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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Politics
Zac Braxton-Smith

Three charts show boutique firms are telling agencies how to spend money

Experts have long warned that outsourcing will stifle the public service, turning bureaucrats from policy thinkers into contract managers.

New data shows even that work is under threat, with agencies upping their spend on a handful of procurement specialists in 2026.

Greens senator Barbara Pocock said it added insult to injury for public servants to see even the management and letting of contracts being outsourced. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong
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