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Public Policy Development (PADM90021)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 6.25Not available in 2025
About this subject
Overview
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The Public Policy Development subject equips participants with advanced understanding and skills required to excel in a political advisory role. Focusing on the interdisciplinary knowledge found in whole-of-government policy development and implementation in contexts of accountability mechanisms within political systems. The subject will explore the theory and skills required to enhance support to elected officials in effective policy development and implementation. Participants will build on their understandings of the interconnected relationship between public management, public policy and politics enabling them to generate a suite of skills to successfully navigate the parliamentary and public service models of Australia’s federal system of government and the rise of contemporary frameworks and mechanisms of scrutiny and accountability.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Examine the foundations of political advising in the context of public policy and public administration, and contemporary debates
- Appreciate the connections between political advising and a range of disciplines including political science, law, and economics
- Explain the strategic environment in which political advisers operate and the relationships they develop to deliver on public policy goals.
Generic skills
- A comprehensive understanding and appreciation of the interconnectedness and complexity of the fields of political advising, public policy and public administration, and the political environment in which advisers operate;
- A sound understanding of politics, economics and the law as they are connected to key ideas in political advising, particularly from a public appropriations perspective;
- A high-level ability to combine theory and practice in a meaningful way in order to address political challenges and analyse contemporary issues;
- A high-level ability to combine professional managerial and advisory skills with discipline-based expertise and to apply this complex synthesis to professional practice;
- A comprehensive understanding of the accountability framework relating to ministerial advisers in the context of both the Westminster system of responsible government;
- The ability to draw upon an extensive repertoire of advanced professional skills, in particular in decision-making, providing advice and collaborating across sectors.
Last updated: 4 March 2025