The Consultancy Conundrum
The Hollowing Out of the Public Sector
In mid-2023, Australia was rocked by a scandal surrounding the local affiliate of business management consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers. The crisis raised serious concerns about the role of consultancy and audit firms within our public service, and caused governments to re-evaluate their relationships with these agencies. The key question emerged: are the big four consulting firms truly neutral advisers, or do their ties to corporate interests compromise the public sector’s integrity?
The Consultancy Conundrum is a compelling examination of the role consultancy firms have played in shaping our current crisis of confidence in public institutions. Andrew Jaspan and Lachlan Guselli have brought together authoritative contributions from across the world to provide unique insights into the evolving role and expectations of our civil service, and the Faustian bargain it has made with the corporate world’s instant experts. Collectively, the writers ask: if we can’t trust the consultants, then who will give our governments the advice they need to secure our future? How do we rebuild a robust civil service to support positive change in a volatile world? And how do we go about shaping this new vision of our public service?
Professor Andrew Jaspan AM is a distinguished journalist and the Founding Director and Editor-in-Chief of 360info. Previously, Jaspan founded The Conversation, Australia’s largest independent news and commentary site, and facilitated its expansion into the United Kingdom, United States, South Africa, France, Indonesia, Canada and Spain. Prior to these projects, Jaspan was Editor of The Observer, The Scotsman and Glasgow’s Sunday Herald, and Editor-in-Chief of Melbourne’s Age and The Big Issue in London — among work on other publications. Recognised for his contributions to the media and higher education, he has been honoured as a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia.
Lachlan Guselli is the Sydney Commissioning Editor for 360info at the University of Sydney. A journalist and producer with more than fifteen years’ experience with the ABC, SBS and CNN International, Lachlan has forged a career centred on international news and uncovering meaningful, future-focused stories. He has lived and worked extensively across Europe and Asia.
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