Output 2: Leadership, performance and development in the APS

Output 2 is drawn from the Public Service Commissioner’s statutory role, listed in section 41 of the Public Service Act 1999 (PS Act 1999), to:

• facilitate continuous improvement in people management throughout the APS
• coordinate and support APS-wide training and career development opportunities
• contribute to, and foster, leadership in the APS.

Activities undertaken by the Commission which support Output 2 include:

• provision of senior executive leadership development activities
• design, development and delivery of relevant SES and non-SES Service-wide development opportunities
• working closely with agencies to promote better practice governance, people management, client service and other management improvements.

Significant achievements for the Commission in 2002—03 were:

• contribution to the successful establishment of the Australian and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG)
• development and production with the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) of the better practice guide Building Capability–A framework for managing learning and development in the APS
• coordination of the 2002—03 round of Public Sector Leaders’ Summits
• development and implementation of the HR Capability Development Program (foundation and extension levels)
• development of the Recruitment and Selection Kit
• development and implementation of the Indigenous APS 1—4 Career Development Program
• increased participation in Commission programs in the regions.

Eighty-one per cent of respondents in the Client Survey felt that the activities of the Leadership, Learning and Development Output area represented value for money with only 4% disagreeing.

Despite this favourable feedback from clients (and similar feedback from individual participants), the numbers of participants in Commission programs for the SES has not grown as expected. Work being undertaken to develop a new Integrated Leadership

Strategy should go some way to clarify for agencies and senior APS employees the value of APS Commission programs and their relationship with agency activities.

The total price for Output 2 is set out in Figure 8. Detailed explanation for the pricing information is given in the performance information tables at the end of this section.

Figure 8: Total Price for Output 2