Home page
> Annual reports
> Annual Report 2005-06 > Part Two > APS policy and employment services > Next: Year highlight
‹ Previous page

Last updated: 18 October 2006

Output 1: APS policy and employment services

Output 1 is drawn from the statutory role of the Public Service Commissioner (the Commissioner) under the Public Service Act 1999 (the Act), in particular, her responsibilities to:

develop, promote, review and evaluate APS employment policies and practices, including the APS Values and Code of Conduct
provide advice and assistance on public service matters to agencies on request.

Output 1 is also drawn from the Merit Protection Commissioner’s statutory responsibilities to:

inquire into whistleblower reports
conduct review of actions.

The output additionally relates to the Commission’s endeavours to increase the knowledge, skills and capability of identified Asia-Pacific public sector managers.

Achievements

The achievements under Output 1 this year included:

conducted extensive consultation with agencies, including Secretaries and the heads of large agencies, in developing options for the review of the Act and associated subordinate legislation
efficiently processed agency requests for endorsement of Senior Executive Service (SES) selection processes
released and promoted Being Professional in the Australian Public Service—Values Resources for Facilitators
provided support services to the Executive for a diverse range of speechwriting and presentation requirements
organised work placements and study visits for public sector officials from the Pacific region
supported the organisation of two Pacific Regional Public Service Commissioners’conferences, in Fiji and Papua New Guinea
commenced an AusAID-funded project in support of civil service reform and capacity building activities in Indonesia, including the deployment of an SES officer to Jakarta
completed projects on civil service reform in Thailand
arranged high-level APS representation at meetings and conferences, including those conducted by the Commonwealth Association of Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
hosted a substantially increased number of delegations from overseas public services, who learnt about Australia’s experience of public sector reform.

Slippages

During 2005–06 work progressed to redevelop the online lodgement process and public search system for the Public Service Gazette (the Gazette). The development will improve significantly the lodgement process and community access to APS employment opportunities. The first stage of this development was due for release in early 2006, however due to competing demands on resources this was completed in July 2006.

The Commission undertook to release a plain English guide on bullying and harassment in 2005–06. The guide will now be released in 2006–07, with an emphasis on assisting managers to build a positive workplace culture. While this task has slipped, the Commission is aware that agencies need good quality material on preventing workplace bullying and harassment.

Provide advice and support to Minister, Executive and agency heads

In meeting our responsibilities under Output 1, the Commission provides advice to Government and agencies on the policy and legislative aspects of public administration, people management and employment frameworks.

Advice and support to the Minister

During 2005–06 the Commission provided high quality support and advice to the Minister. This included 24 responses to ministerial correspondence, 16 new question time briefs, and 79 ministerial briefings.

The Commission continues to measure the quality and timeliness of advice provided to the Minister. The Minister is asked to assess briefs against a scale of one to five, with five being ‘excellent’. The rating system provides important feedback for staff who brief the Minister, so they can continue to refine and improve the quality of the advice and support they provide. In 2005–06, of the 79 briefs forwarded to the Minister for his consideration, all those receiving a rating were at a higher than satisfactory standard.

Review of the Public Service Act 1999 and subordinate legislation

In August 2005, the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service, the Hon. Kevin Andrews MP, agreed that the Commission review the the Act and associated subordinate legislation to ensure that the current legislative framework meets the future needs of agencies.

At the start of the review, the Commission consulted extensively with agencies in developing options for change. The Commission met individually with Secretaries and the heads of large agencies to identify their concerns and attended two Portfolio Secretaries meetings to discuss proposed changes. This process has been very productive, with agencies making valuable contributions on all issues.

The Commission has also consulted Mr Kelvin Thomson MP, Shadow Minister for Public Accountability and Human Services, and the Community and Public Sector Union, on the scope of the review.

The Commission has briefed the Minister on a range of issues and proposals for change identified during the review, including:

reducing the complexity of the existing non- ongoing employment provisions
options to more effectively manage difficult termination of employment cases
refining the APS Values and Code of Conduct, and related procedures.

The Government has not yet decided on the detail, priority and timing of any legislative change.

