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APS |
Australian Public Service |
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EEO |
Equal Employment Opportunity |
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EPAC |
Economic Planning and Advisory Council |
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OH&S |
Occupational Health and Safety |
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PSMPC |
Public Service and Merit Protection Commission |
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SES |
Senior Executive Service |
Since the mid 1970s, the Australian Public Service (APS) has undergone significant changes. These changes can be understood as falling into three categories-openness; internal equity and welfare; and efficiency and effectiveness. It is important to note that in government policy making these categories have not necessarily been given equal weight. For example, in the 1990s it has been argued that under successive governments there was a much stronger emphasis on efficiency and effectiveness than on openness or on internal equity and welfare. Further, it needs to be stated that change has not necessarily been mutually reinforcing. For example, it is quite possible that some efficiency measures have the capacity to undermine attempts to increase the openness of government. Nevertheless, the three categories are useful as a way of 'organising' the large number of changes. Indeed, by identifying the first two categories, it is hoped that readers will be reminded that change in the APS is not exclusively about 'bean-counting'.
These changes have been intended to provide citizens with more information about government decision-making and, in some cases, the right to have decisions reviewed. Early examples include the establishment of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the introduction of Freedom of Information rights. More recent examples include customer service charters, the Purchasing Advisory and Complaints Service and more independence for the Auditor-General.
Equity and Welfare within the APS
These changes have been intended to ensure that employees progress according to merit and also that the APS provides a safe workplace. Early changes include the introduction of equal employment opportunity and occupational health and safety initiatives. More recently, the policy of workplace diversity has emphasised benefits to the organisation as well as to the employee.
These changes have been intended to ensure that the optimal benefit is extracted from public resources. They have been characterised by an emphasis on the efficient use of financial and human resources, the emulation of the private sector, the adoption of market mechanisms and an emphasis on performance control. This approach was flagged in 1976 in a report commissioned by the Whitlam Government. The Hawke and Keating Governments initiated the efficiency and effectiveness aspect of the transformation of the APS and the Howard Government has accelerated its implementation.
Taken together, these changes constitute a transformation of the public service. It is interesting to note that successive governments have generally consolidated, or at least tolerated, the changes of previous governments.
The purpose of this chronology of key events is to provide a historical context in which to understand the continuing evolution of the APS.(1) More specifically, the chronology is intended to:
The chronology focuses on key events relating to the public service's management of human, financial and other resources. In particular, it includes key events (e.g. documents, announcements and legislation) relating to:
The number of possible entries in such a chronology is very large. By outlining key events, this chronology is intended to convey the character of change over the last twenty-five years. An important criterion in determining whether an event warranted inclusion was whether secondary sources referred to it.
For reasons of space and time, there are some areas which the chronology does not canvass. The reduction in the number of APS employees is not discussed, although it is illustrated in a graph on page 3. With some exceptions, the chronology does not provide details of changes relating to machinery of government.(2) Cabinet or ministerial responsibility, privatisation, or outsourcing. Nor does it provide information relating to statutory authorities. Reports by parliamentary committees and the Management Advisory Board and Management Improvement Advisory Committee are listed separately at the end of the paper.
Once the Commonwealth was properly established at the beginning of the 20th century, there was a period of incremental change until the mid 1970s. In contrast, the last twenty-five years of the 20th century have brought rapid and significant change to the APS.
Traditionally, the public service was characterised by the following:
By the 1970s, this system was being questioned as social changes undermined the foundation of a distant and hierarchical bureaucracy. In 1974, the Prime Minister announced the establishment of a Royal Commission to examine government administration. In the area of administrative law, several inquiries were conducted, leading to recommendations for changes that would open government decisions to scrutiny. Meanwhile, an emerging critique of government put pressure on governments to demonstrate that they used public resources wisely.
