The Public Sector Commission has announced that executive summaries of the next three Agency Capability Review Program reports are now available.
The Departments involved are Finance; Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries; and Planning, Lands and Heritage and in a statement, the Commission said their reviews were part of a two-year trial of the Agency Capability Review Program, a proactive approach to Agency and whole-of-sector improvement which helps to identify and address risks before problems occur.
“The final two capability reviews of the trial — for the Department of Communities and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development — are well under way,” the Department said.
It said that already reviewed were the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions; the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.
“These reviews provide important information to guide Agencies’ continuous improvement activities; Agencies are required to include in their annual reports the improvement activities undertaken in response to the review,” it said.
In a further elaboration, the Commission said the program established for the first time a sector-wide approach to improvement by identifying the capabilities needed to be a high-performing Agency in the Western Australian context.
“Reviews use a new framework that sets out 21 capabilities, grouped under the five most significant areas of public sector management and administration,” it said.
“Each review is led by a trained and independent reviewer external to the Agency and supported by a dedicated team at the Commission.
“The review provides the Agency with a clear understanding of its current capabilities, including both strengths and areas for improvement.”
The trial of the program ends in June when the eight reviews of Government Departments are completed.
The Public Sector Commission said it would be evaluated to determine if it met its objectives and was helping Agencies improve performance and deliver even better services to Western Australians.
The completed reports can be accessed at this PS News link.
