Chapter 1.2 Significant milestones and events

Public Sector Management Act 1994 passed

On 21 April 1994, the Public Sector Management Bill 1994 was presented by the  Chief Minister, Rosemary Follett MLA to establish a separate ACT public service, a step that saw the ACT finally emerge as a fully self-governing Territory. The legislation was passed on 22 June 1994 and commenced on 1 July 1994.

Firearms Act 1996 and related Prohibited Weapons Act 1996 enacted

The Firearms Act 1996 and related Prohibited Weapons Act 1996 were enacted in response to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre and to adopt the terms of the National Firearms Agreement. In addition, the ACT successfully contributed to the National Firearms Buyback Program.

Family Violence Intervention Program (FVIP)

FVIP was the ACT’s coordinated response to family violence incidents that come to the attention of the police and proceed to prosecution. The FVIP’s focus is on improving the criminal justice system response to family violence.

Formation of the ACT Aboriginal Justice Advisory Council

The ACT Aboriginal Justice Advisory Council was formed to address the over representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the criminal justice system.

ACT Legislation Register

The ACT legislation register was established by the Legislation Act 2001. It began operation on the approved secure web site - www.legislation.act.gov.au - when the Act commenced on 12 September 2001. The legislation register is central to the making, notification, commencement, operation, interpretation, proof, republication, amendment and repeal of legislation and instruments made under legislation. The legislation register is an authorised electronic statute book that provides the community with free and quick access to ACT legislation and related information. The register was the first authorised electronic statute book in Australia.

The First Annual State of the Service report released

Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services established

Territory Records Office established

The Territory Records Office provides policy leadership on information governance for the ACTPS and helps the community to make use of the wealth of ACT Government archival records. In the Office’s relatively short history it has led Whole of Government approaches by taking a strategic and collaborative view of recordkeeping in the ACTPS, finding shared answers to common problems, and supporting joint solutions for community access to community memory. These include Whole of Government tools for classifying and managing records, and shared facilities for public access to government and private archives about the ACT.

ACT Bushfire Recovery Taskforce established

In response to the January 2003 bushfires, the ACT Government established the  ACT Bushfire Recovery Taskforce with a broad range of functions. The Taskforce required experienced staff to operate effectively and immediately and these staff were drawn from the ACTPS. Amendments were made to the Public Sector Management Standards which were used to facilitate the temporary movement of Executive staff across the Service for the purpose of responding to the bushfire recovery effort.

Emergency Services Authority established

The ACT Emergency Services Authority was created to replace the Emergency Services Bureau after the 2003 bushfires. The Authority became the Emergency Services Agency in 2007.

Report of the Bushfire Recovery Taskforce released

In October 2003, the Report of the Bushfire Recovery Taskforce was released and included the development and implementation of the bushfire recovery plan. The report emphasised the effectiveness of the Recovery Centre, which provided a wide range of government and community-based support services in a single location. The Recovery Centre was a joined-up client service.

Territory as Parent: Review of the Safety of Children in Care in the ACT and of
ACT Child Protection Management was released

In May 2004, the ACT Government released The Territory as Parent: Review of the Safety of Children in Care in the ACT and of ACT Child Protection Management.  The report was authorised under the Public Sector Management Act 1994. The report highlighted the importance of agencies having systems for monitoring and reporting on their responsibilities – particularly where this involves people in their care.

Human Rights Act 2004 enacted

The ACT Legislative Assembly enacted the Human Rights Act 2004. This was ground breaking legislation which was the first of its kind in Australia to recognise human rights derived from the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Act established the ACT as a human rights jurisdiction. The Act has improved the ACT law making processes providing a dialogue structure for debate on the limitations on human rights under Territory laws. The Act requires human rights considerations to be taken into account in all public decisions and in the development and passage of all Government legislation.

Functional Review

The Chief Minister commissioned the Strategic and Functional Review of ACT Public Sector and Services (the Functional Review) to review the outlook for the ACT Budget, to benchmark government expenditure against other jurisdictions and to identify options to improve efficiency through more effective government structures. The Review was also tasked with making recommendations for reducing expenditure or increasing non-taxation revenues. The Functional Review was the first review since self-government to undertake a comprehensive analysis of government services and structures.

The Government’s key aims in commissioning the functional Review were to maintain community outcomes in priority areas such as health, education, law and order and emergency services and to place the ACT budget on a secure footing for future generations.

