Performance review

Output 3 Better practice and evaluation

Under Output Group 3, the Commission continued to support agencies to improve strategic people management practices and overall organisational capability, providing better practice advice and information on key challenges facing the APS.

Output Group 3 derives from the Public Service Commissioner’s statutory role as detailed in sections 41 and 44 of the Public Service Act 1999. The Commission enhanced APS performance by preparing the Commissioner’s annual State of the Service Report to Parliament and conducting research and evaluation into current challenges facing the APS.

The Commission promoted and advised on better practice approaches to governance, agency performance and people management and it provides ongoing research and secretariat support to the Management Advisory Committee and the Public Service Commissioners’ Conference.

Output 3.1: Indigenous employment

The Government is committed to employing a diverse APS workforce that reflects the community it serves. The employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within the APS is a central element of this commitment and is critical to the achievement of Government policy, service delivery and employment and equity outcomes. Under this output the Commission fostered the recruitment and retention of Indigenous Australians in the APS.

Table 18: Performance information—Output 3.1 - Indigenous employment

Key performance indicators	2008–09 target	Result
Medium and long term strategies developed and implemented to support employment and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the APS.	Levels of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employee satisfaction with working in the APS—target is an increase compared to the State of the Service Report timeline data.	Exceeded. 80% of Indigenous employees were on average satisfied with working in the APS (up from 75% in 2006–07).
Number of agencies involved in initiatives to increase the knowledge, skills and capacity of Indigenous employees and their employers across the APS.	Levels of agency participation in cross-agency and cross-jurisdictional projects.	Achieved. 81 agencies were involved in cross-agency and cross-jurisdictional projects.
Satisfaction with levels of access to support networks and development programmes.	As measured by responses to the annual State of the Service employee surveys.	Achieved. Informal feedback from Indigenous APS employees indicates satisfaction with level of access and support to networks and programmes.
Agencies’ implementation of strategies has a positive impact on engagement and separation rates of Indigenous employees.	[Target] is proportional representation consistent with the wider APS workplace and the community.	Not achieved. Informal feedback from agencies regarding the Indigenous employment Strategy Starter Kit is positive, and assists with implementing recruitment and retention strategies.

Achievements

Achievements that contributed to this output in 2008–09 included:

• increasing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduates, cadets and trainees recruited through the Indigenous Pathways recruitment programmes—entry-level trainee numbers doubled
• delivering 26 development workshops to 259 Indigenous employees across Australia
• coordinating the Indigenous mentoring programme for trainees
• providing support to all Indigenous APS employees through the coordination of the Indigenous APS Employees Network
• developing and delivering the second National Indigenous APS Employees’ Conference, which drew 140 delegates from 40 agencies.

Implementing the APS Indigenous employment strategy

Increasing Indigenous representation in employment and reducing the overall level of disadvantage among Indigenous Australians is an integral part of the Government’s agenda of closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG), under the Indigenous Economic Development National Partnership, has set an employment target of 2.6% Indigenous representation for the public sector by 2015. At 30 June 2008, Indigenous employees represented 2.1% of all ongoing APS staff .

This COAG target is one of the key drivers for the Commission’s work to attract, retain and develop Indigenous employees under its APS Employment and Capability Strategy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander employees.

The strategy has five themes:

• supporting whole-of-government work on Indigenous policies and programmes
• developing pathways to employment
• supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees in the APS
• supporting agencies to be good employers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees
• developing partnerships.

An evaluation of the strategy was conducted in 2007, consistent with the Department of Finance and Deregulation’s funding arrangement guidelines. The report was made available to the Commission in 2008. The evaluation concluded that the strategy had been effective overall, highlighted some areas for improvement, and recommended its extension to consolidate and build on the momentum already achieved. Funding for the strategy through the Single Indigenous Budget Submission by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs has been extended to 2012. The extension of the strategy will continue the initiatives that have been developed over the past four years.

Supporting whole-of-government initiatives

Meeting the COAG target will require coordinated leadership across the APS and a whole-of-government approach to providing specialist recruitment and retention programmes. The Commission supports whole-of-government initiatives in Indigenous employment by working with other APS agencies on recruitment programmes, mentoring and networking programmes, and national conferences and workshops.

