{"id":62169,"date":"2021-02-03T06:00:45","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T19:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=62169"},"modified":"2021-02-02T16:28:06","modified_gmt":"2021-02-02T05:28:06","slug":"how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Australian public service really works: policy"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

Watch what ministers do, not what they say<\/em><\/p>\n

Discern what ministers mean, because ultimately that\u2019s where they\u2019ll head. <\/em><\/p>\n

The public service must manage and massage the zigzags.<\/em><\/p>\n

When what a minister proclaims gets too far from what\u2019s wanted or needed by that minister (and faction and party and government), something has to give. Prepare for crash or shift, shuffle and course correction.<\/em><\/p>\n

Such are the rules for any public servant grappling with the differences between nominal and real policy. These differences are important, even vital, in how power operates in Canberra.<\/p>\n

Politicians and public servants seldom go near a public discussion of the nominal\u2013real distinction.<\/p>\n

Much sturm und drang<\/em> will fall upon a minister (or bureaucrat) who admits to core and non-core promises<\/a>, or that the figures are rubbery, or even that\u2014perhaps, just, maybe\u2014a small change in course might be needed. Doing any of this in front of a microphone risks entering the minefield of \u2018broken promises\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Economists, though, are used to talking about nominal and real prices. Nominal prices are the prices one sees on products every day. Real prices are the nominal prices adjusted for inflation. There\u2019s a similar phenomenon in announcements about government policy: nominal policy is the label on top, while real policy is all the different stuff jumping around inside the box.<\/p>\n

Nominal policy\u00a0is what ministers\u00a0say\u00a0about things (reflected, for example, in daily press releases). But\u00a0real policy\u00a0is what they are actually thinking (hoping and plotting).<\/p>\n

Power flows around and between these nominal and real poles. And sometimes when the poles get too far out of alignment\u2014one going negative and the other positive\u2014the sparks are spectacular.<\/p>\n

The Liberal Party, for example, is having trouble juggling nominal policy on energy issues and climate change with real policy. Nominal policy is that Australia will meet all of its international obligations and will promote the use of renewables across the Australian economy. But real policy is to juggle the commitments to these goals so that it is unclear whether international commitments are within reach while, simultaneously, the use of a major fossil fuel, gas, is being promoted.<\/p>\n

Compared to the Coalition, Labor is finding it somewhat easier to balance nominal and real climate change policy\u2014although Joel Fitzgibbon quitting the front bench<\/a> demonstrates Labor\u2019s own problems.<\/p>\n

On one hand, Labor woos the green vote by talking of the importance of environmental goals. Following last year\u2019s election in the ACT, Labor reaffirmed its long alliance with the Greens and promised to pursue agreed environmental policies. At the very same time, the Labor government in Queensland had approved the go-ahead for the Olive Downs coking coal project in the Bowen Basin and was talking of the jobs that the new coal project would provide.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the nicest description of the nominal\u2013real balance was former Labor minister Gareth Evans\u2019s defence of what he called \u2018political dexterity\u2019, offering a classic Evansism: \u2018If you can\u2019t ride two horses at once, you shouldn\u2019t be in the bloody circus.\u2019<\/p>\n

Senior public servants are well aware of the differences involved in the balancing effort; they are confronted with the facts of real policy in their private meetings with ministers and discussions in ministerial offices.<\/p>\n

Public statements provide, at best, a vague guide to what ministers really have in mind\u2014one of many reasons that senior public servants strive to get \u2018face time\u2019 with ministers, set foot in Parliament House whenever possible, and speak to ministerial minders as often as possible.<\/p>\n

So, if the visible is not a reliable guide to what ministers are thinking, how do you tell the difference? The simplest answer (a boiled-down version of the public service method) is that peering behind the screen involves observation multiplied by time: see what ministers and governments say, then over time observe what they actually do.<\/p>\n

Often, public ministerial statements are designed to mislead. But ministerial actions\u00a0usually provide a reliable guide to the real intentions and the real policies of governments. Watch what they\u00a0do\u2014watch the budgets, watch whom they meet, watch how they spend their time.<\/p>\n

The froth of the nightly news matters, but it can mislead. Public pronouncements are power at play. What gets done is power in action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Watch what ministers do, not what they say Discern what ministers mean, because ultimately that\u2019s where they\u2019ll head. The public service must manage and massage the zigzags. When what a minister proclaims gets too far …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":276,"featured_media":62209,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[416,107,344],"class_list":["post-62169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-australian-government","tag-policymaking","tag-public-service"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow the Australian public service really works: policy | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How the Australian public service really works: policy | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Watch what ministers do, not what they say Discern what ministers mean, because ultimately that\u2019s where they\u2019ll head. The public service must manage and massage the zigzags. When what a minister proclaims gets too far ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-02-02T19:00:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-02-02T05:28:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3711704773_a35be2ebdc_c.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Peter McCawley\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Peter McCawley\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\",\"name\":\"The Strategist\",\"description\":\"ASPI's analysis and commentary site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3711704773_a35be2ebdc_c.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3711704773_a35be2ebdc_c.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/\",\"name\":\"How the Australian public service really works: policy | The Strategist\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-02-02T19:00:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-02-02T05:28:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/848b4e4fed0d00ad49c2a83fd4faa714\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How the Australian public service really works: policy\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/848b4e4fed0d00ad49c2a83fd4faa714\",\"name\":\"Peter McCawley\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/de847bbeb75d2afd438e3ef7bb0febeb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/de847bbeb75d2afd438e3ef7bb0febeb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Peter McCawley\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/author\/peter-mccawley\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How the Australian public service really works: policy | The Strategist","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How the Australian public service really works: policy | The Strategist","og_description":"Watch what ministers do, not what they say Discern what ministers mean, because ultimately that\u2019s where they\u2019ll head. The public service must manage and massage the zigzags. When what a minister proclaims gets too far ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/","og_site_name":"The Strategist","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org","article_published_time":"2021-02-02T19:00:45+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-02-02T05:28:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3711704773_a35be2ebdc_c.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Peter McCawley","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ASPI_org","twitter_site":"@ASPI_org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Peter McCawley","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/","name":"The Strategist","description":"ASPI's analysis and commentary site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3711704773_a35be2ebdc_c.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3711704773_a35be2ebdc_c.jpg","width":800,"height":600},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/","name":"How the Australian public service really works: policy | The Strategist","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2021-02-02T19:00:45+00:00","dateModified":"2021-02-02T05:28:06+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/848b4e4fed0d00ad49c2a83fd4faa714"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-the-australian-public-service-really-works-policy\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How the Australian public service really works: policy"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/848b4e4fed0d00ad49c2a83fd4faa714","name":"Peter McCawley","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/de847bbeb75d2afd438e3ef7bb0febeb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/de847bbeb75d2afd438e3ef7bb0febeb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Peter McCawley"},"url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/author\/peter-mccawley\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62169"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/276"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62169"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62169\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62210,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62169\/revisions\/62210"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}