Cabinet is constitutionally the centre of executive government, but no committee of 20 members can function effectively at strategy. The reality of our own Cabinet is that there are only ever four or five individuals who drive strategy.

As with any change, from alcoholism to weight-loss, changing behaviour begins by admitting you have a problem. We have a highly centralised system, but a weak centre. Cabinet is enormous. There are twice as many portfolios as found in most European cabinets.

We have a Minister for Building and Construction, another for Housing and yet another for Infrastructure. Yet it takes years to decide to build anything and decades more to build. We have ministers for child poverty, children, social investment, social development and youth, and no fewer children in poverty. The Auditor-General is telling us the public service can't tell us what difference it is making. Ministers and the public are unable to judge what we get for our money.

Cabinet is unwieldy because it is politically convenient to pretend that 26 members of caucus are valued members of the top team. Everyone gets Player of the Day once.

A smaller executive cabinet and a unit coordinating government priorities and making sure departments deliver would make governments more effective. This could be enforced by much stronger parliamentary select committees. Some MPs are better suited to being legislators than executives. If they can’t be in a four or five- minister executive cabinet, some would make a different kind of impact.

Read Josie's case for radical reform of government.