Building an Indigenous employment strategy—a starter kit for APS agencies

The Commission developed an Indigenous employment strategy kit and launched it in August 2008. The kit helps agencies develop and implement their own Indigenous employment strategy as a structured, systemic approach to attracting, recruiting, retaining and developing Indigenous employees.

Mentoring programme

During 2008–09, 18 Indigenous employees from a wide range of classifications across the APS, including former graduates and trainees, took part in mentor training to provide career development advice and support to participants in the Indigenous Entry Level Programme.

National Indigenous APS Employees’ Conference

Building on last year’s success, the Commission again sponsored and organised a national conference of Indigenous APS employees in Brisbane in June 2009, attracting 140 Indigenous delegates from 40 Commonwealth agencies across the country, from entry-level recruits through to senior SES employees. The theme for this year’s conference was ‘Leading and succeeding in the Australian Public Service’.

One of the many highlights of the conference was a panel discussion on leadership and resilience. The panel of Indigenous APS employees shared their experiences balancing work to implement government policy with their identity as Indigenous Australians, and outlined the strategies they use to sustain personal resilience.

Developing pathways to APS employment

In 2008–09 the Commission continued to work in partnership with 46 agencies to provide targeted recruitment programmes under the Commission’s Pathways to Employment initiative. This provides cost-effective opportunities for all APS agencies to recruit and train Indigenous staff and includes recruitment programmes for Indigenous graduate, cadet and entry-level positions. The Commission also provides programmes and services to these recruits to enhance short-to-medium term retention prospects. The number of Indigenous entry-level recruits employed in 2008–09 is double that of the previous year.

Through the Indigenous graduate recruitment programme and National Indigenous Cadetship Project, the Commission recruited and placed 30 Indigenous graduates in 19 APS agencies and 29 Indigenous tertiary students in cadet positions with 15 agencies. In 2008–09 the Commission continued its partnership arrangement with the DEEWR to coordinate the national cadetship project and to administer APS access to the Structured Training and Employment Programme.

The Indigenous entry-level programme provides a pathway to employment for Indigenous Australians who do not have tertiary qualifications. This year the Commission recruited and placed 22 trainees across nine APS agencies in a pilot programme, which will run for 18 months. Through the programme, participants undertake formal training towards a Certificate III or IV in Government. This programme is being extended regionally.

Supporting Indigenous employees

In 2008–09 the Commission supported Indigenous employees in advancing their career goals and aspirations through a range of activities and initiatives:

• More than 250 Indigenous employees attended Indigenous Career Trek workshops on application and interview skills (19 workshops); communication skills (2); and influencing skills (5). Ninety-seven per cent of participants rated the quality of the programme content, relevance and currency at a very high level.
• The Indigenous Scholarship Programme provides access to higher-level study and development programmes for Indigenous employees at APS 6 to Executive levels, and research and study opportunities for Indigenous members of the SES.
• Fifteen scholarships to the Public Sector Management Programme were awarded to Indigenous employees; one scholarship for the Masters in Public Administration through ANZSOG; and four scholarships to EL 2 staff to attend the Leadership Dimensions programme.
• The objective of the Horizons programme is to broaden the experience, skills and career progression opportunities for Indigenous employees at the APS 4–6 levels. Horizons facilitated five interagency secondments, bringing the total number of programme attendees to 15. Horizons was expanded to offer secondment opportunities to Indigenous employees at the executive level.
• In response to feedback from participants seeking knowledge and experience of past members, the Commission established the APS Indigenous Alumni—a community of former and current Indigenous graduates, cadets and trainees designed to foster professional support networks across agencies and locations and support continued career development through seminars and information. More than 60 people attended the first Alumni event in March 2009, with 29 attending an ‘Enhancing your performance in the APS’ workshop and event in June.

Indigenous APS Employees Network

The Commission continued to provide support for networks of Indigenous APS employees (IAPSENs) throughout 2008–09 as part of its commitment to improving employment outcomes for Indigenous staff . Networks are located in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Darwin, Townsville, and Alice Springs. Discussions on establishing a network in Tasmania are continuing.