Disclosure of information

The 2004–05 annual report provided details on developments concerning Public Service Regulation 2.1. This Regulation is part of the statutory framework limiting the disclosure of information by APS employees.

In December 2003, the validity of Regulation 2.1 was cast into doubt by the decision in Bennett v The President, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (2003) 204 ALR 119 (the Bennett case). A new Regulation 2.1 was subsequently developed and came into effect on 23 December 2004; however, the Senate disallowed the new regulation on 16 June 2005.

During the period that the new form of Regulation 2.1 was in force, its validity was challenged in a case before the ACT Magistrates Court (van Hilst v Scrine [2005]). In that case the Magistrate expressed some concern about the limitations on disclosure applied by the revised form of the Regulation, particularly as it related to information that was already in the public domain.

The Government will submit a revised Regulation 2.1 to the Governor-General for approval early in 2006–07.

Provide advice and support services to the Executive

Advice and support to members of the Commission’s Executive includes research on public sector matters, the preparation of briefs and correspondence and speech writing services.

The speeches and presentations by members of the Executive are critical to our engagement with agencies and external stakeholders. They allow us to champion public service issues, stimulate debate within the APS as well as externally, and assess the Commission’s research and development work against international practice and academic study.

The Commissioner made many presentations during 2005–06, including 10 major speeches, four presentations to individual agencies, and nine presentations to multi-agency forums.

Speeches delivered during 2005–06 included:

The State of the Service, Minter Ellison Connections Series, 12 July 2005
Managing and Sustaining the APS Workforce, launch of the fifth MAC report, 11 October 2005
Thinking and acting strategically: building the strategic capability of the Australian Public Service, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 8 December 2005
Programme management and organisational change: new directions for implementation, ANZSOG–Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet conference on Project Management and Organisational Change, 21 February 2006
Supporting ministers, upholding the values: a good practice guide, launch speech, 9 March 2006
Leadership for the third millennium: coping with crises, Queensland Regional Heads Forum, 18th Annual Government Business Conference, 26 May 2006.

A paper was also presented at a CAPAM seminar in Gaborone, Botswana, entitled A stately dance: managing the relationship between public servants and ministers and their offices in Australia.

The Deputy Public Service Commissioner made nine speeches and a range of other presentations, including to the OECD Public Governance Committee, on the subject of Performance management—an Australian perspective.

Advice and support to agency heads

The Commission plays an important role in providing advice to agency heads on matters related to APS policy and legislation.

In 2005, the report of the Inquiry into the Circumstances of the Immigration Detention of Cornelia Rau ( July 2005) and the report of the Inquiry into the Circumstances of the Vivian Alvarez Matter (September 2005) were released. The Commission was invited by the Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) to assist with change management processes in the department.

The Commission has assisted in the establishment of a leadership programme for Executive Level (EL) employees and provided advice on the department’s new governance framework. In addition, the Deputy Public Service Commissioner represents the Commission on the department’s new Values and Standards Committee. This high-level committee is supported by a working group, which includes staff from the Policy Group of the Commission.

The Deputy Public Service Commissioner is also a member of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Integrity Advisory Committee.

Throughout 2005–06 the Commission worked in partnership with agencies moving into the APS as a result of the implementation of recommendations made by the Uhrig Review¹, helping them change to new governance arrangements. The Commission met several times with agencies such as the Health Insurance Commission (now Medicare Australia), the Australian Sports Drug Agency (now the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority), and the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) providing advice as they moved through the transition. Services provided included:

advice on management of the change, including employment options and flexibilities
help with preparing instructions to those drafting legislation on transitional provisions
advice on the APS Values and Code of Conduct, the APS whistleblowing provisions and review of actions
advice on new human resource policies and procedures resulting from Public Service Act coverage
information sessions on recruitment and selection procedures for SES and non-SES staff.

Employment Policy Adviceline and advice to regional senior staff

The Commission’s Employment Policy Adviceline provides information to agencies on a range of matters relating to APS employment policy. Callers from an agency’s human resource area can seek advice on the legislative framework as it relates to recruitment, termination of employment, redundancy, the APS Values and Code of Conduct, performance management and so on, as well as better practice advice.

