A devolution revolution is underway as governments across Australia
seek to make frontline public servants more autonomous. It's a backlash
to the command-and-control style of bureaucrats and policy makers who,
experts say, are too far removed to know what their "customers" really
want or need. Gary Sturgess, the inaugural Premier's Australian and New
Zealand School of GovernmentChair in Public Service Delivery at the
University of New South Wales, is leading research into how to make the
public service more customer-centric. The former state cabinet secretary
says giving greater discretion to frontline public servants – and
cutting the middle level of controlling bureaucrats – could shave 20%