Suhit Anantula

In this extract from The Policy Playbook, the authors explore how Australia’s combination of UK and US systems shapes policymaking, the role of the public service, and practical approaches to governance. The colloquial term for the Australian system is Washminster — reflecting the dominant influences of the British and American systems and the locational building (Westminster) and place (Washington) that spoke to the Australian sensibilities of “founding fathers” of the late 20th century.

In this extract from The Policy Playbook, the authors emphasise how policy should be treated as an ongoing journey rather than a static product, highlighting the importance of focusing on real-world outcomes, continuous adaptation, and collaborative effort across all stages of development and implementation.

Policy can sound dry, and policy can sound strange, but let’s get back to basics. The world is going through massive changes. We’re seeing climate change, terrorism, wars, AI, cost of living issues, the rich-poor divide, health problems, and more. What do all these challenges need? They need good policy. What is policy? Policy is a clear understanding of a challenge or a clear vision. More than that, it’s the implementation of policy that solves the problem or creates new value.