While most APS employment matters are the responsibility of agency heads, the Adviceline can assist in clarifying issues and by helping agencies to find the most relevant publicly available information, including on the Commission’s website.

While an increase in the number of main category enquiries occurred during 2005–06, there was a slight reduction overall in the number of enquiries, with the service answering a total of 3289 enquiries. This represents a monthly average of 274 calls: a decrease of 15 over the 2004–05 monthly average. There was a slight increase (2%) compared with the previous year in the number of requests for advice made by email, with 32% of the enquiries being emailed to employmentadvice@apsc.gov.au in 2005–06.

Table 2 identifies the main categories of enquiries received. As with previous years, calls relating to obtaining APS employment, and the selection, movement and placement of APS employees, continued to dominate the matters on which information was sought.

Table 2: Main categories of Employment Policy Adviceline enquiries, 2004–05 and 2005–06
Subject	2004–05	2005–06
Staffing matters	812	935
General legislative issues	298	416
Separations	234	261
Conditions/entitlements	251	259
Review matters	270	233
APS Values/Code of Conduct	187	212
Workplace diversity issues	40	80
SES matters	46	54
Mobility/reciprocal mobility	16	48
Competencies/qualifications	10	48
Other	1305	743
TOTAL	3469	3289

In addition, staff in the Commission’s regional offices are called upon from time-to-time to provide advice to senior staff of APS agencies on similar issues, as well as on the Commission’s regional services. Where this advice is time consuming, or relates to complex matters, the details are recorded. During the year, advice was provided to senior regional staff on 120 occasions.

Publications and circulars

The Commission’s website is a key vehicle for promulgating advice to agencies. The employment policy and advice pages were reorganised in 2005–06 so that the Commission’s good practice publications and advice on legislative requirements are more accessible to people seeking information.

During 2005–06 the Commission issued five circulars, notifying agencies of legislative changes, policy developments and the release of new publications.

Table 3: Performance Information: Output 1.1 Advice and support to Minister, Executive and Agency Heads
Target	Result
Quantity
1. Number of items to ministers:
responses to ministerial correspondence— estimate 15	Underestimated^. 24 responses to ministerial correspondence
question time briefs— estimate 5	Underestimated^. 16 new question time briefs.
ministerial requests for briefings— estimate 24	Underestimated^. 79 ministerial requests for briefings.
2. Number of reports and responses to requests for information and advice:
responses to correspondence— estimate 25	Almost achieved. 23 responses to correspondence.
Commission Adviceline enquiries— estimate 3200	Exceeded. 3289 responses to enquiries.
reports, circulars and publications— estimate 12	Exceeded. 5 circulars; 13 publications.
advice and support to regional senior staff— estimate 150	Overestimated. 120.
Quality
1. Percentage of items rated satisfactory or higher in terms of relevance, quality and timeliness – target is 100%.	Achieved. 100% of rated briefs at a higher than satisfactory standard.
2. Agencies satisfied with quality of advice.	Achieved. Agencies did not raise any issues with the quality of advice.
Estimated price: $2.366m	Actual: $2.638m Higher than estimated price due to refinement of resources required for these activities
^ For completeness and effectiveness of reporting of ‘items to Ministers’, all areas within the Commission are represented in this table.

Employment services

A major component of the work performed within the Commission, and which directly impacts on the sustainability of the APS, is the delivery of employment services.

Produce the Public Service Gazette

The Commission produces the Gazette weekly to notify the APS of all employment vacancies, recruitment outcomes and some learning and development opportunities. In 2005–06, the Commission produced 50 Public Service Gazettes.

The number of notices lodged increased again this year, to 47,918—a 27% increase on 2004–05 when 39,000 notices were lodged. Demand for the hard copy Gazette has declined again in 2005–06. The benefit of producing a hard copy production remains under review.

Figure 2: Gazette lodgements 2003–04 to 2005–06

During 2005–06, work progressed to redevelop the online lodgement process and public search system for the Gazette. The development will improve significantly the lodgement process and community access to APS employment opportunities. The first stage of this development was due for release in early 2006, however due to competing demands on resources, this was completed in July 2006.