This questioning has led to significant public service change since 1975. The impact of this change is encapsulated in the demise of the term 'public administration' and the rise of the term 'public management'. The difference is explained by public policy analyst, Owen Hughes: 'managers are now responsible for results, where administrators simply carry out the instructions of others'.(4) Similarly, John Halligan and John Power describe management as 'the direct and efficient harnessing of scarce resources to the attainment of clearly defined organizational outputs'.(5) A centrepiece of the new approach is the Public Service Act 1999, which replaced the much amended Public Service Act 1922.(6)
In contrast to its predecessor,(7) the 'new' APS is characterised by:
While the decline in the number of employees is an integral component of the drive for efficiency, it does not lend itself to the chronology format. The following graph illustrates the increase and subsequent decline in APS employment over this period.(8)
Source: Public Service and Merit Protection Commission
The driving forces(9) behind this new approach to public service management include the following:
|
Milestones |
Details |
Source Documents |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 |
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Section is established in the Public Service Board to address employment inequities facing women, indigenous Australians, people with disabilities and people from a non-English speaking background. |
Public Service Board, Annual Report 1974-75. |
| 1975 |
Administrative Appeals Tribunal is established to provide independent review of a wide range of administrative decisions made by the Commonwealth Government and some non-government bodies. |
Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975.(12) |
| 1976 |
Report into government administration (Coombs Commission) supports:
|
Royal Commission on Australian Government Administration, Report, AGPS, Canberra, 1976. |
| 1976 |
Commonwealth Ombudsman is established to consider complaints from people who believe they have been adversely affected by the defective administration of Commonwealth departments or agencies. |
Ombudsman Act 1976. |
| 1977 |
Legislation to facilitate judicial review by the Federal Court of some exercises of Commonwealth power (came into operation 1 October 1980). |
Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977. |
| 1977 |
Legislation to allow for the dismissal of staff who engage in industrial action and the suspension without pay of staff who cannot work as a result of industrial action (repealed with effect from November 1983). |
Commonwealth Employees (Employment Provisions) Act 1977 (now defunct). |
| 1979 |
Facilitation of the retrenchment of public servants surplus to requirements and a requirement for the permanent head to ensure the efficient, effective and economical use of the department's staff. |
Commonwealth Employees Redeployment and Retirement Act 1979 (now defunct). |
| 1980 |
Public Service Board advises departments to adopt the common law principle of 'No work as directed-no pay'. This is ruled not to be legal, leading to the amendment of the Public Service Act 1922 to provide for the principle (repealed in 1983). |
|
| 1982 |
Extension of the right of the community to access information in the possession of the Commonwealth Government. |
Freedom of Information Act 1982. |
| January 1983 |
Reid Report (review announced 23 September 1982) emphasises the importance of quality management (including financial management and personnel management), as well as issues relating to machinery of government, ministerial responsibility and administrative review. |
Review of Commonwealth Administration report, AGPS, Canberra, 1983. |
| December 1983 |
Statement by the Prime Minister emphasises efficiency, effectiveness, equity and responsiveness to Ministers and the Parliament (leads to the Public Service Reform Act 1984). |
R.J.L. Hawke, Reforming the Australian Public Service: A Statement of the Government's Intentions, AGPS, Canberra, 1983. |
| 1984 |
Merit Protection and Review Agency established to ensure that actions taken in relation to Commonwealth employees are fair and equitable. |
Merit Protection (Australian Government Employees) Act 1984. |
| 1984 |
Public Service Reform Act 1984:
|
Public Service Reform Act 1984 |
| 1984 |
Abolition of the Public Service Arbitrator. |
Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act 1983. |
| February 1984 |
Financial Management Improvement Program emphasises a shift away from compliance towards performance control (including program budgeting which is phased in during the mid-1980s). |
Australian Public Service Board and Department of Finance, Financial Management Improvement Program-Diagnostic Study, 1984. |
| 21 March 1984 |
Announcement that a working party will monitor EEO practices in the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations and develop a management plan (other departments to follow). |
|
| 26 March 1984 |
Cabinet agrees to proceed with changes outlined in Reforming the Australian Public Service: A Statement of the Government's Intentions. |
|
| April 1984 |
Budget Reform paper sets out the Government's reform priorities:
|
Department of Finance, Budget Reform-A Statement of the Government's Achievements and Intentions in Reforming Australian Government Financial Administration, AGPS, Canberra, 1984. |
| 1985 |
Public Service Board develops a model Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) agreement. |
|
| 11 June 1986 |
Prime Minister announces the streamlining and rationalisation of some functions and agencies in response to difficult economic circumstances. |
R.J.L. Hawke, Address to the Nation on the Economic Situation, 11 June 1986. |
| 25 September 1986 |
Prime Minister's statement to Parliament announces:
|
R.J.L. Hawke, Statement to the House of Representatives on Reform of the Australian Public Service, 25 September 1986.
