Policy Bites - Professor Glyn Davis on the unglamorous but essential work of making choices in government.

We’re excited to welcome Professor Glyn Davis AC, Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the University of Melbourne, who will be visiting the Sydney Policy Lab on 11th November.

Prof. Davis was previously the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Prior to that, he was CEO of the Paul Ramsay Foundation. From 2005 - 2018, Professor Davis was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. He is a Visiting Professor at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford and also holds visiting professorial appointments at King's College London and The University of Manchester. 

Prof. Davis is the co-author of The Australian Policy Handbook. Amongst his many other publications are The Australian Idea of a University and On Life’s Lottery. In 2010, Prof. Davis delivered the Boyer Lectures on the theme 'The Republic of Learning'. 

Policy isn’t just politics - it’s memory in motion.
Government depends on operational routines that embed institutional memory and sustain the policy cycle. Prosaic documents like the Cabinet Handbook shape how decisions are made, implemented, and evaluated. For ministers and public servants alike, these often-overlooked practices ensure continuity, coherence, and accountability. This session reflects on the unglamorous - but essential work of making choices in government.