The Chair of the Review into the Australian Public Service (APS), David Thodey has shared his views on the early work of the Review and the submissions it has received.
Speaking to a conference of company directors, Mr Thodey (pictured) said the APS was responsible for “a truly breathtaking range of work”.
He said it provided world class advice to Government; delivered well over $170 billion in payments; provided advice to 4.4 million users of business.gov.au and made 700 million digital and telephone transactions to the public each year.
Reflecting on the review, Mr Thodey said it was still early days, but there were some recurring themes emerging, all of them important.
He said these included calls for a clear statement and agreement of the purpose, culture, values and behaviour of the APS across all stakeholders.
He said there was a need to value and respect the institution of the APS and the people who worked in it — the Public Service profession.
Mr Thodey said the changing nature of leadership and functional expertise required in the APS was also a theme in feedback, as was devoting adequate time and resources to continually develop the APS workforce and maintain core capability, while developing the skills and capabilities of the future.
He said the Review had also been urged to consider the nature of an impactful and effective APS that was driven by outcomes and cross-Government collaboration.
There was also a continuing need to develop innovative approaches to policy, corporate, regulatory and delivery functions, and the need for the APS to understand the needs of the public, regardless of who they were and where they lived.
Finally, he said ensuring the APS was both innovative and responsive in meeting the evolving expectations of the people and the Government of the day, was also a priority.
“Of course, this is just some of what we’re hearing, but they illustrate the types of matters people are passionate about,” Mr Thodey said.
“The task for the review panel is to examine these matters thoroughly, understand the issues and opportunities, and then develop practical and implementable recommendations.”
The full text of Mr Thodey’s talk can be accessed at this PS News link.