|
| 1987 |
Restructuring and Efficiency Principle rationalises job classifications for clerical and support staff. |
|
| July 1987 |
Efficiency Scrutiny Unit recommends the replacement of the Public Service Board with a Public Service Commission (holding a reduced role), the devolution of some functions to departments and the transfer of some functions to the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations and to the Department of Finance. |
D. Bock, Report by Efficiency Scrutiny Unit on proposed successor. arrangements to the Public Service Board, Canberra, 1987. |
| 14 July 1987 |
Announcement of the formation of 'mega departments', generally headed by a senior minister assisted by junior ministers (number of departments reduced from 28 to 18). |
Prime Minister's media release, 14 July 1987. |
| 18 September 1987 |
Replacement of Public Service Board with smaller Public Service Commission (some responsibilities transferred to the Department of Finance or the Department of Industrial Relations, or devolved to departments). Establishment of Australian Public Service Management Advisory Board, to advise the Government on significant management issues and act as a forum for consideration of major management activities (replaced by the Management Advisory Committee in 1999). |
Administrative Arrangements Act 1987 (now defunct). |
| August 1988 |
Adoption of the Structural Efficiency Principle leads to rationalisation of job classifications for professional, technical and blue collar grades. |
|
| 8 December 1988 |
Privacy Act 1988 passed, regulating the collection, handling and use of personal information by the Commonwealth, and also establishing the Privacy Commissioner within the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. |
Privacy Act 1988. |
| December 1989 |
Management Improvement Advisory Committee established to support the Management Advisory Board. |
|
| 12 June 1990 |
Privacy Commissioner releases a directory detailing the amount and type of records of a personal nature held by the Commonwealth. |
Personal Information Digest, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Sydney, 1989. |
| 13 November 1990 |
Economic Planning and Advisory Council (EPAC) report concludes that productivity improvements in the public sector have generally outpaced those in the private sector. |
The size and efficiency of the public sector, Canberra, EPAC, 1990. |
| 1991 |
OH&S programs required in agencies, to be developed in consultation with unions. |
Occupational Health and Safety Act 1991. |
| 15 July 1992 |
Announcement that the Refugee Review Tribunal will replace the Refugee Status Review Committee, resulting in more limited avenues of appeal. |
|
| 9 September 1992 |
Announcement that all new contracts with the Department of Administrative Services will include a clause requiring suppliers to comply with the EEO requirements of the Government. |
|
| 6 November 1992 |
Announcement of a workplace agreement allowing for productivity reforms and agency-level bargaining. |
|
| December 1992 |
An evaluation of a decade of management changes concludes that :
|
Task Force on Management Improvement, The Australian Public Service Reformed: An evaluation of a decade of management reform, AGPS, 1992. |
| December 1992 |
Service-wide APS Agreement 1992-94 (extended to 1995) includes:
|
Improving productivity, jobs and pay in the Australian Public Service 1992-94, Department of Industrial Relations, December 1992. |
| December 1992 |
Performance pay introduced for SES and senior officers in order to encourage productivity growth (later wound back for senior officers). |
Improving productivity, jobs and pay in the Australian Public Service 1992-94-Agreement between the Commonwealth Government and public sector unions, Canberra, 1992. |
| 1994 |
Provision of fixed term appointments for departmental Secretaries. |
Prime Minister and Cabinet (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1994. |
| 20 June 1994 |
Announcement that the Auditor-General will be funded directly from the Budget and that a parliamentary Audit Committee will be established. |
|
| 7 October 1994 |
Cabinet introduces measures to enforce equal representation of women on public boards and committees. |
|
| 1995 |
Report of the Public Service Act Review Group recommends that the Public Service Act 1922 be replaced by a new Act that will be '...built around the principles and values which stress the centrality of an apolitical public service with merit-based staffing, high standards of honesty and integrity, a strong focus on efficiency and results, and responsiveness and accountability to the government of the day while maintaining a capacity to provide quality and impartial advice.' |
R. McLeod, Report of the Public Service Act Review Group, AGPS, Canberra, 1994. |
