SES 25th anniversary

The emergence of strong and proactive public sector leadership has been built on reforms to the strategic and executive management of the Australian Public Service (APS).

The establishment of the Senior Executive Service (SES) in 1984 sought to create a Service-wide strategic leadership in ideas, management, and ethics in accordance with the Westminster principles and conventions of public administration as they operate in the Australian model of government.

Over time the complexity and subtlety of the demands on the SES have increased. We’ve seen accelerating change and demands from governments and Australians for the APS to be more responsive, work better and faster, and to be more accountable for results rather than just due process.

In today’s devolved and contestable environment the APS leadership group is being asked to develop and deliver innovative policy and service delivery responses to complex policy challenges like climate change, water reform, Indigenous disadvantage and mental health.

These challenges demand leaders who are outward looking, flexible, innovative and adaptive in the way they shape policies and deliver services. It also requires leaders who can assist their staff deal with the complexity and uncertainty that characterises today’s environment.

The Prime Minister has articulated four key challenges for the future APS leadership group moving forward.

The first is to enhance the strategic policy capability of the APS. For the APS to become innovative, think big and take account of the future, the SES will need to be bold in its thinking, adopt a responsible approach to risk, and become more outward looking. This will require leaders who can tap into and exploit a wide range of ideas and views and reassess traditional ways of working and solving problems.

The second challenge requires the APS to renew its efforts in the delivery of citizen centred services. To succeed the SES will need to better link policy creation and program implementation. This will require leaders who can engage with a range of stakeholders and be outwardly accountable for their decisions and actions.

The third challenge is to rebuild the concept of One APS–One SES. The SES needs to be a collegiate cadre of leaders with the interests of government overall being uppermost in their minds. The SES must learn to work collaboratively across departments. The ability of the SES leadership group to think and act strategically will be central to our success in tackling contemporary policy challenges.

Finally the SES must invest in its staff and develop the right people. This was identified as one of the three key workforce challenges facing the APS by the 2008–09 State of the Service agency survey. Agency responses continue to confirm that people management, capacity to steer and implement change, and capacity to think strategically are the most common skill gaps for the SES and the SES feeder groups. This suggests that investment in leadership development will be essential.

The creation of the SES has been critical to Australia’s success story. It has helped to produce a flexible and adaptable class of apolitical and professional public servants who serve and are responsive to the government of the day. These attributes remain critical in today’s rapidly changing devolved environment which demands organisational agility and responsiveness and a flexible approach to public administration.

The 25th anniversary of the creation of the SES provides an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate these achievements, and to focus on the challenges ahead

 

Terry Moran
Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

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