Then there is the plethora of Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and lobby groups that have a specific policy interest. Take for example the NGOs that operate within the policy environment of just one APS agency – the Australian Agency for International Development, or AusAid. There are almost 50 separate organisations in this sector including:

If we extrapolate from here, across all APS agencies and policy areas (and of course the number of NGOs would vary from area to area) we might begin to have a sense of just how many voices are clamouring to be heard by government and who bring their own particular passion for policy. In Barton alone, at the heart of government, there are dozens of NGOs and lobby groups:

All of these peak lobbyists operate by gaining the attention of — and seeking to influence — Ministers and the bureaucracy. And they are heard. The inclusion of lobby groups in the recent Child Support Ministerial Taskforce reference group demonstrates a determination by the government to deal directly with lobby groups on this issue. The taskforce was chaired by Patrick Parkinson, a professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Sydney and Chairperson of the Family Law Council. Members of the taskforce reference group included representatives of Unifam, Dads in Distress, the National Council of Single Mothers and their Children, the Sole Parents’ Union of Australia, the Lone Fathers’ Association of Australia, and the Early Childhood Association.

Michael Keating, a former head of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet suggests that governments are coy about their relationship with interest groups, because of perceptions of bias and allegations of a ‘democratic deficit’. In practice, he says, governments consult closely with their preferred interest groups, but this is at the political level for major policy initiatives - the detail is worked out by the bureaucracy.

Over the last ten years, though, we have witnessed engagement between the public service and stakeholder groups at far earlier stages than ever before. Indeed, there is growing recognition that individual citizens and companies have a contribution to make and are also on the field of policy contest. There is now widespread use of market research techniques and other consultation mechanisms among Australian public service agencies. The extent to which agencies are consulting is revealed in the last State of the Service Report. This report found that 80 per cent of agencies consult with non-government organisations and 90 per cent consult with industry stakeholders when they are developing policy. They also consult with lots of other groups as well. An OECD policy brief argues that ‘engaging citizens online raises legitimate expectations that public input will be used to inform policy-making’. The challenge, then, is to ensure that – having engaged an eager citizenry – the promise to listen does not become a hollow gesture, and that action or at least a reasoned response follows, wherever possible. Again, I think that this is an area where the Australian Public Service – drawing on its institutional resources – really does have an advantage.