IT WAS A typical political fix. More designed to fit ministers’ personalities, their power preferences and media agendas than coherence in governance, policy formulation or operational management.

The re-election of the Carr Government for a third four-year term in New South Wales on March 22, 2003, was immediately followed by a ministerial reshuffle and a purge of some top bureaucrats. The removal of these administrators seems to have unnerved many of the chief executives of the 145 departments, agencies and public trading enterprises. “It was like there’d been a change of government. All of a sudden everything was up for grabs,” said one insider. After working out their slots with Premier Bob Carr, ministers hit the telephones in a scramble to try to persuade their favoured top bureaucrats to come to work for them.