Contestability, policy advice and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute

Abstract

As the public service is "thrown open to the cold winds of competition" (Hartigan, 2000), and the implementation of new public management advances past simple contracting-out, contestability of policy advice to government is receiving increased interest as new area of reform to pursue. The Government's commitment to establish an Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) is motivated by the potential for that institution to provide contestable advice on defence and security policy issues. To understand how the creation of this Institute might assist the Government's desire for policy contestability, this paper will look more closely at the principles of contestability and consider how the experience of other similar ventures by Government have contributed to increased contestability in policy advice. This understanding should inform the establishment of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.