In addition to improvements to the existing mechanism, the MAC report on Managing and Sustaining the APS Workforce identified the need for the Commission to develop the Public Service Gazette into an APS employment portal. Funding for this initiative was confirmed in May 2006 and a scoping study commenced in June 2006.

Manage Commission responsibilities for SES engagements, promotions and termination of employment

The Commissioner has a number of responsibilities in relation to SES staffing arrangements under the Act and the Public Service Commissioner’s Directions 1999 (Commissioner’s Directions).

In 2005–06, the Commissioner endorsed 251 SES selection exercises, which resulted in 459 SES employment opportunities being filled by promotion, engagement or movement at level during the year. The Commission continued to deal with agency requests for endorsement of SES selection processes efficiently—the majority of requests were responded to within one working day of receipt.

The Commissioner also has responsibility for approving the amount offered by agency heads to SES employees as an incentive to retire within a specified period under section 37 of the Act. In 2005–06, 36 such retirements took effect, a similar low level of usage as in recent years.

Appendix I contains the SES profile at 30 June 2006, as well as details of promotions, engagements and movements at levels to advertised SES employment opportunities, section 37 retirements by agency and SES separations by type during 2005–06.

The Group Manager, Policy Group, fulfils the role of SES Adviser. The SES Adviser is available to all SES employees seeking advice on career and development options, including those SES employees offered the opportunity to retire under section 37. Such advice was provided on approximately 50 occasions in 2005–06.

Succession management in the APS

In 2005–06, the Commissioner gathered information from Secretaries on the professional skills and capacities of the SES Band 3 group, which represents a major source of future APS agency heads. The Commissioner used this information during the year to advise Secretaries, and in particular the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, about succession management, both in general terms and in relation to specific vacancies.

The Commissioner has written to Secretaries seeking updated information to that provided in 2005, and will be meeting with each Secretary in July–August 2006 to discuss the new information.

Performance assessment for Secretaries

The Commissioner and the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet provided advice to the Prime Minister on the performance of Secretaries during 2004–05. The Prime Minister considered this advice when determining performance bonuses for Secretaries. The Commissioner also provided advice to relevant Ministers on the performance of executive agency heads in 2004–05. The Prime Minister endorsed relevant Minister’s determinations regarding performance bonuses for executive agency heads.

Administrative re-arrangement casework

The Commission handled 10 administrative re-arrangements in 2005–06, including those arising from Uhrig assessment. Significant changes included:

the Health Insurance Commission moving into the APS as Medicare Australia. The establishment of Medicare Australia also involved the movement of staff from the aged care payment function of the Department of Health and Ageing into Medicare Australia
the Australian Sports Drug Agency moving into the APS as the newly created Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority
several movements between agencies, including the merger of the Australian Broadcasting Authority and the Australian Communications Authority to form the Australian Communications and Media Authority; the movement of the Workplace Services Branch of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) into the newly created executive agency, the Office of Workplace Services; and the movement of the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination from the Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs portfolio into the Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs portfolio.

The Commission prepared and executed the necessary determinations under section 72 of the Act to give effect to these administrative rearrangements to meet the timeframes set by the Government and by individual agencies.

Following the administrative re-arrangements arising from the October 2004 Federal election, the Commissioner asked Portfolio Secretaries to identify how information about the implementation of machinery of government changes could be improved. The Commission chaired a working group to examine in detail the issues raised by Secretaries. The working group has developed a joint publication ‘Implementing Machinery of Government Changes’, which will be released in 2006–07.

Delegations to outsiders

Before an agency head can delegate any powers under the Act, the Commissioner’s Directions, the Public Service Regulations, or the Public Service Classification Rules 2000 to an outsider—that is, a person not employed under the Act—an agency head must obtain the Commissioner’s written consent.

In 2005–06, the Commissioner agreed to 10 requests for such consent, relating to 16 named individuals. Each request was considered on its merits, including whether the individuals involved possessed relevant experience and knowledge to exercise the delegated powers appropriately.

Employment related services on a fee-for-service basis

Under section 41(1)(k) of the Act, the Commissioner is able, on request, to provide advice and assistance to agencies on public service matters. Some of this work is conducted on a fee-for-service basis.

