This is a book about government policy processes: it examines the way government ministers and public servants, as well as experts such as academics and others in the community, work together to develop policy from its conception through to its practice. Ministers are the ultimate policy-makers but government officials can help them immeasurably, not only by advising on policy but also by being aware of the capacity of the policy development process to contribute to the policy objectives of their political masters. Even in the midst of political chaos, there is a part that public servants can play by being conscious of the value of being as rigorous as possible in how they do their work, individually and with others.