New public management meets civic discontent? The Australian public service in 1999

The new millennium brings with it an irresistible urge to reflect. In parti cular to reflect on the social, political and economic dimensions of our li ves. We recently revisited our constitutional beginnings and chose to retai n what our forefathers bequeathed to us. Yet, by contrast, with respect to the way our nation state is administered, we have witnessed significant cha nge. We now have a public service that our forefathers would barely recogni se.