Erik Finger discusses the change of government at the end of 1989, being one of the few chief executives to keep his position, and the expansion of his role into policy development and advice under Goss.
Erik Finger recalls becoming Coordinator General in 1989 in addition to the head of Premier's, and the difficulty of balancing the two roles in the context of the governmental upheavals stemming from the Fitzgerald Inquiry.
Erik Finger discusses the introduction of merit-based appointments under Mike Ahern, taking up the role as the head of Premier's Department in 1988, and his relationship with Premier Ahern.
Leo Hielscher discusses working with the CoG and the government. He discusses the role of the loan council in funding capital works. He describes seeking a loan from the World Bank.
Brian Head discusses his job in the Queensland Premier's Department in the context of the changes wrought by Prime Minister Bob Hawke's new federalism, as well as his position as Cabinet Secretary and the reshaping of the Cabinet Office.
Brian Head discusses the public service gulag, and what he calls the political brutality of the early Goss years. He describes the policy limbo which he faced at the Premier's Department, noting that the new government did not trust the existing public servants, and discusses the reshaping of the section under Kevin Rudd in 1991.
Rob Borbidge explains the arrangements within the Premier's Department and the processes for appointing directors general through a selection panel. He describes introducing fixed term contracts for the term of the government.
Ross Rolfe describes the approach by Peter Beattie in 2005 that led him to become Director General of Department of Premier and Coordinator General, and discusses the 3 major policy challenges in 2005-07, namely infrastructure, health and water policy.
Brian Head recalls his arrival in Brisbane in 1982, and the concern with the apparently unassailable Bjelke-Petersen regime. He briefly discusses the eventual downfall of the Bjelke-Petersen Government, and the election of the Goss Government on a reform platform. He discusses his position as the first head of policy in the Premier's Department in 1990, and discusses the selection process in the context of the post Bjelke-Petersen merit-based appointment system. He also mentions the gulag to which many senior Bjelke-Petersen public servants were sent by the Goss Government.
