Infantile Indulgence Induces Inefficiency - Lobbying and Governance Infantile Indulgence Induces Inefficiency We had a client with a great policy /program idea. It particularly impacted a regional Queensland community which was

No smart government wants the reputation of working only with their supporters ... that’s an awful reputation for a government to own #lobbying #governmentrelations #corruption #inefficiency ethicalconsulting.com/infantile-in...

Public hires own Federal Lobbyist – Rachel Smith appointed and backed by everyday Australians | Canberra Daily A new kind of lobbyist has arrived in Canberra, and she’s not working for big business.

Lobbyist in the public interest? Who says so? Maybe. Maybe not. Whose definition of “public interest”? #lobbying canberradaily.com.au/public-hires...

His position on Ukraine is a litmus test of whether he is a conservative (or right wing) democrat, or a true believer in autocracy a la Orbán. You can't support Russia's territorial ambitions in Ukraine, nor the war Putin started, without repudiating democracy and the rule of law.

Trump CAN Win in November; Trumpism Can Win in 2028 - Lobbying and Governance Trump CAN Win in November; Trumpism Can Win in 2028 I’ve been an observer inside five US Presidential election campaigns, learning plenty, every time, about

Trump is committed to winning & his team has many ways to supress the anti-Trump vote at the mid-term elections, everywhere it counts. They’re ready and some are underway already. #uselection #trump #corruption #politics ethicalconsulting.com/trumpism-can...

The mandarin who got caught: Pezzullo inquiry details revealed After an 18-month FOI battle, Rex Patrick reveals the extent of former Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo's misconduct.

Appalling Australian public servant behaviour hidden by Government www.themandarin.com.au/310711-the-m... #government #corruption #governance

Create Your Best Meeting Ever  - Leadership Freak “Meetings have become weapons of mass dysfunction.” Rebecca Hinds, PhD  Attendance is not engagement.  Silence about bad meetings is permission for more. Move status updates out of meetings.  Become a...

Use meetings only for Decisions, Conflict, & Sense-making
Eliminate meetings that exist only to compensate for broken information flow
#governance
leadershipfreak.blog/2026/02/03/c...

Where It All Went Wrong: The case against John Howard On the thirtieth anniversary of John Howard coming to p…

It's too easy to think John Howard's role lies in the distant past & is therefore irrelevant, but "Where It All Went Wrong" shows how social engineering over the years 1996 to 2007 still dictates the politics, programs and economics of Australia today. My review: www.goodreads.com/book/show/24...

Robodebt lawyer wants APS culture shift to prevent repeats Politicians’ confidence in the quality of advice they're getting from senior public servants is misplaced, says robodebt prosecutor.

Is Oz doing enough to prevent Robodebt #2? Probably not! #auspol #governance www.themandarin.com.au/307565-robod... (requires free sign-up to read)

Did Trump get permission from Putin and Netanyahu before this capitulation? Sorry, before this agreement?

Raise a Raven, Nevermore - Lobbying and Governance Raise a Raven, Nevermore … and quoth it neverever In Spain they say Cría cuervos y te sacarán los ojos – Raise a raven and it will peck out your eyes.In

Australia's easy One Nation solution: policies & programs which actively support democracy & which address and resolve community distrust #OneNation #Pauline #auspol ethicalconsulting.com/raise-raven-...

It's probably time for the NYT and others to stop thinking of Russia and the US as two separate countries, when the Russian President so completely controls the US President.

Some feedback about the new book. What do YOU say? #lobbying #government relations ethicalconsulting.com/book

6 Things Before You Start Lobbying - Lobbying and Governance 6 Things Before You Start Lobbying Before you begin: Who makes the decision? What might persuade or motivate them? How do you best get the necessary

Essential to your lobbying: six things to know: Who, What, How, Internal status, Political status, Influences #lobbying #governmentrelations ethicalconsulting.com/6-things-bef...

