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New Public Service Bill introduced into Parliament today
The Hon. Peter Reith, MP
Minister for Industrial Relations
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service
Canberra ACT 2600
26 June 1997
The Australian Public Service (APS) faces a major overhaul following the introduction of the Public Service Bill 1997 into the House of Representatives today.
The Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service, Peter Reith, said the Bill will replace over 520 pages of legislation and other regulations related to and including the Public Service Act 1922. This Act, in its own right, has been amended over 100 times and, along with the layers of prescriptive regulation, represents a serious obstacle to the establishment of modern employment practices and effective approaches to service delivery in the public service.
"The Bill is the product of an extensive consultation process involving almost 250 written and e-mail submissions and almost 100 focus group discussions with 1,500 participants. I have also personally led discussions with public servants in most States and Territories. The Leader of the Australian Democrats, Senator Cheryl Kernot and Democrat spokesperson on the public service, Senator Lyn Allison, have participated in a number of discussions on a preliminary basis and the Government expects to have detailed discussions with the Australian Democrats and independent Senators when the Bill is debated in the Senate in the Spring session.
"A contribution to the development of the Bill was also made by the APS unions, especially the CPSU's national leadership, Wendy Caird and Doug Lilley. Over thirty amendments were made to the Bill following our discussions and I will continue to hold further discussions with them over the coming months."
Mr Reith said the Public Service Bill will be referred to the Joint Public Accounts Committee for report to the Parliament in early September.
"This will ensure that the Bill is open to further scrutiny and hopefully allow the Parliament to debate its contents and implications on an informed basis."
"This Bill represents a new start for the Australian Public Service. It overcomes a number of major deficiencies in the current legislation and proposes, amongst other things, the Bill will:
- articulate, for the first time, the ethos of the public service by providing a statement of the key APS Values, including its politically impartial nature, commitment to the merit principle for all employment decisions and improved public accountability;
- formally devolve most employment powers to agency heads subject to the Workplace Relations Act;
- establish a specific Code of Conduct to guide public servants on standards of behaviour expected in their working lives and in their dealings with the community;
- enhance the role of the Public Service Commissioner to make directions and oversee the performance of the APS;
- set a new requirement on agencies to introduce workplace diversity programs;
- express anti-discrimination provisions;
- provide for the internal and external review of workplace grievances; and
- for the first time put in place new protections for "whistleblowers".
"These reforms will complement the decision by the Government on 5 March 1997 to dispense with service-wide agreement making in the APS and replace it with agency-specific arrangements.
"The public service is now gearing for a new lease of life which is based on a clearer sense of its primary values and a much closer link with contemporary community workplace standards.
"For the first time we will have a short, easy-to-read Act which will protect the public interest while at the same time providing much more flexibility at the workplace."
For further information, contact Nick Hordern: 06-27777320 or 0419-422 650
