Address by Ian Watt to IPAA 04 October 2012 - The Department of ...

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The Prime Minister, the Honourable Julia Gillard, expressed similar appreciation at that function, and more recently reflected on the role of the public service and the real challenges it faces at the CPSU National Conference. She stated that what we do really does matter to Australia and Australians and went on to say, and I quote: “…And like anything that’s important, the stakes are high, and sometimes the decisions are hard. That’s true of the decisions we make together, as public servants and ministers, 2 true of the advice you give us, true of the work you do to implement our plans.” 1F a. The Role of PM&C Any change of Secretary leads to speculation about how the new Secretary sees the role of his/her organisation, and how that role may change. A new Secretary of PM&C creates more speculation than most, and that is hardly a surprise. Some may reflect on my first 12 months and suggest I am turning PM&C back to its more traditional role as a coordinating agency. That is incorrect. I am not changing PM&C’s basic role, and it was anyway never ‘just a coordinating agency’. It has always had a much broader, policy focused role. As one of my predecessors, Sir Geoffrey Yeend (Secretary of PM&C from 1978 to 1986) said in PM&C’s first Annual Report: “The basic functions (of PM&C) do not change; nor does the basic character of the Department, and the intense pressure of working in the forefront of government activity continues.” I would be surprised if he or his senior colleagues in PM&C, then working under Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, saw PM&C as just a coordinating agency. I would be even more surprised if the then Prime Minister did. I would, however, be the first to acknowledge that the role of PM&C has always been greatly influenced by what the Prime Minister of the day wants and, to a lesser extent, what the Secretary wants. So while I am charting a course for PM&C that differs to a degree from our previous course, I am navigating – like my predecessors – with the views of the Prime Minister clearly in mind. And the course includes a whole of government coordinating role, but it also includes a major role in policy development and monitoring implementation. The change that I am introducing is more about how we go about delivering on the Prime Minister’s objectives. As I have said before, PM&C does need to set priorities, to be selective in what it is involved in and what it is not involved in; it needs to be involved in a collegiate and collaborative fashion; and it does not need to lead on every major issue that faces government. 2 Gillard, 28 August 2012, “A life in the Public Service” Address to the CPSU National Conference 2012, http://www.pm.gov.au/press-office/life-public-service-address-cpsu-national-conference-2012. 2
Indeed, we are sometimes at our best when we use our leadership ability and behaviours to help support other departments and agencies in achieving outcomes across government. We are at our best when we are considerate and respectful in our dealings across government, and collegiate and collaborative in our daily business. As I have previously said, PM&C will support the work of others, will offer a second opinion where it considers it appropriate, and – if we do disagree – we will disagree firmly but respectfully. That is how I see PM&C working. b. Learning from Annual Reports Annual Reports are a key part of the APS ‘shop-front’ and we can learn a lot from them. And, as I said at IPAA’s recent Annual Reports Awards night, I am a supporter of IPAA’s role in promoting the importance of Annual Reports. Annual Reports are, and will continue to be, key chronicles of the important work done in public administration. They also provide a consistent and reliable narrative on the development of the APS, and how the priorities of government are addressed. Finally, they are an important way in which we, the APS, are accountable, through Ministers, to Parliament and to the public. In promoting high quality Annual Reports, IPAA helps lift the supposed ‘veil’ around the APS and its activities. When you take our Annual Reports, and the wide and diverse range of existing publications about the APS – everything from the regular journal of IPAA and various academic pieces, to Senate Estimates reports – I doubt that the activities of the APS are shrouded in mystery. And I equally doubt that we need insider exposés to tell us how the APS works. There is already plenty of public material available for those who choose to seek it. Our Annual Reports catalogue change, so I thought it might be interesting to compare the PM&C 2000-01 Report, the year I left PM&C, with the 2011-12 Report, about to be released. At the IPAA awards night I spoke about the advantage of brevity in Annual Reports and of my commitment to a ‘shorter’ Report. I have adhered to that. Discounting the accountability reporting and financial statements, PM&C’s 2011-12 Report is 91 pages, down from 168 in 2010-11, and even marginally less than the 100 in 2000-01. I would never have thought I would release something shorter than Max More-Wilton, for Max was a man of admirable brevity, but I have! There are, obviously, differences in priorities between the reports. For example, in 2000-01, PM&C’s priorities included the Centenary of Federation; the introduction of the A New Tax System; the implementation of the 2000 Defence White Paper; the negotiation of bilateral social security arrangements with New Zealand; and supporting a smooth transition to independence and long-term stability in East Timor. 3
Page 1: Reflections on my First Year as Sec
Page 5 and 6: The 2009 report by KPMG, Benchmarki
Page 7 and 8: But there is more we need to do to
Page 9 and 10: The answer is simple. Because it:
Page 11: And amongst the current crop, the c

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