PM on APS- worldbeaters in the making

Prime Minister Rudd's speech yesterday about the Australian Public Service and his priorities included what he referred to as the "entirely reasonable and achievable" aspiration to "make the APS the best public service anywhere in the world" involving "sweeping reform driven by a long-range blueprint for a world class, 21st century public service."Lots of benchmarking to be done, innovation to be encouraged and professional development to be undertaken. But only a passing reference to transparency and accountability - one of those big reform steps of the 1980's - and just audible mentions of the FOI Reform legislation (22 months on, still not quite there on the minor issue of abolition of conclusive certificates) and the Gov 2.0 Taskforce, enough to show they have a place, but hardly at the centre of prime ministerial thinking.