In 2008–09 two meetings of the IAPSEN Chairs’ Forum were supported by the Commission. These meetings highlighted common issues and specific regional issues across the APS for further analysis and action.

Supporting employers

The Commission continued to provide support for agencies working towards increasing Indigenous employee numbers by running promotional campaigns, funding scholarship programmes, attending career fairs and providing assistance and advice on recruitment issues.

The Commission’s Public Calling: APS Indigenous Careers campaign continued as the major communication and marketing tool for the recruitment and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian Public Service.

Throughout 2008–09 seven APS employees from various agencies continued as Indigenous Career Ambassadors and the faces and voices of the campaign. In June 2009 the formal Ambassadors programme was replaced with an overarching role-model campaign that used Indigenous APS employees for this purpose on an ‘as required’ basis.

The Public Calling community radio campaign continued throughout 2008–09, as did press and online advertising.

Developing partnerships

The Commission continued its eff orts to increase the retention of new recruits, and to promote a whole-of-government view in career planning and development through its support programmes for Pathways recruits. We also collaborated with the Department of the Senate, the Prime Minister’s Advisers and the ACT Government’s ‘Live in Canberra’ campaign to provide orientation and induction programmes.

Output 3.2: Promote better practice

During 2008–09 the Commission helped agencies implement better practice models for people management by providing consultancy services and delivering workshops to human resource specialists and line managers.

Table 19: Performance information—Output 3.2 - Promote better practice

Key performance indicators	2008–09 target	Result
Number of better practice forums developed and offered, including:
Connect Government Series	Estimate: 4.	Superseded. Replaced by Leader to Leader programme.
HR capability programme	Estimate: 4.	Achieved. 5 programmes.
Commonwealth Management Forum meetings	Estimate: 2.	Achieved. 2 forums conducted.
development, networks and special events	Estimate: 65.	Achieved.
	85% of responding participants, when surveyed, give a rating of 5 or 6 on a 6-point scale for: achieving objectives programme content quality of presenters or relevance usefulness high quality.	Achieved. Formal and informal feedback from participants suggested that network events met the needs of participants.
Review the impact of the whole of government approach to recruitment advertising.	Benchmarks and evaluation framework developed by March 2009. Review against baseline data to be undertaken at regular intervals.	Achieved. Framework developed in June 2009. Collection of baseline data is underway.

The Commission has also provided training to human resource practitioners and line managers in using our better practice publications including Fostering an attendance culture, Leading productive people, Sharpening the focus: managing performance in the APS, Building business capability through workforce planning and Ensuring leadership continuity in the APS: A guide to succession management.

Achievements

Achievements that contributed to this output in 2008–09 included:

• continuing the whole-of-APS recruitment campaign, Fin@nceJobs, which targets finance and accounting skills
• staging the Commission’s first Open Day, which attracted more than 300 visitors.

Recruitment advertising policy and website

The Commission received funding of $0.14 million through additional estimates in 2008–09 for the measure ‘Recruitment advertising policy and website’. To support this measure, the Commission is reviewing the impact of the whole-of-government approach to recruitment advertising through the initial collection of baseline data on the quality and quantity of applicants.

New guidelines on recruitment advertising undertaken by agencies subject to the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997, produced by the Department of Finance and Deregulation in consultation with the Commission, came into effect on 1 July 2009. The aim is to reduce recruitment advertising costs in the print media, which represents the most significant element of recruitment advertising expenditure.

The Commission is conducting an evaluation of recruitment advertising to closely monitor the impact, if any, that the new guidelines have on the efficiency and effectiveness of agencies’ recruitment advertising. The results of the study will assist agencies to optimise their return on investment from expenditure on recruitment advertising.

Attracting, recruiting and retaining skilled employees

The Commission continues to work directly with agencies to help them recruit for specific professions and support them in addressing skills shortages.

Fin@nceJobs

Fin@nceJobs provides a streamlined merit- based recruitment process that expedites the application and recruitment of candidates into APS positions. With 2,560 candidates from APS 3 to EL 2 registered nationally, participating agencies from both metropolitan and regional areas are appointing highly skilled and qualified candidates quickly while minimising the time-induced risks previously encountered.

