Country focus: Australia
Welcome to the Public Centre Research Centre - Australia. This section features insightful research from Australia and similar countries on the issues and the challenges faced by public sector and government officials while providing a roadmap of the future of government. To view global publications, please choose the option "all publications" in the menu to the left.
The perils of persisting with the educational status quo
Australia’s system of primary and secondary education system has traditionally been a high performing one. However, Australia was outperformed by six countries in reading and scientific literacy, and 12 countries in mathematical literacy. The majority of countries that outperformed Australia are located in East Asia.
Transforming the citizen experience, One Stop Shop for public services
Reforms in the public sector which are aimed at improving service delivery have received considerable focus over the last decade.
Protecting human health and safety during severe and extreme heat events: A national framework
Heatwaves kill more Australians than any other natural disasters. They have received far less public attention than cyclones, floods or bushfires – they are private, silent deaths which only hit the media when morgues reach capacity or infrastructure fails.
Investing in a better life, a stronger Australia
People with disability are the largest minority in Australia – about one in five Australians has a disability. They are also one of the most disadvantaged groups, with sub-standard outcomes on most indicators of community participation and wellbeing. The Productivity Commission reported that the current disability support system is “underfunded, unfair, fragmented and inefficient...”. The imperative for changing the disability experience in Australia is clear. The time to act is now.
What's the score? PwC Productivity Scorecard
Prepared by our Economics and Policy team, the PwC Productivity Scorecardis a quarterly publication measuring productivity across the Australian economy.
Australia's Carbon Price - What does it mean for your business?
In this paper, PwC analyses the key features of the plan to be introduced from July 2012 and looks at what business needs to consider.
Improving your commute : Lifting customer service in public transport
Public transport makes a crucial contribution to liveable cities providing access to employment, education, recreation and community services, as well as contributing to social equity and relieving traffic congestion.
Fighting fraud in the public sector
Fighting Fraud in the Public Sector, the government and public sector extract of the PwC Global Economic Crime Survey, considers the latest government fraud reports.
Funding Infrastructure: Time for a new approach?
There is no doubt that Australia needs to invest in Infrastructure. Solid levels of population growth, the resources boom and the change in demographic means that the demand for new Infrastructure will continue for sometime to come. PPPs are considered by some not to be the solution of the future. In this paper we explore alternatives to the PPP model using a revenue based approach.
A practical vision for early childhood education and care
For some time we have known that the period between birth and five years is vital in so many ways to children for both their future well being and their development.
Effective Disaster Recovery - What lessons can we learn from Australia's Black Saturday Bushfires?
Comments on some of the lessons learned from ‘Black Saturday’ in Victoria last year to assist recovery in the event of disaster or, more importantly, assist in disaster planning.
Sydney: Australia's Global City
PwC Australia was commissioned by The Sydney Business Chamber to produce a report ranking Sydney against other cities in areas such as affordable housing, public transport, quality of living, and air quality.
Australia 2050: A response to the 2010 Intergenerational report
Australia 2050: A response to the 2010 Intergenerational report sets out PwC’s views on the recently released third Intergenerational Report (IG2010) and the challenges for investment, infrastructure and funding.
Submission on Reform of Australian Government Administration
Beyond the Ballot Box comments on the Government's blueprint for reform for the Australian Public Service (APS), drawing on the experience we have gained internationally in undertaking transformation projects in both the private and public sector.
