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

Indeed, in playing its proper role, the proposed Chief Minister’s Department must adopt adifferent perspective to the line Directorates with which it jointly serves the Government.This role sometimes extends to that of devil’s advocate as arguments are tested, positionsrefined and differing perspectives brought to bear. In this contest of ideas, positions mightnot be able to be entirely reconciled among officials. Again, that is a sign of the systemworking, not an indication of failure. The value in this interaction comes from theclarification and improvement of policy arguments, integration of a whole of governmentview, and in the identification of areas of genuine disagreement – for which the argumentsboth for and against are tested, refined and improved in debate.Just as it does well for central agencies sometimes to say yes, it also does well for lineagencies to recognise the role central agencies play and that disagreements to the extent thereare any, are not personal, but designed and intended to serve the ultimate purpose to whichofficials direct their common efforts – supporting the government of the day and deliveringpublic value for their communities. In this vein, the relationship between central and lineagencies in the Commonwealth has been described in the following terms:Central agencies have a long tradition of involvement in policy development. Theprobing and testing of proposals by Finance and Treasury, while not always welcome,is I believe broadly accepted. Their critics have not so much contested their right tooffer a second opinion as the manner in which it is formed. 156Central agencies' relationship with line agencies should … be based on cooperationand fair dealing, reflecting a dialogue between equals rather than "diktats" fromsuperiors. Agreement is not always expected, but the old adage of "no surprises"continues to be fundamental to maintaining trust and productive workingrelationships within government.Central agencies will continue to be heavily involved in policy issues, but their aimshould be to add value. This typically involves ensuring that the rightinterconnections are made between policy across government, probing to ensure thatdecisions are properly informed, and sometimes acting as a policy catalyst. Theinvolvement of central agencies, however, should complement line agencies and notdetract from their advice. 157It is equally true that central agencies should not – and indeed cannot properly – substitutetheir own views for Ministerial decision making. It is an abuse of their privileged position atthe centre of government to use their positions as gatekeepers to Cabinet and Budget decisionmaking processes to frustrate preparation of Cabinet Submissions or induce significant delayin processes. Their roles in those contexts are played on behalf of, and not instead of,Ministers and exist to support informed, timely decision making by Cabinet, not as asubstitute for it.156 Keating (1995) p.581.157 Keating (1995) p.583.Governing the City State: 98