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Last updated: 9 March 2006
Please note: This document is for reference purposes only and is no longer considered by the APS Commission to be current.
Supporting Ministers, Upholding the Values
Commissioner’s foreword
A good relationship between Australian Public Service agencies, Ministers, and their offices is central to effective Government. It forms a foundation of trust that underpins the ability of agencies to be responsive to the elected Government and the confidence the Government has in the services it receives from agencies.
The Australian Public Service Commissioner’s statutory responsibility in relation to promoting the APS Values includes helping APS employees to build effective working relationships between the political and administrative arms of Government. The APS Values include the requirement to provide frank, honest, comprehensive, accurate and timely advice and to implement the Government’s policies and programmes. They also include obligations to be apolitical and accountable. While most of the time they complement each other, at times the APS Values need to be balanced so that no single Value is pressed to the point that it conflicts directly with another.
The guide draws on analysis undertaken as part of an evaluation conducted by the Commission. It has been written against a background of change in interactions between public servants and Ministers’ offices at the Commonwealth level. We know that the number of Ministerial advisers has grown over the last 20 years; we believe (though no data is available) that the numbers of APS employees interacting with Ministers and their advisers has expanded correspondingly. We are certain that technology and media expectations are increasing the speed of their interactions.
The guide examines broad good practice principles associated with establishing the roles and responsibilities that define interactions between Australian public servants and Ministers and their advisers. It also identifies particular issues that present challenges to APS staff from time to time that might call for more specific guidance at the agency level.
In such cases, many agencies may find that it is effective to document their policies and procedures as agency-specific protocols, and to ensure that they are effectively promoted amongst their employees. Examples of good practice protocols provided by agencies have been included in this guide as appendices for those agencies who may wish to adapt existing models to their own needs.
While access to documented guidance is often critical to employee confidence and effectiveness in handling interactions with Ministers and their offices, it is not a substitute for agency leadership. Senior managers have a role in mentoring others about the handling of sensitive requests. They should also make time to canvass broader considerations around interacting with Ministers and their advisers, and explain the factors conditioning their own judgements. Most important is the role of agency leadership in creating a culture in which these questions can be readily asked as well as effectively answered.
Lynelle Briggs
Australian Public Service Commissioner
