How We Think

The Aged Care Quality & Safety Commission (ACQSC) strives to improve the standard of aged care for all Australians. As a government regulator responsible for assessments and audits of aged care providers, they’re in charge of standardising quality across the sector.

Those of us in the procurement and contract management space will be well aware that a new version of the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs) will take effect from 1 July 2024. Released just over a year after the latest CPR revamp, you might ask – why is another version of the CPRs necessary? The answer can be found in what is currently happening in both the public sector and private industry, along with a focus on protocols to mitigate and control for fraud and corruption.

Picture this – you use a bit of software which is vital for your role. You’ve used it for, say, almost 3 years now and couldn’t imagine life without it. Well, 5 days from now, the contract for the licenses of that software expires, and you don’t have any extension options remaining. What do you do?

If you missed our last update on the Information Commissioner (IC) FOI Review Procedures – too late, they’re now in force! Jokes aside, the IC’s Review Procedures went live on 1 July 2024. Considering that the starting gun’s been fired, it’s going to be ready, set and go for Commonwealth Freedom of Information (FOI) teams to get on board with the IC’s efforts to streamline and speed-up their FOI Review protocols.

For 16 years, the Australian panel show Gruen has given viewers the inside scoop on the advertising, marketing, and PR industry. For seven years running, the ThinkPlaceX team (formerly as creativeXpeople) has been invited to ‘The Pitch’ – a favourite segment on the show that tasks competing creative thinkers to sell the unsellable.

In May 2024, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) released new Information Commissioner (IC) Review Procedure Directions aimed at Commonwealth Government agencies. The IC Direction will require agencies to more actively engage with FOI applicants – and prove that they undertook searches for documents. Taking effect in July 2024, the new IC Directions are part of the OAIC’s commitment to ‘delivering a timely IC review process, informed by the principles of informality, responsiveness and proportionality’.