| 1995 |
Public Service and Merit Protection Commission (PSMPC) established through the amalgamation of the Public Service Commission and the Merit Protection and Review Agency. |
|
| 4 May 1995 |
Government announces plans to replace the Public Service Act 1922 in response to Report of the Public Service Act Review Group. |
|
| July 1995 |
Government and unions agree to a service-wide enterprise agreement for 1995-96. |
|
| 14 September 1995 |
Administrative Review Council's report into the effectiveness of the merits review tribunals makes a number of recommendations, including the consolidation of five tribunals into a single new tribunal. |
Administrative Review Council, Better decisions: review of Commonwealth Merits Review Tribunals, Canberra, AGPS, 1995. |
| September 1995 |
Service-wide APS agreement 1995-96 includes a strategy for securing further efficiencies. |
Continuous Improvement in the APS, Agreement between the Commonwealth Government and public sector unions, September 1995. |
| 1996 |
Six departmental secretaries' appointments terminated following the change of government. |
|
| 1996 |
Industry Commission, Bureau of Industry Economics and Economic Planning Advisory Commission amalgamate on an administrative basis. |
|
| June 1996 |
National Commission of Audit (established March 1996) recommends a more limited role for government, a greater emphasis on effectiveness and efficiency, and the separation of policy formation from program delivery. |
National Commission of Audit, Report to the Commonwealth Government, Canberra, AGPS, 1996. |
| November 1996 |
Discussion paper issued by The Hon Peter Reith MP,leads to the Public Service Act 1999 and the Parliamentary Service Act 1999. It points to the potential benefits of flexibility, streamlining and cultural change. |
P. Reith, Towards a Best Practice Australian Public Service, November 1996. |
| November 1996 |
Small Business Deregulation Task Force reports to the Government on ways to reduce the compliance burden on small businesses (e.g. single entry point for collection of information and effective use of information technology). |
Small Business Deregulation Task Force, Time for Business, 1996. |
| December 1996 |
Under the Workplace Relations Act 1996:
|
Workplace Relations Act 1996. |
| 1997 |
Government introduces Public Service Bill (amended Bill passed in 1999). |
|
| March 1997 |
Agencies to be responsible for agreement-making, using certified agreements and/or Australian Workplace Agreements, and subject to the Government's policy parameters. |
Media release, Minister for Industrial Relations, 5 March 1997. http://www.dewrsb.gov.au/ministers/ |
| March 1997 |
All government departments, agencies and business enterprises dealing with the public to be required to develop customer service charters. |
Media release, Minister for Small Business and Consumer Affairs, 26 March 1997. |
| 20 March 1997 |
Attorney-General announces that the Government proposes to amalgamate the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, the Social Security Appeals Tribunal, the Immigration Review Tribunal and the Refugee Review Tribunal to create a single review body to be called the Administrative Review Tribunal (expected to commence operations in February 2001). Originally, the Veterans' Review Board was also to be amalgamated but this was reversed in February 1992. |
Media release, Attorney-General, 20 March 1997. http://law.gov.au/aghome/agnews/ Media release, Attorney-General, 9 May 2000. |
| 24 March 1997 |
Prime Minister responds to the Time for Business report, agreeing to a range of measures including the electronic facility, www.business.gov.au |
J. Howard, More Time for Business, Canberra, AGPS, 1997. |
| 25 April 1997 |
Announcement that departments' information technology infrastructure will be outsourced to the private sector. |
Media release, Minister for Finance, 25 April 1997. |
| July 1997 |
First Australian Workplace Agreement in the APS. |
The Hon. Dr David Kemp MP, 'An Overview of APS Reforms-What we are doing', 25 February 1998. http://www.psmpc.gov.au/publications |
| 24 September 1997 |
Launch of Centrelink, a statutory authority that provides customer services on behalf of several government agencies (a significant example of split between purchaser and provider of services). |
Commonwealth Service Delivery Act 1997. |
| 26 November 1997 |
First Certified Agreements in the APS (agreements at department or agency level)-Public Service and Merit Protection Commission. |
Agreement summary on the web site of the Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business. |
| 8 December 1997 |
Commitment that all appropriate government services will be Internet-deliverable by 2001. |