During 2005–06, the overwhelming majority of work undertaken in response to requests for employment-related services involved recruitment and selection of staff. The Commission provided convenors, panel members and support for selection advisory committees for a large number of agencies. Among the most frequent users of the Commission’s services were the Department of Defence, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, ATO, DEWR, the Office of the Employment Advocate, and the Office of the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner. Other fee-for-service activities included career counselling and alternative dispute resolution. Over the year 785 fee-for-service activities were conducted.

Employment-related fee-for-service activities include those provided under the Merit Protection Commissioner’s functions, such as independent selection advisory committees. More details about such committees and other fee-for-service activities performed on behalf of the Merit Protection Commissioner can be found in the Merit Protection Commissioner’s annual report at Part 4 of this report.

Remuneration and workplace agreements

DEWR provides the Commission with copies of draft agency agreements so that the Commission can review elements of the Government’s Policy Parameters for Agreement Making in the APS for which the Commission is responsible. In particular, this advice includes an assessment of the redeployment, reduction and redundancy arrangements in agreements, to ensure consistency with the requirement that agencies include compulsory redundancy arrangements

(while also ensuring any changes do not enhance existing arrangements). The Commission also provides advice on a range of legislative and good practice issues that fall within the Commission’s range of responsibilities under the Act and subordinate legislation, such as reviews of actions, merit and open competition, and mobility.

In 2005–06, comments were provided to DEWR on 60 occasions. Of those agreements, 53 (88%) were assessed within the five-day assessment period following receipt, as agreed with DEWR. The delays to the other assessments were caused in large part by the complexity of the matters dealt with in the agreements.

Values training for APS employees

During the financial year, the Commission released a resources kit, Being Professional in the Australian Public Service, which has been specifically designed for agencies and training consultants to use in delivering training on the APS Values.

Developed with the assistance of a reference group of APS agencies, the kit is the first comprehensive package of materials to address ethical dilemmas specific to the APS. The kit is aimed at helping agencies make the APS Values and Code of Conduct come alive for employees and assisting them to convey key messages about building a values-based culture in the APS.

Agencies are able to use the kit to build their own programmes to guide employees in workplace discussion of decision-making and the APS Values and Code of Conduct.

The materials demonstrate how, for all APS employees, the APS Values and Code of Conduct are signposts that should not only guide behaviour, but help to manage the key relationships with the Government and the Parliament, with the public, and with each other in the workplace.

Public interest whistleblowing

The APS whistleblowing scheme is provided for by the Act and regulations. Section 16 of the Act prohibits victimisation of, or discrimination against, an APS employee who reports a breach or alleged breach of the Code of Conduct. The regulations require agency heads to establish procedures for dealing with such reports. The procedures must observe procedural fairness, comply with the Privacy Act 1988 and provide that APS employees in the agency may report breaches or alleged breaches of the Code to the agency head, the Commissioner or the Merit Protection Commissioner.

Generally, disclosures should be made to the agency head, or a person authorised by the agency head, and investigated by the relevant APS agency. Where it is not appropriate for the agency head to deal with a particular matter or where the whistleblower is not satisfied with the outcome of the investigation by the agency, the whistleblower may report the matter to the Commissioner or Merit Protection Commissioner.

Seventeen reports were sent to the Commissioner during 2005–06, two less than the number received during 2004–05. Nine of these were from current employees and eight were from private citizens.

The Commissioner considered disclosures from two employees in relation to the conduct of agency heads and a disclosure from an employee in relation to the conduct of the Merit Protection Commissioner. In all three cases, it was considered that there was no evidence to support the allegations of inappropriate behaviour made by the employees. In particular it was the Commissioner’s view that the allegations relating to the Merit Protection Commissioner were reflecting the employee’s disappointmentwith the outcome of a review matter. Of the remaining disclosures by APS employees, four did not meet the criteria for investigation by the Commissioner, and two reports were on hand at the end of the reporting period.

