Public Service Commissioner's review

I am very pleased that one of my first tasks as Acting Public Service Commissioner is to present the Commission’s annual report for 2008–09. The Commission plays an important role in ensuring the Australian Public Service (APS) maintains its standing as one of the foremost public services in the world.

I would like to acknowledge the significant contribution of Ms Lynelle Briggs, the former Public Service Commissioner, who provided strong leadership in the Commission, and in the APS more broadly, over the last five years. Ms Briggs is passionate about public sector administration and reform and she achieved much in her time with the Commission.

I would also like to acknowledge Ms Lynne Tacy's significant contribution to the APS as Deputy Public Service Commissioner since October 2000. Ms Tacy retired in September 2008.

The APS needs to be well placed to implement a complex, extensive policy agenda for government in a fast-paced environment. It needs to meet expectations that it give robust, evidence-based strategic policy advice; generates innovative ideas; engages constructively with the community; practises fiscal rigour; and has in place strong performance management regimes with the capacity to deliver cost savings.

Against this background, the Commission identified five strategic priorities for 2008–09 in our corporate plan. A discussion on our achievements against these priorities follows.

The APS continues to look to the Commission to provide leadership and guidance in ethics and integrity, accountability and people management. We have a significant role to play in identifying APS workforce challenges and developing strategies to address these, along with building the capability of that workforce.

Driving public sector reform

Throughout 2008–09, the Commission continued to generate debate and identify new directions for the APS. We placed a special emphasis on advancing the ethics and integrity agenda. These new directions also included improving performance, building a more unified and professional APS, making smarter policy and regulations, focusing government on citizens and getting workforce issues right. We communicated these contemporary public administration issues through papers, speeches and presentations, and undertook research on them.

We introduced a number of new initiatives to support these reform directions, together with maintaining a strong focus on building APS workforce capability and human resource strategies.

Advancing the ethics and integrity agenda

As part of that agenda, the Commission hosted a special event, the Ethics Hypothetical in December 2008. Commonwealth agency heads, academics and media representatives came together at the event to discuss a series of ethical challenges for the public service. In addition, we delivered a range of information sessions, presentations and training sessions on ethics throughout the year to international and national audiences.

Perhaps the most significant step in advancing the ethics and integrity agenda came in May 2009, when we launched the Ethics Advisory Service. This service will provide expert advice and support on ethical decision making.

The Commission prepared a submission and gave evidence before the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs inquiry into whistleblowing protections within the Australian Government public sector.

Supporting efficiency and effectiveness

The Commission built on its Learn Lead Succeed strategy to further develop APS capability. We continued to deliver a range of leadership programmes, which are designed to assist the Senior Executive Service and APS employees develop their knowledge and skills in policy, programme management, financial management and regulation. These programmes assist senior executives to embrace new roles, responsibilities and professional challenges.

During the year we helped agencies implement better practice models for people management by providing consultancy services and delivering workshops to human resource specialists and line managers. We consulted extensively to identify better practice in corporate services and invited agencies with innovative approaches to participate in case studies, which will form the basis of future work. We also provided training to human resource practitioners and line managers using our better practice publications. In other work, we expanded our Leadership Learning and Development Panel to broaden key areas of expertise and facilitate national programme delivery.

Fostering innovation and engagement

The Commission contributed to a cross- agency working group on information and communications technology (ICT) skills to implement the recommendations of the Gershon Review. The Commission had responsibility for two of the recommendations: the development of a whole-of-government ICT career pathway to enhance the ICT capabilities of APS staff and a whole-of-government strategic ICT workforce plan to assist agencies to better manage their ICT workforce. Both bodies of work are expected to be released in early 2010.

In June 2009, we finalised a draft ICT capability framework for the APS, drawing on an extensive consultation process. This included a range of forums involving key stakeholders as well as a review of existing international ICT frameworks.

The Commission continued to support leadership excellence through international programmes, working in partnership with the states and territories on public sector educational training needs. We sustained this commitment by supporting programmes delivered by the Australia and New Zealand School of Government and the Public Sector Management Programme, which builds vocational skills through nationally recognised qualifications.

