Governing the City State One ACT Government – One ACT Public Service 1 February 2011 ACTPS Review Final Report [email protected] 1 This word cloud from the Canberra 2030 –Time to Talk Report is a combination of words nominated by community forum participants when asked to describe what Canberra means to them. The largest words in the picture were those most frequently nominated by a group of almost 500 participants from across the three forums. © Australian Capital Territory, Canberra 2011 This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the Territory Records Office, Community and Infrastructure Services, Territory and Municipal Services, ACT Government. GPO Box 158, Canberra City, ACT, 2601 Enquiries about this publication should be directed to: ACTPS Review Secretariat Chief Minister’s Department GPO Box 158 Canberra City ACT 2601 Telephone: Canberra Connect 13 22 81 www.actpsreview.act.gov.au LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL Mr Jon Stanhope MLA Chief Minister of the ACT ACT Legislative Assembly CIVIC SQUARE ACT 2600 Review of ACT Public Sector Structures and Capacity I am pleased to provide you with the Report on ACT Public Sector Structures and Capacity in accordance with your Press Release announcing a Review on 3 September 2010. The aim of the Review was to ensure the configuration of the ACT public sector remains appropriate for meeting the Government’s needs and delivering its future agenda. As such, it took place concurrently with other work looking at different aspects of the Government’s operations, namely: • the review of taxation by former ACT Treasurer, Mr Ted Quinlan; • Canberra 2030 – Time to Talk; and • continuation of the Expenditure Review and Evaluation Committee’s work. Twenty one years since the granting of self government to the ACT, and mid-way through the Government’s third term, the Review presented a timely opportunity to take stock of where the ACT Public Service (ACTPS) has come from, where it is now and how it needs to be positioned for the future. In making recommendations for improvement and enhancing performance, the Review has concluded the ACTPS is not broken and that there is much to be celebrated in what the ACTPS does on a daily basis. Consultations and Submissions to the Review nevertheless highlighted two key areas of concern: • first, the current arrangements in relation to land and planning are, at best, hindering if not actively obstructing and frustrating achievement of the Government’s priorities; and • second, there are clear opportunities, and a significant need, for greater coordination and alignment of the efforts of the ACTPS in delivering the Government's policy priorities, and supporting its decision making processes. The Review’s key recommendation is that all existing Administrative Units be abolished and the ACTPS reconfigured as a single entity, reporting to a single Chief Executive who is Head of the ACTPS. This will support a “One ACT Government – One ACT Public Service” culture and way of working, and enhance coordination, cohesion and alignment of officials’ effort. It will be supported by rebasing the specification of Government priorities, together with recalibration of a more meaningful, and manageable framework of performance indicators, reporting and evaluation. The Review recommends a consolidation of disparate entities in what might be described broadly as the planning arena in a new Sustainable Development Directorate in parallel with an Economic Development Directorate, the head of which would be titled Coordinator- General. Reflecting its importance to the ACT Budget, the Economic Development Directorate would be responsible for the Government’s land release program. The Coordinator-General will facilitate resolution of obstacles in the planning and development spheres, act as a key conduit for the business community to raise matters of concern with the Government and the ACTPS and seek out opportunities to break down process barriers and reduce red tape. The Coordinator-General’s immediate priorities should include: • delivery of the proposed ACT Government Office Building; and • further streamlining processes for unit title registration. The necessary enhancements to cohesion, coordination and alignment of effort will be supported by the creation of a deliberately powerful centre for the ACTPS which will work with colleagues directly responsible for service delivery to the community to ensure officials' efforts remain focussed, and that issues are identified, engaged with, and resolved quickly. This central hub will provide an enhanced capacity to facilitate connections across government in the development of aligned and coordinated government policy, it will provide assurance to Cabinet that its decisions are properly informed and implemented, and, when necessary, will drive policy development on critical issues. Its successful implementation will be dependent on the clear articulation of government priorities, and the ability of officials to work cohesively in genuine collaboration in pursuit of those objectives. The solutions offered to these two issues form the centerpieces of this Report. They are supported by recommended actions in the following critical areas: • greater Budget and Cabinet process discipline and enhanced support to the Budget Committee of Cabinet by officials; • an increase in the number of Members of the Legislative Assembly (and in the size of the Ministry to seven); and • reform of the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 (Cwlth) (the Self Government Act). Perhaps naturally, the Self Government Act and the interplay between the ACTPS and the National Capital Authority arose during our deliberations, along with goodwill from all sides to reach an acceptable resolution of long standing critical issues. The Executive Summary commences with some context and the Terms of Reference, followed by sections on the guiding principles and key findings. That leads to my major recommendation of a unified ACTPS under the banner “One ACT Government – One ACT Public Service” and the associated changes to the Administrative Arrangements. I believe that the combination of structural, functional, institutional and cultural changes set out in the Report will create an environment in which the ACTPS can improve the way it provides high quality support to the Government of the day and services to the people of Canberra. The Review contains 76 primary recommendations under five overarching initiatives: • Governance; • Structure; • Priority setting; • Capability; and • Implementation supported by a comprehensive set of actions. Recommendations are brought together in the Executive Summary, the associated issues being dealt with in greater depth in the relevant chapter which sets out the reasoning behind them. Conclusions and findings that are more advisory in nature are interspersed throughout the Report for further consideration in due course. Chapter 7 deals with the major priority issues of sustainability, housing affordability and transport, all of which cross traditional agency boundaries. In closing, I want to pay particular tribute to Andrew Kefford as Head of the Secretariat, ably assisted by Meg Brighton, Chris Wilson and Alan Higgins who assisted in researching and writing this Report. Any errors, omissions or oversights are my responsibility. Allan Hawke 2 February 2011 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to sponsors of Submissions to the Review for their thoughtful assessment of what the ACTPS does well, and where it might improve. Similarly, the candour and good will brought to consultations by current and former ACTPS staff, and organisations and individuals outside the public sector is appreciated. The willingness of people to offer their thoughts and recommendations on how the ACTPS might support the ACT Government and serve the citizenry of Canberra better assisted the Review greatly in its task, and speaks volumes of the esteem in which the ACTPS is held. The assistance and counsel received from colleagues in other jurisdictions including Ms Angiolina Foster, Director of Strategy and Ministerial Support in the Scottish Government and Ms Robyn Rendall, Principal Advisor, State Services Commission in the New Zealand Government is also acknowledged. CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................... 1 Guiding Principles .................................................................................................................. 2 Key Findings .......................................................................................................................... 2 One ACT Government – One ACTPS ................................................................................... 4 The Administrative Arrangements ......................................................................................... 5 Investing in Capability and Capacity ..................................................................................... 5 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 6 Summary of Recommendations ............................................................................................. 6 Governance ......................................................................................................................... 6 Structure.............................................................................................................................