Cabinet is Australia's Operating System — Here's How It Works (Glyn Davis & Terry Moran)

About this episode

Glyn Davis and Terry Moran discuss the inner workings of Australia's Cabinet and the dynamics of political power.

Glyn Davis and Terry Moran are two of the very small number of Australians who have literally sat in the Cabinet Room, week after week, watching the machinery of government operate from the inside. Both served as Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) — the most senior public servant in Australia. Terry held the role from 2008 to 2011 (including during the Global Financial Crisis). Glyn held it from 2022 to 2025. Both have also held equivalent roles at the state level: Glyn as Director-General of the Office of the Cabinet in Queensland (1995–96), and Terry as Secretary of the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet (2000–08). Before PM&C, Glyn was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne for thirteen years, and later ran the Paul Ramsay Foundation (Australia’s largest philanthropic foundation). Terry’s career spanned senior roles across the Commonwealth and Victorian public services, including as CEO of Victoria’s Office of the State Training Board, inaugural CEO of the Australian National Training Authority, and Queensland’s Director-General of Education. He later served as Chancellor of…

People in this episode

Host: Joe Walker

Guests: Glyn Davis, Terry Moran

Topics covered

• Australian government
• Cabinet operations
• political power
• public service
• Westminster model

Keywords

• Cabinet Room
• government machinery
• prime minister power
• Cabinet submission
• Westminster model

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, University of Melbourne, Paul Ramsay Foundation, Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet, Federation University

Places: Australia, Queensland, Victoria

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