Where disclosures did not meet the criteria for consideration, advice was provided on appropriate ways in which concerns could be addressed, either by referral to the relevant agency head or other administrative review bodies, such as the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

Table 4: Performance Information: Output 1.2—Employment Services
Target	Result
Quantity
1. To provide Gazette services to enable agencies to satisfy legislative requirements to notify certain employment actions—50 gazettes produced per year	Achieved. 50 Gazettes produced in accordance with requirements.
2. Perform statutory responsibilities:
Number of SES engagements, promotions and terminations – estimate 200	Exceeded. 287 matters were resolved.
Services to support any machinery of government changes, approval of delegations, and case management of about 490 individual cases	Overestimated. 10 machinery of government cases and 10 consents to delegations to outsiders, and the Commissioner considered 17 whistleblowing reports. Due to changes in the Commission's output structure, the cases are now incorporated within item 3 below (estimated number of fee-for-service employment-related services).
3. Estimated number of fee-for-service employment-related services—617	Achieved. 785 fee-for-service activities were conducted.
Quality
1. Per cent of Gazette entries accurately published in accordance with legislative requirements – target 100%.	Achieved. No significant errors or omissions identified.
2. 95% of agency SES employment recommendations able to be endorsed within one week of receipt of documents.	Achieved. 100% of SES employment recommendations endorsed within one week of receipt.
100% of machinery of government changes completed within legislative timeframes	Achieved. 100% of 10 machinery of government changes effected within legislative timeframes.
95% of approvals of delegations to outsiders completed within 5 working days	Not achieved. 90% of 10 cases completed within 5 working days. One case delayed due to extra information being required from agency concerned.
100% of requests for consultation on, or approval for, re-engagement completed within 5 working days	Achieved. 100% of 2 cases completed within 5 working days.
a high level of satisfaction of clients with the accuracy, quality and timeliness of individual cases.	Achieved. Feedback from clients indicates a continuing high level of satisfaction with the services provided.
Estimated price: $4.380m	Actual: $5.149m Actual exceeded estimate due to fee-for-service being higher than estimated.

An inquiry started in the previous year into three reports relating to allegations of harassment was discontinued as the employee against whom allegations were made had left APS employment.

Manage international responsibilities

The Commission continued to collaborate with AusAID to meet the Australian Government’s commitment of supporting countries in our region to establish professional, impartial public services. Partner countries in the region are able to benefit from Australia’s experience in public sector reform and its expertise in good governance. This helps to improve the quality and performance of public services for the benefit of the whole region.

The programmes are funded by AusAID and are consistent with its country-specific strategies.

Supporting public sector reform in the Pacific

Photo: see caption
Participants at the Pacific Regional Public Service Commissioners’ Conference, including Lynelle Briggs, Australian Public Service Commissioner (seated, sixth from left). Nadi, Fiji, 27–29 July 2005

The largest element of the Commission’s international assistance programme in 2005–06 was conducted in the Pacific region. The Commission organised two-month long work placements with APS, State and Territory agencies for five participants under the Pacific Islands Scholarships for Governance Programme.

The Commission provided an opportunity for nine senior officials from a number of Pacific nations to undertake study visits in Australia, and supported the organisation of two Pacific Regional Public Service Commissioners’conferences: in Fiji in July 2005, which was attended by the Commissioner, and in Papua New Guinea in June 2006, which was attended by the Merit Protection Commissioner.

The Commission also delivered a two week residential Public Sector Leadership Programme in Fiji for current public sector leaders from a number of Pacific nations.

Under AusAID’s Enhanced Cooperation Programme, the Commission continued to provide assistance to the Papua New Guinea Government by deploying two SES Commission employees to work in line management positions within the Department of Personnel Management. The officers have undertaken roles in human resource and industrial relations within the Department of Personnel Management for the purpose of developing the skills and knowledge of local employees.

Assistance to civil service reform in Indonesia

Photo: see caption
Mike Jones, Adviser, Indonesian Public Sector Reform, with Mr Taufiq Effendi, Indonesian Minister for Administrative Reform, and His Excellency Mohammad Hamzah Thayeb, Indonesian Ambassador to Australia.

In September 2005, the Commissioner, together with senior officials from Australian agencies, embarked on a scoping mission to Jakarta. The group met senior Indonesian civil service officials to identify and agree upon areas in which Australian public service agencies could support civil service reform and capacity building. The scoping mission was an important step in strengthening institutional linkages between the two countries.

