Research on innovation in the Australian public sector

Some of the most useful research on public sector innovation in Australia and around the world over the past few years.

8 January 2021

min read

The Public Sector Innovation Network (PSIN) ceased on 8 January 2021.

The PSIN was an Australian government network helping public servants understand and apply innovation in their daily work.

The content on this page has been kept for historical purposes and may not be accurate.

Research on public sector innovation in Australia and around the world over the past few years has looked into:

Here is some of the research we’ve found most useful:

ANZSOG Today’s Problems, Yesterday’s Toolkit: This report calls for a radical reimagining of the role of government and public servant. Based on interviews with 400 public servants, the report pinpoints 9 skills that make up a 21^st century toolkit for public problem solving.
OECD Declaration on Public Sector Innovation: The Declaration sets out key principles and actions to help government agencies encourage, manage or inform innovation. Australia signed up to the Declaration in 2019.
APS Innovation Sampler: We took a snapshot of innovation in the Australian Public Service in 2018-19. It includes new research and examples of novel practices, collaborative events, centres of excellence and organic networks.
Mapping Public Sector Innovation Units in Australia and New Zealand: Melbourne University Policy Lab surveyed Australian and New Zealand public sector innovation labs, as part of an ANZSOG-funded research project.
Independent Review of the Australian Public Sector: This review identifies how the APS can transform to ensure it is fit-for-purposed for the coming decades. (Final recommendations yet to be released.)
Empowering Change: Fostering Innovation in the Australian Public Sector: This report considers how to develop and strengthen a culture of innovation in the APS. (Released in 2010.)

See also