Commissioner for Public Administration
Catherine Hudson
Commissioner
Phone: +61 2 620 50358
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What is the Commissioner's role?
The Commissioner for Public Administration advises the Chief
Minister on matters affecting the ACT Public Service. Under
section 20 of the Public
Sector Management Act 1994 (the Act), the Commissioner
is responsible for:
- advising the Chief Minister on the management of the ACT
Public Service;
- implementing administrative arrangements at the direction
of the Chief Minister; and
- performing other functions conferred on the Commissioner
by this or other Acts eg. the Public
Interest Disclosure Act 1994.
More information on making public interest disclosures is
available below.
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Employment responsibilities
The Commissioner is also responsible for
maintaining core employment rules for the ACT Public Service
through the Act and the Public
Sector Management Standards. The Commissioner may make
Management Standards under Section 251 of the Act subject
to the agreement of the Chief Minister.
While general employment terms and conditions are regulated
by the Act and Management Standards, Industrial Agreements
and Awards under the Commonwealth Workplace
Relations Act 1996 may also provide for terms and
conditions of employment. These Agreements override the Act
and Standards to the extent of any inconsistency. Through
the process of enterprise bargaining, ACT Public Service agencies
have negotiated local employment terms that wholly or partially
override the Act and Standards.
Other responsibilities
The Commissioner has a number of other responsibilities including:
- coordinating strategic public service training initiatives;
- approving the reappointment or re-engagement of former
officers, within prescribed timeframes, who retired from
the ACT Public Service as excess officers;
- approving payments to officers and employees other than
in the way of normal salary, allowances or expenses; and
- issuing ACT
Public Service salary packaging guidelines.
- conducting investigations and inquiries into the operation
of Government agencies at the request of The Chief Minister
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Delegations
The Commissioner facilitates a balance between central employment
authority and agency level responsibility. A number of Commissioner
powers have been delegated to agency Chief Executives. The
Commissioner's delegations (Schedule One, Part B) lists current positions holding delegations
(in groups) while Schedule One, Part A lists current delegated Commissioner powers.
Under the 2007-2010 Template Agreement, the Commissioner
has been given a role in the internal review and appeal mechanisms
where a Chief Executive was involved in the original decision/action.
Details of the Commissioner’s role can be found in individual
Agency certified agreements. It is important to note that
there is no further role for the Commissioner as the Chief
Executive has the final decision in these matters and the
only further review available is through external tribunals
or bodies such as the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.
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Public Interest Disclosures
The Commissioner for Public Administration is a government
agency under the Public
Interest Disclosure Act 1994. The procedure for
public interest disclosures is detailed in the document
below. Other publications on public interest disclosure
are available on the Integrity page.
Review of the Safety of Children in
Care in the ACT and of ACT Child Protection Management
A review has recently been completed of the safety of children
in care in the ACT and of ACT child protection management
in order to ensure that children and young people in care
in the ACT are safe.
The Final Report and the ACT Government's Response to the
Report are available for download by clicking on the links
below.
Further information is available on the Review
website.
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Public Sector
Management Act Review The Commissioner for Public
Administration has conducted a review of the Public
Sector Management Act 1994 (the Act). The overall
aim of the review was to ensure that the Act, as the legislative
basis for employment in the ACT Public Service, provides an
effective and relevant framework to support the administration
of government. A series of discussion papers were released
to outline some key topics for debate and raise some questions
for discussion. The papers released are available for download
by clicking on the links below.
The Commissioner has presented the report for the consideration
of the Government.
State
of the Service Report The State of the Service Report
is released each year as an annual report to Government. The
most recent Reports are available for download here by clicking
on the links below.
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ACTPS Human Resources Council
Background The ACT Public
Service Human Resources Council was established in May 2001.
The Council is chaired by the Commissioner for Public Administration,
and is made up of members from all ACT Public Service agencies,
including Calvary Healthcare.
The Council currently meets bimonthly, with the meeting hosted
on a rotational basis by members.
Purpose
The Council has been established to:
- contribute to the achievement of an innovative, flexible,
responsive, able, ethical and accountable ACT Public Service;
- develop, actively support, maintain and monitor the implementation
of a whole-of-ACT Public Service Human Resources Strategy;
- promote the importance of human resource matters within
the ACTPS;
- identify best practice in human resource planning and
management and support and facilitate its implementation
throughout the ACTPS; and
- support the implementation of agreed and prioritised initiatives
within the Human Resources Strategy.
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Role and Accountabilities The
roles and accountabilities of the Council are to:
- provide advice and recommendations to Management Council
on issues relating to whole-of-ACT Public Service human
resource planning and management issues;
- support the link between the Human Resources Council,
Management Council and their Agency by regularly discussing
Council agenda's, issues, priorities and recommendations
with their Agency's Chief Executive;
- perform such functions as are delegated to it and undertake
work to achieve an improved sector-wide human resource management
as required by the Management Council;
- ensure relevant linkages are identified to related agency
initiatives;
- provide reports to Management Council in relation to the
performance of the HR Council's role and identified goals;
- recommend to the Management Council, the delegation of
specific functions and tasks to the HR Council; and
- provide advice and recommendations to the Commissioner
for Public Administration regarding the performance of the
Commissioner's functions.
Retirement
Intentions Survey for the ACTPS
ACT Government Workforce Profile
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