Cronyism, cultural failings, and instability at the very top of the public service - very interesting article www.themandarin.com.au/310337-revol... #governanance #government

… in most democracies the only opportunity for a bad leader to be removed by the people is at election time. In this instance, the problem is the failure of US Cabinet officers to meet their obligation to remove from office an unfit President. Leaving him there is elder abuse as well as dangerous

Fantastic book - read it soooooo long ago. And Halt & Catch Fire is great, too! Good on you for having regard for such great writing in the show.

Absolutely essential thing to do! Good work!

Ditch Dodgy Assumptions, Save Your Project - Lobbying and Governance Ditch Dodgy Assumptions, Save Your Project When you’re trying to persuade government of anything, you need to know how, which means you need to know with whom

Politicians aren't dishonest & public servants aren't lazy. If you believe the clichés, your lobbying pitch will fail before it begins. Believing media caricatures is strategically dangerous. #lobbying #politicians #governmentrelations ethicalconsulting.com/ditch-dodgy-...

A matter of minutes: The Kitchen precedent, natural justice, and misfeasance in public office The Queensland Supreme Court found a professional services review director committed misfeasance by referring a doctor for investigation without properly considering his submissions, a ruling with bro...

How far do Australia’s public servants have to go when considering submissions? #lobbying #government #governance #malfeasance #misfeasance www.themandarin.com.au/307267-the-k...

Centrism: indifference driven by comfort & privilege allows the false belief that neutrality is virtue #politics #auspol open.substack.com/pub/theethic...

SA 2026 – the next morning Last night’s election was truly remarkable. Preferential counts had little value, as we grappled with a truly astounding number of three-cornered or even four-cornered contests. By this morni…

The Sunday ‘hangover & rehydrating’ version of yesterday’s South Australian election results #auspol www.tallyroom.com.au/64636

Governance Lessons From Digging Deep - Lobbying and Governance Governance Lessons From Digging Deep A recent governance project threw up very useful “Dos” and “Don’ts” for community organisations – particularly

Governance lessons for leadership: our deep dive project threw up many lessons for member & stakeholder engagement #governance #leadership ethicalconsulting.com/governance-l...

The death of the centre-right Liberal conservatism has been killed by the economic system it supported.

Increasing growth requires politicians to confront traditional centre-right voters – true in Australia too? #auspol chrisdillow.substack.com/p/the-death-...

Restless Optimism Not Toxic Positivity - Leadership Freak Pessimists can’t lead. Leading is the practice of restless optimism. Contentment that induces slumber degrades you. Accept your present. Stay hungry to improve.  “Show me a thoroughly satisfied man an...

Restless Optimism – true leadership demands it leadershipfreak.blog/2025/09/25/r... – always seeking the best future & never letting positivity or negativity divert from that search #leadership #optimism

The Real Oldest Profession - Lobbying and Governance The Real Oldest Profession Apologies to my friends who are sex workers and those who are spies, but yours is not the oldest profession. Lobbying is. Spies and

Lobbying is the REAL oldest profession! ethicalconsulting.com/oldest-profe... #lobbying #governmentrelations #HowToLobby

Positive News | Good journalism about good things Positive News is the first media organisation in the world dedicated to quality, independent reporting about what’s going right

Inoculate yourself against doomscrolling, with this wonderful website and their weekly newsletter: www.positive.news - in spite of everything awful, there’s great stuff happening every week! #goodnews #postive

Tech guys who only read self help books struggling to understand Shii'ism and glorious martyrdom

Think lobbying is about schmoozing politicians over expensive lunches? Reality is far more calculated, methodical, interesting. ethicalconsulting.com/secret-life-... dispels the opacity + has a free download from a new book, laying out what lobbyists do. #lobbying #governmentrelations #government

It's the bravery of the soccer players which should be applauded, not Trump

And he was so on top of things that he made that call AFTER asylum had been granted