In November 2005, the Commission carried out a second scoping mission to identify further opportunities for providing support and advice to Indonesian central agencies involved in the civil service reform programme. This scoping mission mapped out possibilities for joint collaboration and identified a number of pragmatic measures for building the human resource capacity of the Indonesian civil service.

As a result of these two scoping missions, AusAID agreed to provide funds to the Commission to support civil service reform activities until 2010. An integral part of the project was the deployment, in June 2006, of a Commission SES officer to Jakarta for two years. The officer will work directly with central Indonesian civil service agencies providing support and guidance to the capacity building process.

In March 2006, the Commission hosted a highly successful visit by heads of agencies from Indonesia’s National Civil Service Agency, Ministry for Administrative Reform, and State Administration Agency.

In May 2006, the Commission hosted an Indonesian study visit focusing on Australian initiatives in strategic information technology. The visit provided an excellent opportunity for the Indonesian officials to gain an overview of Australian public sector strategic information technology directions and their possible application in the Indonesian context.

Assistance to civil service reform in Thailand

During 2005–06, the Commission completed projects providing assistance to the Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) and the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC) in Thailand, funded under AusAID’s Government Sectors Linkage Programme. This work commenced in 2004 with the aim of strengthening human resource practices in the Thai civil service.

Four Thai officials from the OPDC visited Australia in August 2005. The main aim of the visit was to expose Thai officials to the Australian public sector experience of policy framework development and strategies for human resource management.

An SES officer from the Australian Electoral Commission was seconded by the Commission to provide assistance to the OPDC in the development of a human resource policy framework and its implementation in line departments. The officer completed her assignment in August 2005.

An SES officer from the Treasury was seconded by the Commission to provide assistance to the OCSC in the development of a human resource management assessment and evaluation system. The officer completed her assignment in December 2005.

Attendance at international conferences

In 2005–06, the Commissioner attended the following international events:

Pacific Regional Public Service Commissioners’ Conference in Nadi, Fiji, 27–29 July 2005
the high level CAPAM seminar, In Pursuit of Excellence: Developing and Maintaining a High Quality Public Service, 4–5 October 2005, in New Delhi, India
the CAPAM Board of Directors’ meeting in New Delhi on 7 October 2005
a CAPAM seminar on Managing the Political-Administrative Interface, 11–12 April 2006, in Gaborone, Botswana
the Centre of Government’s Senior Officials Meeting, with the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Dr Peter Shergold, 19–21 April 2006, in London, UK.

The Deputy Public Service Commissioner attended the following international events:

Profession in Perspective: the Art of Strengthening Top Officials in the Changing Society, a conference organised by the Netherlands’Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, 24–25 November 2005, The Hague, in the Netherlands
Strengthening Trust in Government, a Ministerial meeting of the OECD Public Governance Committee, 27–29 November 2005, Rotterdam, in the Netherlands
an OECD Public Governance Committee’s working party meeting, 6–7 April 2006 in Paris, France.

Jeff Lamond, as Acting Deputy Public Service Commissioner, attended the Pacific Regional Public Service Commissioners’Conference in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, 19–20 June 2006

The Group Manager, Evaluation Group, attended the UK Cabinet Office Public Service Reform Seminar, held in London on 6 June 2006. While in London, the Group Manager also met senior officials in the UK Cabinet Office and other organisations.

Hosting visits by overseas delegations

The number of overseas delegations visiting the Commission, to discuss public sector reform and the Commission’s role and responsibilities, increased from 25 in 2004–05 to 30 in 2005–06, with the number of visitors also increasing from 166 to 223. Visits from Asia accounted for 70%. China remained the country with the largest number of visits (seven) and visitors (86).

