Public Sector Governance — Future Issues for Australia

Governments in many countries today find themselves in unchartered waters as they attempt to redefine their role, including how they relate to the business and community sectors and to citizens more broadly. There is currently a serious questioning of what are the appropriate structures, institutions, processes and organisational relationships required in an environment placing much more emphasis on collaboration with partners within the public sector and also outside it. Globalisation and the increased importance placed on competition, increased use and variety of information technologies and changes in values and political beliefs have contributed to this new environment (for example, see Davis and Keating 2000; Edwards 2001). Alongside this, and particularly noticeable in Australia, is a public sector facing uncertainties as it attempts to adopt private sector governance practices in the belief that this will lead to greater efficiency in achieving outcomes.