Media release, Minister for Finance and Administration, 8 December 1997. |
| 11 December 1997 |
Announcement of new purchasing arrangements, including the establishment of a new Purchasing Advisory and Complaints Service. |
Media release, Minister for Finance and Administration and Minister for Industry, Science and Tourism, 11 December 1997. http://www.dofa.gov.au/media/press/ Media release, Minister for Finance and Administration, 9 March 1998. |
| 1998 |
Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998 is passed, providing for the publication of:
|
Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998. |
| 1 January 1998 |
Package of new financial management legislation comes into effect: |
|
|
Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997. |
|
|
Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997. |
|
|
Auditor-General Act 1997. |
|
| 26 February 1998 |
Announcement that employment services will be contracted out to a range of organisations (to be known as the Job Network). |
Media release, Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs, 26 February 1998. |
| March 1998 |
Regulations are introduced into Parliament requiring the Public Service Commissioner to present an annual State of the Service Report to Parliament. |
Regulation 12 of the Public Service Regulations. |
| 11 March 1998 |
First fully audited accrual financial statements for the Commonwealth. |
Media release |
| April 1998 |
Productivity Commission established as the Government's principal review and advisory body on microeconomic policy and regulation. |
Productivity Commission Act 1998. |
| May 1998 |
New procurement guidelines provide 'core policies and principles intended to strike a balance between prescription and empowerment so as to encourage agencies to obtain the best value from procurement, on a whole of life basis'. |
Procurement Guidelines-core policies and principles, Department of Finance and Administration, 1998. |
| 1 July 1998 |
Commonwealth's policy of non-insurance is replaced with a policy of self-insurance, providing more incentive to manage risk. |
Media release, Minister for Finance and Administration, 30 June 1998. |
| 3 July 1998 |
Business Entry Point is launched (an electronic information and transaction facility for businesses). |
|
| 3 August 1998 |
Launch of a booklet outlining the Government's expectations of the APS in areas such as customer focus, agreement making and performance measurement. |
APS Reform: Building on Good Practice, Public Service and Merit Protection Commission, 1998. |
| 4 March 1999 |
Remuneration Tribunal determines a new approach to setting the remuneration levels for departmental secretaries which includes provision for an annual performance bonus, to become available during 1999-00 (the Prime Minister to make a recommendation to the Tribunal on the performance of a secretary after considering a report prepared by the Secretary to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Public Service Commissioner). |
|
| 11 May 1999 |
First accrual Budget delivered (an agency is funded for an agreed price for its outputs, including non-cash items such as depreciation). |
Media release, Minister for Finance and Administration, 24 November 1998. |
| 19 May 1999 |
Senior Executive Leadership Capability Framework, prioritises:
|
Media release, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service,19 May 1999. |
| 1 July 1999 |
Agencies able to operate bank accounts with private sector banks, opening the Reserve Bank of Australia to competition. |
Media release, Minister for Finance and Administration, 31 July 1998. http://www.dofa.gov.au/media/press/ |
| 19 August 1999 |
Dismissal of Paul Barratt (Secretary of Defence) upheld by the Federal Court:
|
|
| 1 September 1999 |
SES selection changed to be based on the Senior Executive Leadership Capability Framework. |
PSMPC Circular, 25 August 1999. |
| 5 December 1999 |
Public Service Act 1999 and Parliamentary Service Act 1999 take effect, establishing the separation of parliamentary departments from public service departments and enshrining a range of features, including:
The Act also replaces the Management Advisory Board with the Management Advisory Committee. |
Public Service Act 1999. http://scaletext.law.gov.au/html/ Parliamentary Service Act 1999. |
| 9 May 2000 |
The Department of Finance and Administration and the Office of Asset Sales and Information Technology Outsourcing to jointly implement the market testing of Commonwealth activities and services, commencing with corporate services. |
Media release, Minister for Finance and Administration, 9 May 2000. http://www.dofa.gov.au/Media/Fahey/ |
|
Administrative Appeals Tribunal |
Workplace Diversity initiatives |
Financial Management Improvement Program |
|
Ombudsman |
Merit Protection and Review Agency |