On the international stage, the Leading Australia’s future in Asia programme offered an opportunity for participants from the Senior Executive Service to meet with a wide range of senior public servants and other key organisations in the region. The Commission continued its ongoing partnership with AusAID to deliver programmes that support public sector reform in the Asia–Pacific region.

Continuously improving the ‘way we do business’

Managing our budget continues to require care and diligence, but in a difficult economic climate we finished the financial year on target.

The Commission will continue to face a tight budgetary climate in 2009–10. Pressures will arise from the first full year of operation of the new ICT arrangements, ongoing annual wage rises and property rental increases. In response to these challenges we have undertaken a number of reviews of our structure and operations. The reviews have identified significant changes the Commission can make to continue to meet government expectations, and perform our functions under the Public Service Act 1999.

Following a year-long project, the Commission entered into a new service provider arrangement for the provision of ICT services with the Department of Employment, Education and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) in April 2009. I am pleased to report that the transition to our new provider was a seamless process. The new arrangement gives the Commission access to contemporary ICT infrastructure and services.

Governance and culture

We have undertaken significant work over the past 12 months to embed sound and effective governance arrangements. On 1 April 2009 the Commission moved to a new structure, which:

• brought together policy development and advice functions about the management of the APS into one Workforce Policy Group
• focused our research function on the key future direction for the APS
• established a new Ethics Group incorporating the Ethics Advisory Service and all of the statutory review functions of the Merit Protection Commissioner
• brought together in two groups our fee-for-service work.

The principles that guided restructure included provision of better responses to our clients through joined-up delivery of Commission services and products; strong strategic stakeholder and client engagement; positioning the organisation to best support the APS to be ready for the future; streamlining our operations; maximising opportunities for our employees to make an effective contribution; and moving business lines into like areas.

Strong committee structures underpin our audit, ICT, Occupational Health & Safety and workplace relations functions. Our audit and ICT committees benefit from the appointment of external members. Our Executive and Commission Management Committee continued to provide strategic direction and leadership.

Work began in 2008–09 on reviewing a range of our governance plans, policies and procedures. The review is comprehensive and includes risk management, fraud, environmental management, records management, business continuity, our Chief Executive Instructions and their supporting guidance.

In preparation for negotiations for the next Commission collective agreement, staff voted in December 2008 to have a union agreement as the preferred option; a first for the Commission. As the agreement was to expire on 20 June 2009, the Commission began negotiating in early March. The new Fair Work Act 2009 took effect on 1 July 2009, the agreement will be finalised under the new legislation and known as an ‘enterprise agreement’.

Outlook for next year

Late in 2008 the Commission began examining its structure in the context of its current priorities and those of the future, particularly given the external environment and the implications of the economic crisis, tighter budgetary requirements and the need for the public service to transform to meet future challenges.

In early 2009 we settled on our priorities for 2009–10, as follows:

• supporting the APS to be ready for the future
• embedding the government’s ethics and integrity agenda
• strengthening our engagement with clients and ensuring delivery around their needs
• driving agency performance and capability
• leading by example.

The Commission’s outcome statement for 2009–10 is ‘increased awareness and adoption of best practice public administration by the public service through leadership, promotion, advice and professional development, drawing on research and evaluation’. Our strategic and work priorities are directed towards this outcome and supporting the APS workforce in the challenges of the next decade and beyond.

On 3 September 2009 the Prime Minister delivered the third John Paterson Oration announcing that the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Mr Terry Moran AO, will be establishing and leading an Advisory Group to develop a blueprint for reform of the public service.

The Advisory Group will oversee the completion of an international benchmarking exercise to compare Australian performance with leading bureaucracies around the world and then, along with other inputs, develop the blueprint for reform.

The Commission has been an active advocate of reform of the APS which is recognised by its involvement on the Advisory Group. We look forward to contributing to this process and supporting the work of the Advisory Group.

I would like to thank our staff for their contribution to the work of the Commission in what has been an interesting and challenging year. For a small agency we have a substantial work programme, which must meet the needs of government, Parliament, APS agencies and their employees. We can be proud that our outcomes contribute to making the APS an international leader in public administration and that we continue to enrich the thinking and debate on public sector reform.

 

Carmel McGregor,
Acting Public Service Commissioner

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