Professor Glyn Davis is shocked and surprised. A searing royal commission into the robo-debt scandal, Scott Morrison’s multi-ministries, the PwC tax leaks, and a series of audit reports exposing unlawful grants have built mounting evidence that not all is well in Canberra.

“It’s been a year of shocks,” Davis tells The Australian Financial Review, a year after he took up the role as head of the public service and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s chief adviser.