This book originated from a conversation with Sue Vardon, chief executive of Centrelink, in which she expressed interest in seeing a good Australian study of the agency. The study results from a partnership between Centrelink and staff of the Centre for Research in Public Sector Management at the University of Canberra. The CEO of Centrelink provided full support for the study, which covered funding for a research officer, access to staff and records and included opportunities for the researchers to attend senior management meetings. She also read the draft manuscript.

Numerous interviews were conducted with national and area office staff of Centrelink and with other stakeholders including portfolio ministers, members of the board, client departments and central agencies. We appreciate the time given and the willingness to assist with our study.

A major study of a complex organisation requires a team. A major debt is owed to three academically oriented public servants. Jules Wills was an original participant in the project and his doctoral thesis on strategic planning featuring Centrelink influenced several chapters. David Rowlands, now with the Australian National Audit Office, made a significant contribution by encouraging us to draw on his thesis on ‘agencification’ and Centrelink and by commenting on the manuscript. Jill Adams, formerly of the Australia Public Service Commission, undertook major drafting and strengthening of several chapters while on the staff of the Centre for Research in Public Sector Management, and subsequently reviewed the manuscript.

Margaret Hamilton, formerly with Centrelink, provided a post-Vardon consideration of Centrelink in the chapter under her name. Thanks are due also to Michael O’Donnell (now at The Australian National University) for letting us draw on a paper that presented a preliminary examination of human resource management in Centrelink.

The Centre for Research into Public Sector Management at the University of Canberra was the project’s ‘home’, and research staff associated with the centre provided much help with research tasks, notably Zoe Gardner, Lisa Skelly and Suzanne Vaisutis-White. Paddy Onton, Kate Ransley and Lisa Strickland provided support during the project and with the preparation of the manuscript. Centre colleagues Chris Aulich and Roger Wettenhall commented on chapters and asked questions about Centrelink as an agency.

John Wanna, Australia New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) Professor at The Australian National University (ANU), provided consistent encouragement to produce the book for the ANU series that he edits, and financial support for Margaret Hamilton’s contribution. John Butcher, ANZSOG member of the ANU E Press Advisory/Editorial Board handled the publishing with patience and sound advice.

The careful reading and incisive editorial comments of Penelope St Clair substantially enhanced the manuscript.

We have sought to provide a balanced analysis and evaluation of this organisational experiment, recognising what is innovative, but having to be selective in our coverage of a complex case.^[1]