'Top secret' change for spies, Davis quotes Kant, and the ATO's rumoured move to Barton

The top tier of access, "Positive Vetting", is being phased out over the next few years making way for a different acronym to promote consistency across agencies.

Top spies, and their supporting bureaucrats, will now be given a "TOP-SECRET Privileged Access" as part of a suite of modernisation reforms.

The TS-PA, or "tiss-pah", is a little more complicated to remember than the soon-to-be outdated PV, or "pee-vee".

But it will be common parlance for those on Constitution Avenue in no time, we're sure.

Hopefully, the rebrand will speed up those processing times too.

Every department secretary brings their own style to the role. In no public service job is this more obvious than for the head of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. It was refreshing to hear Glyn Davis, a respected academic, touch on art and philosophy as he made his first public address since taking on the role.

At the sold-out event in the National Gallery of Australia last week, he started off talking about the important work of the public service in making art available to the public, before describing the geometric designs of the building, discussing the controversy around its opening, referring to Greek thinkers Plato, Euclid, and Pythagoras, and quoting German philosopher Immanuel Kant. It may sound heavy, but it was delivered lightly, without pretension, and served Professor Davis' points about leadership nicely. We personally enjoyed the colour and erudition of the speech.

And we were struck by the way the hubbub of the audience ceased at precisely 9.30am, when the event was due to start, but before anyone had taken the stage. It was the sound of efficiency.

Professor Davis also remarked on it. "I'm very impressed by the audience that goes quiet at exactly the right starting time," he said.

Eerie, almost.

In the United Kingdom, the civil service is reportedly stress-testing emergency plans to use carbon paper to copy documents in case of energy blackouts this northern hemisphere winter.

The UK is bracing for possible energy shortages, and under a worst case scenario it could see a reduction of electricity imports from Norway and France, combined with low temperatures, forcing the government to enact emergency measures to conserve gas for several days in January.

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Under emergency plans, British civil servants would reportedly swap photocopiers for carbon copies of documents to help keep the wheels of government turning.

What is carbon paper? It is thin and coated with carbon or another pigmented substance, and is used for making a second impression of a document being written or typed. It's a far cry from emails and Microsoft Teams.

We wonder what the Australian Public Service plans to use in its own emergency scenarios.

Last week we reported on one public service meeting's unfortunate foray into buzzwords and corporate phrases. There were many, and we hope never to repeat them again.

However they did prompt some readers to share the annoying phrases they've heard in the public service. Here are a few more: "We're on a journey", "helicopter view", and "teaching opportunity".

If you have any others, we want to hear them - against our better judgment.

With new sheriffs in town, there's money to be made and Labor-affiliated lobbyist firm Hawker Britton is just one of those reaping the benefits.

The influential lobby group, whose line-up features a range of former senior Labor advisers, has more than doubled their client list since Anthony Albanese took the keys to the Lodge.

According to the lobbyist register, the firm can now count Transgrid, Citigroup, and MinterEllison among its top-end-of-town client list.

Not a bad return to their former glory during the Rudd years.

It's speculated in property circles that the Australian Taxation Office will opt for a move to Barton in its search for new Canberra offices.

Even if that ends up being the case, it seems anchored to Civic for a few more years at least.

The ATO announced in April it was extending its leases at its current digs in Narellan Street (now expiring May 2027) and Genge Street (November 2027). They were previously due to expire this year, but the Tax Office said it wanted to provide staff with more certainty while its Canberra leasing process continued.

Asked this week whether it would soon announce a relocation to Barton, the agency said its procurement process "remains ongoing", and as such, it could not comment until it was finalised. Watch this space.

Meanwhile, the Tax Office has a new public service housemate.

It has "restacked" the under-used spaces in its Narellan Street offices - known as the Amungula site - and will sublease levels 3 and 4 to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts from September 15.

We're picturing movie marathons and long chats that go late into the evening for the two agencies.

If the rumours are true, though, maybe Infrastructure shouldn't get too comfortable.

Before the National Recovery and Resilience Agency was disestablished, its head Shane Stone was getting a respectable bonus.

The Remuneration Tribunal's determination shows the top job earns an annual salary of $455,590 but Mr Stone, a former Liberal Party president, was given a bonus $100,000 per year for the term of his appointment, dating back to 2019.

He was concurrently pocketing an additional $100,000 as part of his role as director of Australian Pacific Coal until 2020.

The man was in bonus city for years until he hit a snag with Labor's election win, and his role ceased to exist.

What's your review of Glyn Davis' speech to public servants last week? Do your agency's emergency plans include some surprise technologies? Got a tip about the ATO's plans for its offices in Canberra?

Email us at ps@canberratimes.com.au or send your tips and feedback through the form below.