Governing the City State - Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate ...

times, the operation of COAG has seen a concentration of effort and responsibility in thecentral agencies of all jurisdictions, and first ministers’ departments in particular. Increasinguse of COAG Senior Officials (i.e. heads of first ministers’ departments) as the key forum forprogressing the reform agenda for consideration by COAG evident under the HowardGovernment 149 was significantly expanded during the Rudd Government, and has continuedunder the Gillard Government.The role of central agencies, and first minister’s departments in particular, can be variouslydescribed as a policy catalyst,150 involving coordination of government agencies’ activity,driving key issues for the Government, taking a whole of government view, an honest brokerin policy debates between agencies, monitoring and reporting on performance, deliveringpolicy and program support in areas of particular interest to their Ministers, as well asmaintenance of the machinery of government and support to government decision-making,and interjurisdictional interactions. Some commentators go so far as to describe centralagencies as information gatherers and advisers with a role akin to military staff officers thatare “broad in scope but shallow in their depth, in contrast to those of line specialists, whohave roles that are ‘narrow and deep’”. 151The review of New Zealand’s central agencies in 2006 identified three key roles for centralagencies, building on their “distinctive perspective that focuses on the whole, rather than onthe components”:• using their ownership of whole-of-system processes to ensure thatdepartments and agencies have the information and incentives they need togive of their best• providing assurance to Ministers collectively that the most important thingson their strategic agenda are being delivered in the right manner• undertaking a range of activities that help to moderate the impact of thetensions inherent in New Zealand’s performance model and as “stewards” tosustain, refresh and enhance the model’s fitness for purpose. 152In an environment where the ACTPS needs to work collaboratively on cross cutting issues,the key areas of focus for the proposed Chief Minister’s Department would be on:• clarifying expected outcomes and giving a sense of overall governmentpriorities;• emphasising the importance of interagency cooperation, particularly where itis necessary for progress on an outcome;• encouraging (and sometimes developing) effective mechanisms to supportshared outcomes (e.g. planning, resourcing, and reporting mechanisms etc.);and149 Anderson, G. (2008). The Council Of Australian Governments: A New Institution of Governance for Australia’s ConditionalFederalism University of New South Wales Law Journal 31(2) pp.493-508. p.506150 Keating (1995) p.581.151 Norman, R. (2008) “At the Centre or in Control: Central Agencies in Search of New Identities” Policy Quarterly 4(2) pp.33-38,p.37.152 New Zealand Government (2006) Review of Central Agencies’ Role in Promoting and Assuring State Sector Performance.Wellington, pp.30-31.Governing the City State: 96