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

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYIn September 2010, the Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT)commissioned a comprehensive review of the effectiveness, capacity and structure of theACT Public Service (ACTPS).The Terms of Reference (see Attachment A) canvassed:• the capacity of existing public-sector structures to support the government of the day withstrategic and direction-setting advice;• effectiveness in delivering on government policies and objectives;• performance and accountability mechanisms;• how existing structures differentiate between the roles of policy and regulation;• across-government coordination of service delivery; and• structures that would improve resilience and innovation across the public sector.The aim of the Review was to ensure the configuration of the ACT public sector remainsappropriate for meeting the Government’s needs and delivering its future agenda particularlyin the major priority areas of sustainability, housing affordability and transport.The Review took place concurrently with other projects examining different aspects of theACT Government’s operations including:• the review of taxation being conducted by former ACT Treasurer Mr Ted Quinlan;• Canberra 2030 – Time to Talk; and• continuation of the Expenditure Review and Evaluation Committee’s work.Government decisions following the Strategic and Functional Review of the ACT PublicSector and Services led by Mr Michael Costello AO in the lead up to the 2006–07 Budgetformed part of the context of the Review. Unlike that process, however, this Review was notabout identification of savings. Instead, it aimed at maximising the achievements of theACT’s city state government, including by overcoming structural and other impediments toperformance.Twenty-one years since self government, this Review presented a timely opportunity to takestock of where the ACTPS has come from, where it is now, and its future direction.It has presented the opportunity to:• rebase the ACTPS;• remove complexity and inefficiency from its structures and business processes;• recalibrate the strategic planning and reporting framework; and• transform how the ACTPS is structured and works together in the future.Consultations were held with Ministers, Members of the Legislative Assembly, current andformer ACTPS officials, unions, stakeholder groups, members of the community, and leadingExecutive Summary: 1