Careers fairs and expos

The Commission attends careers fairs and expos to promote the APS as an employer of choice and to promulgate resources such as Cracking the code and the APSjobs website. The Commission attended the CeBIT Australia expo in Sydney in May 2009, in conjunction with the ACT Government, the Australian Government Information Management Office and other APS agencies. At the expo, Commission staff provided marketing materials to promote ICT careers in the APS and spoke to around 300 attending delegates.

Improving people management

In 2008–09 the Commission worked proactively with agencies to help improve their people management skills. Workshops were developed and delivered in workforce planning, absence management, organisational review, succession management and streamlined recruitment, as part of a suite of better practice programmes delivered nationally. The workshops were delivered to 370 people across 25 agencies and were well received.

In August 2008 the Commission staged its first Open Day, attracting more than 300 visitors from a range of APS agencies. The objective of the day was to showcase the Commission’s range of products, publications, programmes and services to agencies. More than 84% of visitors indicated that their expectations had been met or exceeded. Another successful event was a workforce planning summit in March 2009, which was attended by 65 participants from 38 agencies.

In 2008–09 the Commission provided consultancy services to agencies to help improve their people management practices and processes. Agencies included the National Native Title Tribunal, the Bureau of Meteorology, the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

Supporting networks and forums

The HR Directors Forum provided an opportunity for exchanges of ideas and information for HR leaders across the APS. In 2008–09 the forum was held five times and covered issues including the lobbyist register and its impact on APS employees, absence management, the ethics advisory service, superannuation reporting and leadership continuity.

The Corporate Management Forum provided a networking opportunity for APS heads of corporate areas, encouraging a two-way flow of ideas and discussion of significant issues impacting on agencies across the public sector.

The Commission continued providing support to senior officer regional networks across Australia by facilitating regular meetings. Major progress has been made on aligning uniformity of Australian Government Leadership Networks across Australia and there is now agreement on a common name and purpose.

Workplace diversity

Employment of people with disability

The Commission continued to promote the employment of people with disability. In 2008–09 we worked with the DEEWR to develop APS-specific strategies for the National Mental Health and Disability Employment Strategy. We will continue to monitor implementation of the Management Advisory Committee’s Report Employment of people with disability in the APS. This will inform future action to improve the participation of people with disability in the APS.

Inquiry into pay equity and associated issues related to increasing female participation in the workforce

The Commission made submissions to the House of Representatives inquiry into pay equity and associated issues related to increasing female participation in the workforce. The submission highlighted that length of service at level was a key explanatory factor for the differences in pay between men and women in the APS. The inquiry is continuing with public hearings being held across Australia. The report is expected to be tabled in parliament in the next reporting period.

International Women’s Day

The Commission continued its tradition of running highly successful and popular events celebrating International Women’s Day in a number of states. Speakers this year included author Susan Mitchell in Perth; former Children’s Court Magistrate Barbara Holborrow in Sydney; founding director of the Fred Hollows Foundation Miracle Club, Gabi Hollows, in Brisbane; and former Senator and now a director of beyondblue, Natasha Stott Despoja, in Melbourne.

Output 3.3: Statistical/ information services

To support a high-performing APS, the Commission collects and analyses workforce data. This data collection and analysis assists the APS in identifying significant workforce challenges for the public service, and also helps agencies to develop and benchmark their workforce planning strategies.

Achievements

Achievements that contributed to this output in 2008–09 included:

• redeveloping the APS Employment Database (APSED) to improve data management, particularly for SES employees
• making improvements to the APSED Internet Interface (APSEDII)
• preparing the annual APS Statistical Bulletin.

Table 20: Performance information—Output 3.3 - Statistical/information services

Key performance indicators	2008–09 target	Result
Maintain and analyse data on APS employment for research within the Commission and by other organisations:
APS Employment Database	Comprehensive and reliable data in a useful format.	Achieved. Agencies regularly access APSED database to assist them in workforce profiling activities.
internet accessible data reporting tool		Achieved. The APSED Internet Interface is fully functional, with enhancements made during the year.
Australian Public Service Statistical Bulletin	1 per year.	Achieved. The APS Statistical Bulletin is published in hard copy and electronically.

