigning for the 2nd term of President Trump's reelection and becoming Trump's mouthpiece on Trump's antiChina rhetoric whilst Trump was doing historic high levels of exports dealing for the benefit of American farmers exports to China to the detriment of Australia's farmer's exports to China behind Morrison's back. #australia #socialhousing #affordablehousing #essentialworkers

This whole recent process & many of the decisions made by this man ,combined with a background history of dubious behaviours, should prompt a possible civil or criminal charge of intent, to defraud or damage Critical Government infrastructures. As for the already excessive membership numbers of the House of Lords, why is it that the U.S. Senate can nicely manage with only 100 members, while the less populated U.K. & its House of Lords numbers are topping 1000? It is my understanding that the charge of TREASON is still one of the charges in the Law Books? As planning an insurrection against the State, was a valid charge , that was used, less than a century ago. (Many prominent people have been beheaded, in the Tower of London, for less serious accusations !) The Bottom line obviously is that somethings have to drastically change. These excessive Government numbers are far too costly and inefficient, #ChangeManagement #TopHeavyGovernment

A month on from the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland, we are delighted to release our new Public Affairs Toolkit for Members. This guide explains the role of the Northern Ireland Assembly, provides links to MLAs, demonstrates how the NI Executive is formed, provides a list of Ministers, Committee Members, explains how Northern Ireland fits with the UK Government, outlines what devolution means and gives a short synopsis on some of the key agreements that have taken place over the past two decades. Practical advice on how Committees operate and what to do to prepare for a Committee presentation are all included. You’ll also discover how your business can inform the government and find out about the key tools to measure and engage with government. We’ve also thrown in a few top tips! Additionally, there is information about local councils and three appendices with lots of Committee, Departmental and Local Council contact details. Want to get your copy? https://lnkd.in/eXRUF5zp #government #publicaffairs #northernireland #devolved #engage #inform