- #WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT FULL#
- #WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT PROFESSIONAL#
- #WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT SERIES#
It’s at a party to celebrate his gift of new vans to the police that his jolly artless wife, Cindy, takes a shine to Doctor Cat and lets her hair down. Take Declan McDermid, the local self-made tycoon, flaunting his wealth yet touchingly modest in public.
#WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT FULL#
The characters in this story are neatly delineated although criminals get short shrift, victims, cops, family members may receive full and detailed background while others appear shortly, participate and leave, some unregretted but all alive. At the same time his sister, Cat, a compassionate GP, misreads the signs and symptoms presented by pregnant Carrie Pegwell and makes her own disastrous mistake: both tragic examples of behaviour demonstrating the sad irony of the title.
Still suffering from stress he makes a lethal error of judgement that puts his career at risk.
#WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT SERIES#
The burglary introduces the police, notably Hill’s series character, Simon Serrailler, a senior cop recovering from a violent incident in which he lost an arm. The couple are charmed, and on the specified night depart blithely to enjoy Britten’s Dream while behind them their house is efficiently stripped of all its treasures. Tim over-rides his partner’s misgivings and sure enough, his genial hospitality is shortly rewarded by the youngsters’ gift of two tickets to the opera. In welcome contrast to the Pegwells are the gay couple Ade and Tim: happy cultured professionals who are approached at home one night by young stranded motorists. The Pegwells are at loggerheads, Carrie convinced that the baby she is carrying is already deformed in the womb, while Colin, a husband who epitomises callousness, has no time for anything other than his computer and the money markets. It doesn’t start sensationally but neither is it innocuous. Sam Vincent is a Canberra-based freelance journalist who contributes to The Sydney Morning Herald, The Sun-Herald, The Age and Inside Sport magazine.With short succinct chapters this story is told from different points of view the result is informative and seamless with never a whiff of contrivance. A former Australian Public Service Commissioner and secretary of the departments of Health and Aged Care, Housing and Regional Development, and Administrative Services, he retired from public service in 2004.
John Wanna holds the Sir John Bunting Chair of Public Administration at the Research School of Social Sciences at The Australian National University and is director of research for the Australian and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG).Īndrew Podger is professor of public administration at The Australian National University and adjunct professor at Griffith University and Xi'an Jiao Tong University. Most spend some time looking back, reflecting on the extent of change that has occurred over the length of their careers but equally importantly they look forward, anticipating future policy dilemmas and capacity challenges. They have their own personal 'takes' on how the public service looks to them, on its performance and on the challenges confronting public administration into the future. These contributions contain reflections, commentaries, occasional fond memories or key turning-points in careers, critiques of changes that have occurred and an outline of the remaining challenges their successors will face as the public administrators of tomorrow.įrom the outset it is clear that there is no uniform message, no single narrative levelled either in praise or in criticism, other than pride in the public service and strong belief in the contribution it makes to the Australian community. The first two speeches in this collection were initiated informally and given at functions organised by their agencies in 2005 the process was formalised with the Australian Public Service Commission acting as organiser. Over this period of time it gradually became accepted that departing secretaries and heads of significant agencies would present a valedictory address to their peers at a public farewell function. This collection brings together the valedictory speeches and essays from a departing group of secretaries (and one or two other equivalent agency heads) who left the Australian Public Service between 20. They serve governments as their top advisers and in policy terms are often some of the most important decision-makers in the country.
#WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT PROFESSIONAL#
They are ambitious, highly-talented executives who have risen to the very pinnacle of their chosen vocation - public service to the Australian nation - usually after having spent most, if not all, of their professional careers dedicated to the public service. Secretaries of government departments in Australia are the bureaucratic leaders of their generation.