Performance review and performance pay |
|
Facilitation of judicial review |
OH&S initiatives |
Efficiency Scrutiny Unit |
|
Freedom of Information |
EEO initiatives |
Devolution of responsibility |
|
More independence for the Auditor-General |
|
Program management and budgeting, and accrual management and budgeting |
|
Annual State of the Service Report |
|
Private sector provision of services to, and on behalf of, government |
|
Purchasing Advisory and Complaints Service |
|
New employment arrangements for departmental secretaries |
|
Charter of Budget Honesty |
|
Workplace Relations Act 1996 |
|
Customer Service Charters |
|
Agency agreements and AWAs |
|
Privacy Act 1988 |
|
Formation of SES |
|
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New purchasing arrangements |
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Delivery of services on the Internet |
|
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Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 and Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997 |
|
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Public Service Act 1999 and Parliamentary Service Act 1999 |
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Fewer public service employees |
Selected Publications by the Parliamentary Library
Creyke, R., 'The Administrative Appeals Tribunal-What's Happening?', Current Issues Brief no. 8, 1999-2000
De Laine, M., 'International Themes in Public Service Reform', Background Paper no. 3, 1997-98
Dippelsman, R., 'Thirty years of Parliamentary and Public Service Salaries', Research Note no. 50, Jan.-June 1995
Kryger, T. and D. James, 'The Changing Size of the Commonwealth Public Service', Research Note no. 46, 1995-96
Mulgan, R., 'Politicising the Australian Public Service?' Research Paper no. 3, 1998-99
Nethercote, J., 'New Public Service Legislation: the Public Service Bill 1997', Background Paper no. 2, 1997-98
Nethercote, J., 'Public Sector Executive Salaries', Research Note no. 23, 1998-99
Nethercote, J., 'Departmental Machinery of Government Since 1987', Research Paper no. 24, 1998-99
Ohlin, J., 'Will Privatisation and Contracting Out Deliver Community Services?' Research Paper no. 15, 1997-98
O'Neill, S., 'Agency Bargaining in the Australian Public Service: A Stocktake', Research Note no. 18, 1996-97
O'Neill, S., 'Report of the Public Service Act Review group: summary and contents', Research Paper no. 3, July-December 1995
O'Neill, S., Review of 'Towards A Best Practice Australian Public Service', Current Issues Brief no. 13, 1996-97
Spry,M., 'Procedural Fairness and the Right to Dismiss a Senior Public Servant', Research Note no. 3, 1999-2000
Verspaandonk, R., 'Accrual Budgeting-State of Play', Research Note no. 30, 1999-2000
Winter, G., 'Whither Public Sector Employment?' Research Note no. 17, 1997-98
Selected Publications by Parliamentary Committees
The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit(13)
| Report number |
Title |
Date of presentation |
|---|---|---|
| 184 |
Internal Audit in the Australian Public Service-A Discussion Paper |
11 Feb 1981 |
| 191 |
Commonwealth Government Financial Administration-A Handbook |
10 Nov 1981 |
| 202 |
The Selection and Development of Senior Managers in the Commonwealth Public Service |
28 Oct 1982 |
| 296 |
The Auditor-General-Ally of the People and Parliament-Reform of the Australian Audit Office |
6 Apr 1989 |
| 319 |
Review of the Independent Auditor-Watching the Watchdog |
5 Nov 1992 |
| 323 |
Managing People in the Australian Public Service-Dilemmas of Devolution and Diversity |
17 Dec 1992 |
| 331 |
An Advisory Report on the Financial Management and Accountability Bill 1994, the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Bill 1994 and the Auditor-General Bill 1994, and on a Proposal to Establish an Audit Committee of Parliament |
22 Sep 1994 |
| 332 |
The Australian Government Credit Card |
11 May 1994 |
| 338 |
Accrual Accounting-A Cultural Change |
31 Aug 1995 |
| 341 |
Financial Reporting for the Commonwealth-Towards Greater Transparency and Accountability |
29 Nov 1995 |
| 346 |
Guarding the Independence of the Auditor-General |
10 Oct 1996 |
| 351 |
An Advisory Report on the Charter of Budget Honesty Bill 1996 |
20 Mar 1997 |
| 353 |
An Advisory Report on the Public Service Bill 1997 and the Public Employment (Consequential and Transitional) Amendment Bill 1997 |
29 Sep 1997 |
| 369 |
Australian Government Procurement |
30 Jun 1999 |
| 374 |
Review of Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 and the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997 |
16 Mar 2000 |
Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration
|
Report tabled |
Date |
|
Report on Proposed Amendments to Audit Act 1901 |
Oct 1987 |
|
