Peter Gearin

Sydney

Editor at The Mandarin

Editor in Chief, The Mandarin | passion for current affairs and sport | cairn terriers are my weakness

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Articles

How power bleeds between politics and the big four

3 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | Peter Gearin

The Mandarin and Crikeys revolving door list: The PwC tax leak scandal has renewed focus on the close links between politicians, public servants and consultancy firms. Sometimes that relationship takes the form of a revolving door when former consultants are hired as public servants or elected to political office or when former politicians and bureaucrats are hired by the major consultancy firms.
Auditor Ian Goodwin's perspective on procurement with integrity

1 month ago | themandarin.com.au | Peter Gearin

Ian Goodwin was deputy NSW auditor-general between 2017 and 2024, giving him a birds-eye view of how procurement is done within the public sector. He also has extensive experience outside Australia, having worked at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC doing country risk assessments. He maintains his commitment to public service through a role in the Australian Army Reserve.
Lambie wants to cull federal secretaries’ ‘obscene’ salaries

2 months ago | themandarin.com.au | Peter Gearin

Senator Jacqui Lambie has vowed to introduce a bill to “cut and cap” departmental secretaries’ salaries. “It’s a disgrace that many top bureaucrats rake in more pay than the prime minister,” said the Tasmanian senator. “They’re shamelessly feathering their own nest while most people endure a cost-of-living crisis.
Why government efficiency is the top public service priority in 2025

Jan 13, 2025 | themandarin.com.au | Peter Gearin

No one knows what will happen if entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy carry out their threat to wipe trillions of dollars from US public sector spending after Donald Trump is inaugurated next week. But one thing is certain: the search for greater government efficiency will be a live issue in 2025. Not just in the US but around the world.
WA and Tasmanian governments making digital strides towards NSW

Nov 27, 2024 | themandarin.com.au | Peter Gearin

NSW remains Australia’s best performing digital government although Western Australia and Tasmania are quickly closing the gap. That’s one of the major findings of Adobe’s annual Digital Government Index, which was launched at the Digital NSW Showcase on Wednesday. Now in its fourth year, the index benchmarks federal and state/territory departments and agencies on their delivery of digital government services.
Ban PwC from government work until it gets the all clear, committee says

Nov 6, 2024 | themandarin.com.au | Tom Ravlic |Peter Gearin |Andrew Leigh |Ed Chung

A powerful parliamentary committee has called for the government to ban PwC Australia from tendering for government work until it demonstrates it has fixed its practice. Members of the parliamentary joint committee on corporations and financial services have finalised their unanimous report into accounting, auditing and consulting firms, with the first of the 40 recommendations being a demand for a tendering ban on the global accounting firm.
Pssst: Want a job at Australia’s most secretive agency?

Nov 5, 2024 | themandarin.com.au | Peter Gearin |Tom Ravlic |Stephen Bartos |Richard McManus

The Australian Secret Intelligence Service has emerged from the shadows to embark on a recruitment drive. And director-general Kerri Hartland wants YOU. ASIS is Australia’s foreign human intelligence collection agency. It seeks to encourage Australia’s best and brightest that our version of Britain’s MI6 and America’s CIA is worthy of consideration as an employer of choice.
Risk of election failure now real, VEC chief Bluemmel warns

Oct 30, 2024 | themandarin.com.au | Rachael Ward |Callum Godde |Peter Gearin |Mark Kenny

There is a real risk that an election in Victoria will “fail” according to the state’s electoral commissioner, warning his organisation is under significant pressure. Commissioner Sven Bluemmel said the state’s election is arguably Australia’s third largest regular peace-time logistical event and the commission is increasingly relying on labour hire agencies to fill critical roles because it’s difficult to retain staff.
Updates to The Mandarin

Oct 20, 2024 | themandarin.com.au | Peter Gearin |Tom Ravlic |Abul Rizvi |Melissa Coade

If you’re a regular Mandarin reader, you may have noticed some significant recent changes. After 10 years of The Mandarin, we’re investing even more in our journalism and your reading experience. Here’s a quick rundown on the changes, plus what’s coming up for The Mandarin:After listening to feedback about the need to improve our website navigation and accessibility, The Mandarin has undergone a major overhaul. After a site audit, we’ve decided to retire many sections including ‘Mandarin Premium’.
‘Not my problem’ responses to robodebt fallout exposes dearth of public service leadership

Sep 16, 2024 | themandarin.com.au | Melissa Coade |Julian Bajkowski |Peter Gearin |Tom Ravlic

Responses to the APSC robodebt taskforce show the public service is battling a real-time war for cultural integrity. The sad thing is that this fact is lost on powerful parts of the system. Last week, the final report from an investigation into robodebt breaches of the APS code of conduct was published.