Ten Lessons for Public Servants from Robodebt: A Panel Discussion on the Latest Analysis from Richard Mulgan

CANCELLATION NOTICE – Due to unforeseen circumstances Richard Mulgan is unavailable to present this event. It is with regret that we will not proceed as scheduled, and advise that it is cancelled.  We hope to be able to bring this topic to you in the future.

The Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme revealed serious weaknesses in the culture of the Australian Public Service (APS), both at an institutional and individual level. It serves as an urgent prompt to the APS to revisit its culture and values as it builds a pro-integrity culture.

The Susan McKinnon Foundation partnered with public sector accountability and ethics expert Professor Emeritus Richard Mulgan to analyse the transcripts and findings of the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme. The report, Ten lessons for Public Servants from Robodebt, focuses on the distinct contribution of the APS and the professional practices and values that influence the behaviour of public servants and led to the Robodebt failure. The report offers ten practical lessons for public servants to implement from Robodebt.

ANZSOG, in partnership with the Susan McKinnon Foundation and APO, is convening this free event to explore the implications of Robodebt and the ten lessons in detail. Speakers include Professor Emeritus Richard Mulgan and Professor Peter Shergold AC FRSN.

This event is for all public servants who are looking to understand what lessons can be learned from the Robodebt and explore the role that every public servant can play in strengthening and deepening their own personal commitment to a more responsible, accountable and independent APS.

The event will be in-person and online, 10.00-11.30am 24 September 2024. In-person places are limited to ensure an interactive experience.

• Date: Tuesday 24 September, 2024
• Time: 10:00 am – 11:30 am AEST (90 minutes)
• Location: Online and In person (Museum of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House, Canberra)

Emeritus Professor Richard Mulgan is a Professor Emeritus at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University. Prior to his retirement in 2008, he was a professor of Public Policy at the Crawford School of Public Policy, and before that he was a Professor of Political Studies at Otago and Auckland Universities.

Richard’s academic interests include public administration, and issues relating to public sector accountability, governance, integrity, and transparency. He was on the 1985-86 New Zealand Royal Commission that recommended Mixed Member Proportional representation for elections to the New Zealand Parliament, and his 2000 article ‘“Accountability”: an ever-expanding concept?’ was selected as one of the twelve most influential articles in the last 25 years of the leading British journal Public Administration. Richard has also published works including:

• Holding Power to Account: Accountability in Modern Democracies (2003)
• Politics in New Zealand (3rd ed) (2004)
• Making Open Government Work (2014)

Richard taught courses on public sector ethics and public management in the Master of Public Policy and Master of Public Administration at the Crawford School of Public Policy, and regularly publishes in publications such as The Mandarin.

Professor Peter Shergold AC FRSN is Chair of the Australian Research Council, the James Martin Institute for Public Policy, Opal Healthcare, the NSW Education Standards Authority and Australia for UNHCR. He was for 20 years a senior public servant, including 5 years as Secretary of Prime Minister and Cabinet. For 12 years he was Chancellor of Western Sydney University, he now sits on the Board of the Susan McKinnon Foundation.