The Queensland Commission of Audit Final Report: A Critical Review
The establishment of a Commission of Audit has been a routine measure for newly elected conservative governments since the election of the Kennett government in Victoria in 1992. Most notably, Peter Costello, Treasurer in the incoming Howard government, appointed a commission headed by Professor Robert Officer, a leading free-market economist. The primary stated task of these Commissions, as implied by the name, is to review the current and forecast condition of public finances and to make recommendations for improvement. In reality, however, the primary function has been to justify cuts in public expenditure and other policy changes. In most cases, these policy changes have not formed part of the platform on which the newly elected government campaigned and, in many cases, they represent a direct repudiation of election promises.
Getting leaner, smarter and more effective: Opportunities and constraints for governments under austerity
I would like to approach this topic both from my perspective as a Commissioner of the Queensland Commission of Audit, and from my perspective as Chair of the Queensland Public Service Commission, sitting on the Public Sector Renewal Board. In these roles, I have been involved with my colleagues in trying to drive reform and renewal in this sector. Unfortunately ‘trying’ is the right word—because it is not easy, and because we are asking people to do some very different things.
Open and Distance Learning Administration: The Organizational Models, Cultures, and Structure and the Barriers and Trends in ODL Administration
This chapter aims at providing a perspective regarding the concept of open and distance learning administration. In this respect, the introduction part of this chapter includes the definition of administration, the understanding of administration in distance education, comparison of the concepts of administrator and leader, and the changing roles of the administrator, while the first heading focuses on types of institutions, organization model and administration cultures. The second heading covers Open and Distance Learning (ODL) administration units and the structure of the organization. This heading also includes those found in administration units in distance education, their duties as well as the sub-units of academic management and the duties of the these sub-units. The third heading presents the management functions in ODL institutions. At the end of this part, the current barriers and trends related to management in open and distance education were investigated. Open and Distance Learning Administration: The Organizational Models, Cultures, and Structure and the Barriers and Trends in ODL Administration