Len Pullin

Managerial values in local government – Victoria, Australia

This article explores the values that local government senior managers assume in their day‐to‐day relationship with elected officials (councillors). The study is set in the state of Victoria, Australia which, along with the two other levels of Australian government, has a strong historical association with the Westminster system of public management. The findings demonstrate that local government senior managers practice the fundamental values and beliefs of public management neutrality.

Performance Contract Management in Regional Local Government — Victoria

The Victorian Local Government Act, 1989 introduced fixed-term performance contracts for all senior management staff. As a result, issues such as promotion, training, remuneration and contract renewal can now be directly influenced by performance evaluation. This paper examines the performance evaluation process in practice in order to determine its outcomes. We found considerable commitment by CEOs and senior officers to the system but quantitative outcomes were more difficult to identify. The study is set in six local government units in Gippsland, Victoria.

Public Management Morality and the Employment Relationship in the Westminster Style of Cabinet Government: Developing a Conceptual Framework for Empirical Study with Special Reference to Australia

In the context of fundaTtJ.enta/ changes in the public service employment relationship in most English-speaking Commonwealth countries, this article develops a conceptual framework with a view to study its impact on the moral orientations of public managers. Whilst special reference is made to the Australian situation and literature, the conceptual framework has applicability in those Commonwealth countries where the Westminster style of Cabinet government has continued.