Other visitors were from Bhutan, Botswana, Cambodia, Chile, Denmark, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Korea, Norway, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Table 5: Performance Information: Output 1.3—International assistance and organisations
Target	Result
Quantity
1. Deliver high quality technical assistance overseas in line with Records of Understanding with AusAID – priorities: Pacific, PNG, Indonesia and Thailand.	Achieved. Arranged study visits for nine Pacific officials and three Indonesian officials. Hosted visit for three Indonesian agency heads. Placed five Pacific scholarship holders with agencies. Supported Pacific Commissioners’ conferences in Fiji and in Papua New Guinea. Delivered Pacific Leadership programme. Placed two people with Papua New Guinea public service. Carried out two scoping missions to Indonesia. Completed Thailand programme.
2. Share information, knowledge and skills with visiting officials in Australia. Number of overseas delegation visits coordinated and hosted – estimate 15.	Exceeded. The Commission coordinated and hosted 30 visiting delegations.
Quality
1. High level of satisfaction with the quality and timeliness of reports, advice and services provided.	Exceeded. Direct positive feedback from recipients on quality of study visits and agency placements and from Pacific Commissioners and Papua New Guinea public service.
2. A high level of satisfaction of the delegations as advised by the third-party organisers.	Exceeded. Consistently high levels of satisfaction expressed through feedback in formal letters of appreciation and informal emails of thanks from the visiting delegations and organisers.
Estimated price: $1.834m	Actual: $1.904m Price is consistent with estimate

Merit protection and other services

The Merit Protection Commissioner’s statutory role under the Act includes inquiring into whistleblower reports (section 16) and reviewing actions in relation to APS employment (section 33).

The Act provides that the Commissioner will make available staff necessary to assist the Merit Protection Commissioner. The Merit Protection Commissioner and the Commissioner have in place a memorandum of understanding for provision of staff necessary to assist the Merit Protection Commissioner in performing his statutory functions.

Commission staff members undertake several activities on behalf of the Merit Protection Commissioner, including in his role as Parliamentary Service Merit Protection Commissioner. These activities include:

conducting reviews of promotion decisions, primary reviews including reviews of determinations and sanctions with regard to breaches of the Code of Conduct, and secondary reviews of other employment actions
providing assistance on matters relating to whistleblowing reports
other support services, such as preparing management reports.

During 2005–06, Commission staff conducted 260 reviews and responded to three whistleblowing reports on behalf of the Merit Protection Commissioner and Parliamentary Service Merit Protection Commissioner. All activities performed on behalf of the Merit Protection Commissioner are demand driven.

A separate report has been prepared by the Merit Protection Commissioner on his activities during the year (Part 4).

Table 6: Performance Information: Output 1.4—Merit Protection and other services
Target	Result
Quantity
1. Conduct reviews and respond to whistleblowing reports. Estimated number of:
reviews— 270	Almost achieved. 260 review applications received.
whistleblowing report responses— 20	Overestimated. 3 whistleblowing report responses.
2. Policy and advice services provided to the Merit Protection Commissioner, Parliamentary Service Merit Protection Commissioner and Parliamentary Departments – estimate 80 activities	Exceeded. 122 activities for policy and advice services.
Quality
1. Review processes accepted as being impartial, fair and effective.	Achieved. Feedback from agencies and employees indicates a high level of acceptance of processes as being impartial, fair and effective.
90% of reviews completed within published timeframes.	Not achieved. 29% of reviews completed within published timeframes.
100% of whistle-blowing reports receive an initial response within 6 weeks with any further investigations conducted in a timely and objective manner.	Partly achieved. 67% (2 out of 3) of finalised whistleblowing reports in 2005–06 received an initial response within 6 weeks, however further investigations were conducted in a timely and objective manner.
2. A high level of satisfaction of the Merit Protection Commissioner and Parliamentary Service Merit Protection Commissioner with the relevance, quality and timeliness of advice and support provided.	Achieved. Feedback from the Merit Protection Commissioner, including in his role as Parliamentary Service Merit Protection Commissioner, has indicated a high level of satisfaction with the support services provided in respect of his role.
Estimated price: $2.616m	Actual: $3.090m Increase due to refinement of the resources required for this activity

Price for Output 1

The total price for Output 1 in 2005–06 was $12.8 million. This is $1.6 million higher than the estimated price of $11.2 million published in the Portfolio Budget Statements 2005–06.

1. J. uhrig, Review of the Corporate Governance of Statutory Authorities and Office Holders, June 2003, <http://www.finance.gov.au/governancestructures/docs/the_uhrig_report_July_2003>