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Last updated: 5 April 2005
Working together
MAC
The Management Advisory Committee (MAC) is a forum of Secretaries and Agency Heads established under the Public Service Act 1999 to advise the Australian Government on matters relating to the management of the Australian Public Service
For some years now, public servants have been exhorted to work in a "whole of government" fashion. They have been told that policy development needs to be 'joined up'; policy delivery should be 'seamless'; and 'departmentalism' should be eschewed.
Secretaries and Agency Heads have emphasised the importance of working across organisational barriers to achieve policy and service delivery objectives. There is a strong level of commitment. However the implementation of a whole of government approach requires some assistance.
Collegiality is an important leadership behaviour. But how should it be put into action? Secretaries have agreed that a brief and practical guide on how members of the Australian Public Service (APS) should work together would be useful. That is the purpose of the attached paper.
There are already significant examples across the APS of effective whole of government activity. Secretaries not only meet on a monthly basis to discuss matters affecting the service as a whole, but also work with agency heads in a variety of groups and committees to further the effective development and implementation of government policy. Taskforces and IDCs routinely work through the issues surrounding a wide range of policy and service delivery issues. And, of course, every day public servants build productive one-to-one relationships across bureaucratic boundaries.
As Secretaries, we want to see all APS officers look beyond the immediate interests of their own organisation to the broader context. We need to ensure that government is presented with a comprehensive range of well-informed policy options and that the views of all elements of the community are properly recognised.
The way we work together must always be governed by the ethical standards and values of the APS in terms of the way we cooperate with each other, the comprehensiveness and responsiveness of the advice we provide to the government of the day and the confidentiality with which it is given.
In no way do we encourage the APS to think but one thought or speak with a single voice. We extol the exchange of ideas and views. The relative merits of different options often need to be assessed. Even the most effective working group might find that a consensus cannot be reached. That can be an entirely appropriate outcome. After all, it is for Ministers, and collectively the Cabinet, to decide on policy and how it is to be implemented.
We value working together in a whole of government manner. Well-coordinated policy development and well-delivered government services rely on the avoidance of narrow thinking driven by departmental ambition. Governance is enhanced by ensuring constructive, open communications across portfolios working to an agreed objective.
We hope the attached guide will provide practical guidance on ways to achieve the best results from our collective endeavours.
Secretaries
- Mr David Borthwick
- Dr Peter Boxall
- Mr Robert Cornall
- Mr Bill Farmer
- Ms Jane Halton
- Dr Jeff Harmer
- Dr Ken Henry
- Ms Joanna Hewitt
- Mr Michael L'Estrange
- Mr Mark Paterson
- Ms Lisa Paul
- Ms Patricia Scott
- Dr Peter Shergold
- Mr Ric Smith
- Mr Mark Sullivan
- Mr Mike Taylor
- Dr Ian Watt
- Ms Helen Williams
Public Service Commissioner
Ms Lynelle Briggs
March 2005
