Politics with Michelle Grattan
News:Politics
Dennis Richardson, one of Australia’s most respected federal public servants, has just retired after an illustrious career. He served as head of the foreign affairs department, the defence department, and ASIO, and was Australian ambassador in Washington. He was also once chief-of-staff to then-prime minister Bob Hawke.
Richardson was never afraid to tell ministers what he believed they should hear, and any grudges they had as a result they apparently got over very quickly.
He urges bureaucrats to be forthright with their political bosses, but also to be strategic in how they go about trying to persuade. “Providing frank and fearless advice is not about getting something off your chest, it’s about seeking to influence for an outcome that you think is the right one.”
In this interview with The Conversation he reflects on trends in the public service, and discusses the implications of the Trump presidency and the future of China. He also recalls as a very young public servant being sent to play squash with Billy McMahon – and beating him. Not long after, he handed out how-to-vote cards for Labor in the “It’s Time” election.
Historian Frank Bongiorno reflects on elections present and past
Five seats to watch on Saturday night, and getting the hang of a hung parliament
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Grattan Institute’s Danielle Wood on election’s thin policy debate
Scott Morrison defends Katherine Deves (again), but slips up on surgery detail
Dave Sharma, Allegra Spender, and Kerryn Phelps on the contest for Wentworth
On the rate rise, Albanese’s launch and what a Frydenberg loss would mean for the Liberals
Economist Saul Eslake on why Reserve Bank needs to raise rates next week
Ray Hadley’s shouty assault on Albanese; the intractable Solomons issue; and the wider play of Deves
Andrew Wilkie invites independent candidates to call him for a chat about approaching a hung parliament
Joe Hockey on Trump, Biden, and the federal election
Morrison suggests voters judge him as they would their dentist
Josh Frydenberg is optimistic about wage growth
Word from The Hill: Next step for Morrison is visit to governor-general
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Jim Chalmers on the budget Labor can’t oppose
Sarah Ferguson on reporting from Ukraine
Labor will give human rights award in memory of Kitching
Stay calm, petrol is headed down, budget is improving – economist Chris Richardson
Be careful what you say about your opponent’s ‘makeover’
Mark Maund on improving our resilience to deal with flood crises
Word from The Hill: Subs, floods and people saying it’s ‘time to give someone else a go’
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free