‘Patronage and Nepotism’: Review Critical of How Australian Officials Appointed

The government will not be adopting the recommendations of the report.
‘Patronage and Nepotism’: Review Critical of How Australian Officials Appointed
Tourists visit Parliament House of Australia in Canberra, Australia, on May 04, 2019. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
|Updated:
0:00

A review into ministerial appointments to a range of public boards—which the government delayed for two years—reveals a system that is “not fit for purpose” and created outcomes that “looked like forms of patronage and nepotism that should have no place in the modern Australian society.”

Those are the words of Lynelle Briggs, former commissioner of the Australian Public Service, who was asked to review the appointment process in 2023.

Rex Widerstrom
Rex Widerstrom
Author
Rex Widerstrom is a New Zealand-based reporter with over 40 years of experience in media, including radio and print. He is currently a presenter for Hutt Radio.