Media release

From: Professor John Seddon's Office, England

Biair's nemesis, author and academic, Professor John Seddon, will be the second Brit to tour the country this summer with his award winning work exposing the myths of Blair's public sector reforms. His tour, starting on August 30th, includes a keynote speech to a government conference in Sydney, a lecture for the think-tank the Centre for Policy Development and a seminar with council chiefs in Melbourne.

Seddon brings lessons from the frontline of Blair's obsession with 'delivery' in the UK. The announcement of his tour comes in the same week as opposition backbencher, Josh Frydenberg noted the similarity between Gillard's 2011 'year of delivery and decision' and Blair's 1999 'year of delivery'.

Seddon says of those impressed by Blair's talks:

"They were no doubt taken in by his smooth style, Australian will have glossed over Blair's own admission that analysis is more important than speed in public-sector reform. Blair speeded up targets, sharing services, out-sourcing and inspection. During his tenure the UK doubled expenditure on local authority services, but did the UK see any improvement to the match the investment?"

Seddon on the current state of public services in the UK:

"Public services are worse, shared services are locking in high costs over the long term, morale is at an all-time low and the reason, as Blair acknowledges, is no analysis, no understanding, no knowledge; instead what Blair had (and has) is ideology. I will expose the flaws in Blair's ideologies, providing evidence of their shocking effects.

More than that, in the UK, those following my work are blazing a trail of real reform, helping public services achieve outstanding economic benchmarks in a remarkably short time. And my secret? Analysis. From analysis comes speed. If only Blair knew".

Tour Dates

August 30th Sydney Dockside, Government Contact Centre Summit

August 31st State Library of New South wales, Centre for Policy Development

September 2nd, Municipal State of Victoria, Melbourne

John seddon's book on Blair reform regime

Over 10,000 central and local government officials, policy makers and public service leaders (in health education, policing and housing, for example) have so far bought Seddon's 2008 book . - and many more have read it. The book outlines the consequences of Blair's 'Deliverology' and describes the counter reform, led by Seddon, taking place in many of the UK's public services.

About John Seddon

Professor John Seddon trained originally as an occupational psychologist. He is known around the world for his pioneering work on change in organisations and for translating and adapting the Toyota Production System (TPS) for use by service organisations. He is a widely published author and lectures at seminars, conferences, universities and management schools around the world. He is managing director of Vanguard Ltd, a consultancy specialising in organisational change, and is a visiting professor at the Lean Enterprise Research Centre, University of Cardiff.

For more information please contact Charlotte Pell