Maintaining the APS Employment Database

The Commission maintains the APS Employment Database (APSED), which is the central information source on trends in APS employment. APSED is an important tool for ensuring cross-service accountability, especially for the State of the Service Report. It is also used as the sampling frame for the State of the Service Employee Survey. APSED is an important resource for research, with particular focus this year on APS-wide research into classification levels, and on the composition of the SES.

In the 2007–08 Budget, the Commission received additional funding to redevelop APSED. The project was completed during 2008–09 and was designed to improve data management for all employees, as well as to allow analysis of data for core SES employees.

APS Statistical Bulletin

The APS Statistical Bulletin 2007–08 contains a snapshot of APS-wide staffing at 30 June 2008, and of staff movements during 2007–08. It also provides summary data for the past 15 years. The bulletin contains information useful to agencies in benchmarking themselves against APS-wide trends. It is distributed to all APS agency heads, state and territory public service commissioners, New Zealand’s State Services Commissioner and leading public and tertiary education libraries. It is available in hard copy and electronically on the Commission’s website.

Output 3.4: Research and evaluation

The Commission’s research and evaluation activities are designed to help the APS and the government improve governance outcomes. The Commission pursues research and evaluation activities through:

• statistical assessment of APS performance
• comprehensive annual surveys of APS operations and employee attitudes
• public administration research, both Australian and international
• production of speeches and presentations for the Commission’s Executive.

These activities equip the Commission to assess the capacity of the APS and its employees to meet Government objectives, address future challenges and develop guidance and recommendations for change. The research and evaluation work also enables the Commission to learn from and benchmark APS performance against that of comparable overseas public sector jurisdictions.

A range of papers, speeches and presentations encompassing contemporary public administration issues were produced and research undertaken on public administration challenges, including for the State of the Service Report.

Achievements

Achievements that contributed to this output in 2008–09 included:

• publishing the State of the Service Report 2008–09, drawing on diverse and complementary data sources
• conducting a rolling series of information sessions on the State of the Service Report to disseminate results among APS leaders and employees
• producing four publications in the Contemporary Government Challenges series
• providing ongoing secretariat support to the Management Advisory Committee and Public Service Commissioners’ conference.

Research and advice on public administration

The Commission undertakes research into public administration developments within the Australian Government, in Australia’s state and territory jurisdictions and overseas to assist agencies improve their performance and better prepare for the future. This research is also used to support the Commission’s publications, speeches, presentations and learning and development programmes.

Table 21: Performance information—Output 3.4 - Research and evaluation

Key performance indicators	2008–09 target	Result
Undertake research into, and advise, on public administration and future directions for the APS.	High level of client use of research outputs.	Achieved. Agencies regularly request publications on public administration and future directions (Contemporary Government Challenges series). Regular requests received for in-house delivery of agency-specific presentations.
Evaluate and provide information on the performance of the APS through an annual State of the Service Report.	High level of client use of the State of the Service Report.	Achieved. Close to 90% of respondents believed the report to be a useful resource. Over 600 APS staff attended presentations promoting the report by the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner and Evaluation Group staff.
	100% compliance with tabling requirements.	Achieved. The State of the Service publications complied with government tabling requirements.
Provide larger agencies with individual employee survey reports aimed at assisting agencies assess their performance compared to the APS overall.	High level of satisfaction that individual agency reports are useful to agencies.	Achieved. Produced 47 individual agency employee survey reports. Human resource management employees provided positive feedback to Commission staff.
At least one new evaluation aimed at improving the performance of APS departments and agencies.	High level of satisfaction of agencies directly involved in the evaluation and a high level of satisfaction that the evaluations are useful to agencies.	Achieved. Responding to requests from agencies for new papers in the Contemporary Government Challenges series. Additional information requested through SoSR to identify emerging workplace issues.
Secretariat and support services provided to the Management Advisory Committee (MAC) and through the Executive Subcommittee of MAC and operational support to the Commissioner as the Executive Officer of the MAC.	A high level of satisfaction of the MAC and associated subcommittees with the relevance, quality and timeliness of advice and support provided.	Achieved. Service levels maintained as required to support the Executive Subcommittee of the MAC.
	Meetings as required and up to 2 projects.	Achieved. Support was requested for only one Executive Subcommittee meeting in 2008-09. Material was prepared and circulated out of session for that meeting.