Review of the Efficiency Scrutiny Program |
12 Apr 1989 |
|
The Timeliness and Quality of Annual Reports |
15 Aug 1989 |
|
The Development of the Senior Executive Service-Performance Based Pay |
9 May 1990 |
|
Development of the Senior Executive Service |
18 Oct 1990 |
|
Estimates Committee Documentation and Procedures |
9 May 1991 |
|
Review of the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman |
25 Feb 1992 |
|
Performance Pay |
1 Feb 1994 |
|
Public Service Reform; vol 1, Conference Papers; vol 2, Conference Proceedings |
1 Sep 1994 |
|
Order of the Senate for the Production of Indexed Lists of Departmental Files |
20 Sep 1994 |
| Report tabled |
Date |
|---|---|
| Report on Financial Management and Accountability Bill 1994; Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Bill 1994, Auditor-General Bill 1994 Audit (Transitional & Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill 1995. (LEG) |
6 Mar 1995 |
| Property Management in the Australian Public Service (REF) |
29 Jun 1995 |
| Report on Prime Minister and Cabinet (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 1995 (LEG) |
23 Oct 1995 |
| Service Delivery (REF) |
14 Dec 1995 |
| Review of the Operation of the Order for the Production of Indexed Lists of Departmental Files (REF) |
5 Feb 1997 |
| Ombudsman Amendment Bill 1996 (LEG) |
13 Feb 1997 |
| Towards a Best Practice
Australian Public Service (REF) (Presented to the President |
3 Mar 1997 |
| Report on the Provisions of the Public Service Bill 1997 (REF) |
2 Oct 1997 |
| Format of the Portfolio Budget Statements (LEG) |
30 Oct 1997 |
| Contracting Out of Government Services (REF) |
10 Nov 1997 |
| Contracting Out of Government Services-Second Report (REF) |
14 May 1998 |
| Review of the Operation of the Order for the Production of Indexed Lists of Departmental Files-Second Report (REF) |
2 Jul 1998 |
| Format of the Portfolio Budget Statements: Second Report (LEG), (Tabled 22 November 1999) |
29 Oct 1999 |
| The mechanism for providing accountability to the Senate in relation to government contracts (Murray motion) (REF) |
26 Jun 2000 |
Publications of the Management Advisory Board and the Management Improvement Advisory Committee(14)
Benchmarking-improving performance in the APS (1993) HTML
Beyond bean counting-effective financial management-1998 and beyond in the APS (1997) HTML
No. 1 Improving asset management in the public sector (1991)
No. 2 Devolution and regional offices (1991)
No. 3 Budget flexibility-carryover provisions between financial periods (1991)
No. 4 Resource agreements (1991)
No. 5 Accountability in the Commonwealth public sector: an exposure draft (1991)
No. 6 Devolution of corporate services (1992)
No. 7 The management of underperforming officers in the APS (1992)
No. 8 Contracting for the provision of services in Commonwealth agencies (1993)
No. 9 Strategic planning for training and development (1993)
No. 10 Performance management and the management cycle
No. 11 Accountability in the Commonwealth public sector (1993)
No. 12 Building a better public service (1993)
No. 13 Delegated authority handbook (1994)
No. 14 Legal issues-a guide for policy development and administration (1994)
No. 15 Ongoing reform in the APS (1994)
No. 16 Performance management-integrated use of recognition, rewards and sanctions (1994)
No. 17 Guidelines for managing risk in the APS (1994)
No. 18 Achieving cost effective personnel services (1995) HTML and ACEPS Stage 2: Re-engineering people management: from good intentions to good practice HTML
No. 19 Ethical standards and values in the APS (1996) HTML
No. 20 2 + 2 = 5-Innovative ways of organising people in the APS (1997)
No. 21 Raising the benchmarking-benchmarking for better government
No. 22 Guidelines for managing risk in the Australian Public Service
No. 23 Before you sign the dotted line-ensuring contracts can be managed (1998) PDF
Curtin, J., 'New Public Management Meets Civic Discontent? The Australian Public Service in 1999', Australian Journal of Public Administration, vol. 59, no. 1, 2000.
De Laine, M., 'International Themes in Public Service Reform', Background Paper no. 3, Department of the Parliamentary Library, Canberra, 1997-98.
Halligan, J., and Power, J., Political Management in the 1990s, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1992.
Halligan, J., 'Australia: Balancing Principles and Pragmatism' in Olsen, J. and Peters, B., Lessons from Experience: Experiential Learning in Administrative Reforms in Eight Democracies, Scandinavian University Press, Oslo, 1996.
Hughes, O., 'New Public Management: A Parliamentary Perspective', Working Paper 27/00, Department of Management, Monash University, 2000.
Hughes, O., Australian Politics, 3rd edition, Macmillan, South Yarra, 1998.
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