ABSTRACT
In the past few decades, policy has developed a higher profile in the organisation of governing in Australia. There has been a marked rise in the use of policy to designate organisational units and position titles, and in the demand for the definition of policy on subjects as diverse as the need for foreign language skills and the amount of water used in showering. The people doing policy work may be called policy analysts, but they may have titles like 'customer service manager', 'chief veterinary officer' or 'president of the association'. The formal enunciation of policy has become a more significant element of the governmental process. Formalisation has been reflected in the increasing professionalisation of policy work. The early applications of policy analysis were directed to top management, and the analysts could claim to be autonomous of the programs they were surveying.
