Lessons to be Learned from Failure of a Department of State: the Immigration Department in Australia

John Halligan, Tony Tucker

Research output: Contribution to conference (non-published works)Paper

Abstract

It is rare for departments of state to fail. Yet the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs was found in the mid-2000s to have experienced an internal breakdown of basic operating procedures, culture and leadership. The department had
acquired a high profile because of the government focus on keeping illegal immigrants out and locating and deporting those already in Australia. The failure of governance in the department was revealed through a succession of public inquiries into the handling of the
detention of citizens. The head of the public service described these cases as the worst that had happened recently and attributed them to a failure of public administration and executive leadership. A major reform agenda was launched to address the extensive deficiencies. The case has broader implications for other departments and for public administration in general. In order to account for the layers of complexity, the paper develops an interpretative framework based on four perspectives – corporate governance, rule of law, new public management and political management.
Original languageEnglish
Pages1-25
Number of pages25
Publication statusPublished - 2008
Event3rd International Conference on Public Mangement in 21st Century: Opportunities and Challenges - Macao, China
Duration: 13 Oct 200815 Oct 2008

Conference

Conference3rd International Conference on Public Mangement in 21st Century: Opportunities and Challenges
Country/TerritoryChina
CityMacao
Period13/10/0815/10/08

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