Reform of Australian Government Administration
Introduction
On 8 May 2010, the Prime Minister announced that the Government has accepted all of the recommendations in Ahead of the Game: Blueprint for the Reform of Australian Government Administration.
“We are committed to building an Australian Public Service with a culture of independence, excellence and innovation - in policy advice and service delivery.” (Speech by the Prime Minister.)
The Blueprint outlines a comprehensive reform agenda to ensure the APS can meet today’s challenges of unprecedented complexity and scale. It identifies four broad areas where performance can be improved.
Nine interdependent reforms, supported by twenty-eight specific recommendations, provide a comprehensive strategy to deliver these outcomes.
Once enacted the recommendations will strengthen strategic direction and citizen engagement across the APS; while equipping the staff and leaders of the APS to perform at their best.
The Blueprint
Next Steps
Now that the Government has accepted the recommendations of the Blueprint, implementation of the reforms has begun in earnest.
The Australian Public Service Commission, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of Finance and Deregulation are each responsible for leading the implementation of significant areas of reform. However, all agencies have a part to play in reform.
The APSC is also responsible for monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the reform agenda.
A number of reforms have already been progressed. The Secretaries Board has convened, and the APS 200 leadership group has being been appointed. More details on the membership of these groups are available on the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) website.
The reforms depend upon cultural change across the APS, so an important focus is building awareness and understanding of the reforms.
A range of communication activities are being delivered across the APS – including a series of presentations around the country by the PM&C Secretary, Terry Moran, and the Public Service Commissioner, Steve Sedgwick. The second presentation to APS staff was held in Canberra on the 21 May 2010.
More detail on the implementation of the reforms can be found in Staying Ahead of the Game: What does the Blueprint mean?
Perspectives on APS reform
Advisory Group members explore the significance and implications of the APS reforms in the following articles, interviews or speeches.
- Terry Moran - Reform of Australian Government Administration: From Blueprint to Outcomes public lecture to the Institute of Public Administration Australia, 18 May 2010
- Glyn Davis - Beyond the horizon article in The Melbourne Age, 6 April 2010
- Terry Moran - Ahead of the Game: Blueprint for the Reform of Australian Government Administration speech in The Public Sector Informant, 6 April 2010
- Terry Moran - The public to be asked for a verdict on the public service interview with Lyndal Curtis on ABC Radio, 30 March 2010
- Steve Sedgwick - Expect the unexpected article in The Canberra Times, 30 March 2010
- Ann Sherry - Hi-Tech Efficiency Key To Future Service Delivery article in The Australian, 30 March 2010
- Terry Moran - Future challenges for the Australian Public Service Speech to CPSU Governing Council Meeting 2010, Friday, 19 March, 2010
Contact for further questions
General questions on the blueprint may be emailed to ReformGovernment@pmc.gov.au.
Mailing Address:
PO Box 6500
CANBERRA ACT 2600 Australia
Switchboard Telephone: 02 6271 5111