7th Edition
The Australian Policy Handbook A Practical Guide to the Policymaking Process
The seventh edition of this classic handbook on the policy process is fully updated, featuring new material on policy making amid local and global disruption, the contestable nature of modern policy advice, commissioning and contracting, public engagement and policy success and failure.
The Australian Policy Handbook shows how public policy permeates every aspect of our lives. It is the stuff of government, justifying taxes, driving legislation and shaping our social services. Public policy gives us roads, railways and airports, emergency services, justice, education and health services, defence, industry development and natural resource management. While politicians make the decisions, public servants provide analysis and support for those choices. This updated edition includes new visuals and introduces a series of case studies for the first time. These cases—covering family violence, behavioural economics, justice reinvestment, child protection and more—illustrate the personal and professional challenges of policymaking practice. Drawing on their extensive practical and academic experience, the authors outline the processes used in making public policy. They systematically explain the relationships between political decision makers, public service advisers, community participants and those charged with implementation.
The Australian Policy Handbook remains the essential guide for students and practitioners of policy making in Australia.
Biography
Professor Catherine Althaus previously worked in Queensland Treasury. She is currently ANZSOG Professorial Chair of Public Service Leadership and Reform at UNSW Canberra, ANZSOG Deputy Dean (Teaching and Learning), an Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria and Honorary Fellow of the South Asian Network of Public Administration.
Dr Sarah Ball is a lecturer in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne and a trainer/facilitator with the Australian Public Service Commission.
Peter Bridgman is a barrister and consultant specialising in public policy, governance and integrity, and has worked within and for governments in Australia and internationally.
Professor Glyn Davis AC is a former director general of the Department of Premier and Cabinet in Queensland. He is a Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the Australian National University and at ANZSOG, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Paul Ramsay Foundation.
David Threlfall is a PhD researcher at the London School of Economics and Political Science, studying political rhetoric. He worked previously as Chief of Staff at ANZSOG, in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor at the University of Melbourne and in the Victorian Education Department.
"I can think of no greater calling in the modern secular state than to dedicate one’s service to the Australian people for the betterment of all.
For many dedicated public servants the previous several years have been both professionally and emotionally taxing. The unforeseen challenges from a global pandemic, along with the escalating impacts of climate change [and] increasing discourtesy in public discourse have pushed those in service to new limits.
The demands and expectations on our public servants, similar to our emergency services and marvellous health care community, have been unprecedented. Yet those who take to heart and honour the deeply human values of public service, such as equity, fairness, honesty, accountability, integrity and social justice have continued to serve with distinction despite occasional disregard. Partisan efforts to politicise the APS, as declared by the Thodey Review, must be resisted at all costs.
This new 7th edition of The Australian Policy Handbook is a well-conceived and expertly considered pathway to provide a blueprint for the way forward out of a difficult period that should be understood and acknowledged in order to reset and rebuild our Public Service for Our Future.
This new edition will be welcomed by the practitioners, researchers, lobbyists, commentators and other followers of this highly respected, reliable, engaging resource. Since its first appearance in Queensland as a cabinet handbook, policymakers from ministers to public servants, from senior advisers to technical experts, lobbyists and interest groups have turned to it for an understanding of public policy, "that fascinating terrain between politics and public administration".
Of particular importance is the focus on values of integrity in parliament and the public service, the contestable nature of modern policy advice and the growing preference for commissioning and contracting."
---The Honourable Quentin Bryce AD CVO, former Governor-General of Australia
"Policy has a pervasive influence in shaping the environment in which citizens, communities and business operate. The consequences of bad policy are clear, but poor implementation of good policy can be equally damaging. The authors provide a practical guide to the policy-making process, showing how to generate and nurture good policy initiatives, influence stakeholders and decision makers, and remain vigilant to the need to monitor, evaluate and refine policies to ensure they deliver the intended consequences. The material traversed is of importance to all participants and observers of the policy process and to the wellbeing and future success of Australia."---
Dr Martin Parkinson AC PSM, former secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet"The Policy Handbook focuses on a skill crucial for a highly performing public service. Blending academic literature and practitioner experience, its suggested policy cycle approach highlights the importance of good process, a robust evidence base, rigorous analysis, procedural integrity and administrative practicality. By thoroughly addressing the issues to be faced and the pitfalls to be avoided, with illustrative case studies, it’s a highly valuable resource for both new and current policy practitioners."---
Helen Williams AC, first woman appointed as a secretary in the APS, former Australian Public Service Commissioner"
The Australian Policy Handbook is a classic in Australian policy studies, expertly combining the need for logical order with the complexity of policy context. Informed by both academic theory and up-to-date knowledge of Australian policy experience, it is an admirable guide for those involved in policy making and for academic students of the policy process."---Professor Emeritus Richard Mulgan, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
