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Last updated: : 25 August 2003
Embedding the APS Values
Foreword
The Australian Public Service (APS) is a vital institution within Australia's democratic system of government. It is responsible for ensuring the elected government is supported by professional, apolitical advice and for implementing government policies and programs impartially and effectively, and it is openly accountable for its actions. APS employees should be confident about their role and their responsibilities.
Under the Public Service Act 1999 (PS Act) Agency Heads have all the powers of employers, and it is the APS Values (and the Code of Conduct) which provide the broader framework for the APS as a whole. The arrangement provides the flexibility necessary for the Service to be able to meet different responsibilities and to address change effectively and innovatively. It relies, however, on agencies and employees understanding clearly the APS Values, and their shared roles and responsibilities as part of the institution that is the APS.
The APS Values are in law. All APS employees are bound to uphold them. Agency Heads and members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) are also required to promote them. The Public Service Commissioner is responsible for evaluating the extent to which agencies incorporate and uphold the Values, and for evaluating the adequacy of systems and procedures in agencies for ensuring compliance with the Code of Conduct.
Implicit in this legal framework is that the APS Values are not just rhetoric or statements of aspiration, but are required to be deeply embedded into agency systems, procedures and culture. And this APS culture exists across all the different APS agencies with their different functional responsibilities and priorities, and associated agency culture.
The key to confident government administration, according to a recent international conference of the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management, is to have deeply embedded democratic values. That is exactly what is intended by the APS Values set out in our PS Act.
This guide is aimed at helping Agency Heads and senior executives to embed the APS Values in their organisations. It is based on the practical experience of six agencies, and on international evidence about values-based management. It provides a simple way of explaining the Values in terms of relationships and behaviours, sets out how the Values can be promoted, managed and assured, and argues that this should be done in a holistic way in agencies, whatever their particular business responsibilities. I am particularly grateful to Robert Cornall, Terry Gallagher, Ken Matthews, Ric Smith (and earlier Allan Hawke), Dennis Trewin, Sue Vardon and their agencies for their substantial contribution to this guide.
The lessons learned from the studies of the six agencies have been illustrated in case studies in a second volume to the guide. Where possible, the effectiveness of the measures in the case studies has been tested with employees through focus groups and interviews.
A parallel document, APS Values and Code of Conduct in Practice-A guide to official conduct for APS employees and Agency Heads, is directed towards APS employees at large, as well as their Agency Heads, to provide guidance on the practical application of the Values. This is not intended to be a set of detailed rules, but to provide support for employees to make considered decisions consistent with the Values and the Code of Conduct, particularly when difficult ethical dilemmas arise.
Our employees need to be capable of recognising ethical dilemmas and making considered judgements based on the APS Values and Code of Conduct. The Department of Health and Ageing introduced a program for its employees a few years ago, entitled The Fork in the Road Café, which encourages employees, when faced with difficult judgements, to stop and talk to respected colleagues, discover precedents, legal factors and available guidelines, and make a considered decision, taking all relevant information into account. Programs such as these are very valuable. The APS Commission is proposing to develop this approach by preparing a toolkit to help agencies to build their own programs that will guide all employees in workplace discussion of values and ethics*.
These two guides should also be read in conjunction with the APS Commission publication, Values in the Australian Public Service, which provides Agency Heads, and agency employees more generally, with advice and guidance on how each of the Values might be applied under the legislative framework. It sets out the provisions of the Public Service Commissioner's Directions 1999, describes the principles behind each Value and provides indicators to assist agencies in applying the Values and Directions.
A S Podger
Public Service Commissioner
* The Commission has developed a toolkit, Being professional in the APS – Values resources for facilitators. Information about the kit, including how to order it, is available at http://www.apsc.gov.au/values/kit.htm.