Evaluating and reporting on APS performance

State of the Service Report

APS performance is evaluated through the Commissioner’s State of the Service Report to Parliament and through specific issues-based research and evaluation projects.

Under section 44(2) of the Public Service Act 1999, the Commissioner is required to report annually on the state of the APS by 30 November each year. The Commissioner’s approach has been to focus on contemporary issues confronting the APS while maintaining her evaluation of the extent to which agencies incorporate and uphold the APS Values (section 41(1)(a)).

The State of the Service Report 2007–08 dealt with issues of recurring significance such as merit, workplace diversity, upholding the APS Values and Code of Conduct, leadership and job satisfaction. It featured an in-depth analysis of attracting, engaging and retaining staff in the APS, including why people choose to join the APS. The report also focused on areas where agencies can improve their efficiency and/or effectiveness. The report highlighted six new directions for the APS as a whole, namely:

• Embedding ethics and integrity
• Improving APS performance
• Building a unified highly professional APS
• Smarter policy and regulation
• Moving citizens to the centre and encouraging excellence
• Getting workforce issues right

The Commission drew upon diverse and complementary data sources to develop the State of the Service Report. These sources included the Commission’s own research and databases (particularly APSED), published and unpublished material from other agencies, Australian National Audit Office reports and, where available, comparable data from other Australian and international jurisdictions.

The Commission produced two associated publications: the State of the Service employee survey results 2007–08, which provided the results of the employee survey in a collated, aggregate form; and the State of the Service 2007–08: at a glance pamphlet, which contained a summary of findings. All three publications are available on the Commission’s website.

A short questionnaire on the Commission’s website asked readers for their impressions of the report, the usefulness of its chapters and any additional comments. The feedback—from 265 respondents—was generally positive, with about 90% of the respondents agreeing that the report is a valuable resource and that the information presented is easy to understand.

Undertake specific-issue evaluations

In 2008–09, the Commission continued to focus its specific-issue evaluation and research activity on cutting-edge subjects relevant to senior APS managers.

During the year, the Commission launched four publications in its Contemporary Government Challenges series. These provide information and advice to help APS agencies improve their performance. The publications contain a mix of practical solutions and case studies; they also set out related issues to be further considered and debated.

The first publication, Delivering performance and accountability, launched in February 2009, examines how the current accountability and performance management arrangements deal with the range of new models of policy implementation.

The other three publications, all launched in June 2009, were:

• Challenges of evidence-based policy-making, based on a paper by the Chairman of the Productivity Commission, Gary Banks AO.
• Policy implementation through devolved government, which discusses the challenges in ensuring successful devolved government arrangements and the skills, leadership and capability required to meet them.
• Smarter policy: choosing policy instruments and working with others to influence behaviour, which examines issues surrounding the choice of policy instruments, the involvement of third parties in policy frameworks and how to make best use of insights from behavioural theory and evidence.

All documents in the series are available on the Commission’s website.

Management Advisory Committee

The Commission continues to provide research and secretariat services to the Management Advisory Committee (MAC). The committee, which was established under section 64 of the Public Service Act 1999, is chaired by the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, with the Commissioner as its executive officer.

In 2008–09, an executive subcommittee of MAC was established. It comprises the Secretaries of the departments of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Finance and Deregulation, Health and Ageing, Immigration and Citizenship, together with the Australian Public Service Commissioner and the Commissioner of Taxation.

Public Service Commissioners’ Conference

The Public Service Commissioners’ Conference (PSCC) meets twice a year. It provides a cross-jurisdictional forum for Commonwealth, state and territory public service commissioners and New Zealand’s State Services Commissioner. The Commission provides secretariat and research support to the conference.

The PSCC provides opportunities for commissioners to frame the agenda in order to reflect contemporary challenges in public administration. It also serves as a vehicle for exchanging information and experience.

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