Shared Services created

Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) opened

The opening of the AMC and return to the ACT of prisoners formerly held in NSW was a significant milestone in the ACT’s agenda to improve correctional outcomes. This provided a greater focus on rehabilitation, especially for sentenced ACT prisoners who were repatriated from NSW during the year. The design and facilities at the AMC, which was built in accordance with human rights principles, allows for a range of programs that are intended to help reduce substance dependency and recidivism and provide long-term benefits for both prisoners and the community.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Justice Agreement released

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Justice and Agreement (AJA) was signed between the ACT Government and the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body in August 2010. A first for the ACT, the Agreement set out a solid commitment to reduce the over representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the ACT’s criminal justice system (as both victims and offenders) and improve access to law and justice services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the ACT.

Respect, Equity and Diversity Framework launched

On 2 December 2010, the Chief Minister and the Commissioner for Public Administration launched the Respect Equity and Diversity Framework.  The Framework highlighted the benefits of valuing diversity and creating respectful and equitable workplaces.

Review of ACT Public Sector Structures and Capacity delivered

Allan Hawke delivered a report on the ACT Public Sector Structures and Capacity to the ACT Government on 2 February 2011. The Review made 76 recommendations. The Review’s key recommendation was to reconfigure the ACT Public Service as a single entity, reporting to a single Chief Executive who is Head of the ACTPS to support a “One ACT Government – One ACT Public Service” culture and way of working, and enhance coordination, cohesion and alignment of officials’ effort.

ACTPS Employment Strategy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People released

The Chief Minister and Commissioner for Public Administration launched the ACTPS Employment Strategy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People on 12 April 2011. The strategy contained a commitment to “…public sector Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment and career development strategies to reflect national Indigenous working age population share by 2015”.

ACTPS Employment Strategy for People with a Disability released

On 20 April 2011, the Chief Minister and Commissioner for Public Administration launched the ACTPS Employment Strategy for People with a Disability. The strategy included a vision for “a disability confident service, in which people with disability are able to access secure and sustainable employment opportunities and are respected for their skills and capabilities”.

Office of the Solicitor-General established

The Office of the Solicitor-General was established by the Law Officers Act 2011 which commenced on 31 August 2011, which demonstrated the maturation of the ACT Government Solicitor by having the Territory’s first Solicitor‑General.

Working with Vulnerable People checks

The ACT was the first jurisdiction to broaden the scope of a working with children check to those people who work with vulnerable people. The implementation of the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011 requires those who work or volunteer with vulnerable people to have a background check. This has allowed registered people in the ACT to move between employers or organisations within the ACT without the need to be rechecked.

Public Interest Disclosure Act 2012 passed

The commencement of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2012 repealed the previous 1994 legislation.

The Centenary Hospital for Women and Children opened

Blueprint for Youth Justice in the ACT 2012-2022 (the Blueprint) released

The Blueprint provides the strategic direction for youth justice in the ACT to achieve the ACT Government’s priorities for ‘more support for families and inclusion’, and ‘better protection for our children and young people’.

National Arboretum Canberra opened

The National Arboretum Canberra features 94 forests of rare, endangered and symbolic trees from around Australia and the world. Many of the trees are still young but two of the forests are over 100 hundred years old. Over 44,000 trees from over 100 countries are growing across the huge 250-hectare (618 acre) site, making it one of the world’s largest living collections of rare, endangered and significant trees.

Legalising same-sex marriage

The ACT Public Service supported the Government to take steps to legalise  same-sex marriage. As the first jurisdiction to pursue this change, the ACT Public Service provided advice on the complex legal and policy issues. The Office for LGBTIQ Affairs was also established to coordinate whole of government to advance LGBTIQ+ equality.

Access Canberra established

Transition to National Disability Insurance Scheme

The ACT was the first jurisdiction to trial the transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Disability ACT and Therapy ACT developed a client-centred transition pathway for residents and their families. This involved one‑on-one support to prepare Individual Plans which outlined the residents’ goals and vision, secure tenancy arrangements and discuss transport options.

Mental Health Act 2015 passed

The Mental Health Act 2015 commenced on March 2016 and provided those in the ACT living with mental illness greater opportunities to contribute to decisions on their treatment, care and support. It replaced the previous Mental Health (Treatment & Care) Act 1994.

Child Development Service established

The Child Development Service (CDS) was formed in 2016 as a collaboration between the Community Services, Health and Education and Training Directorates. CDS was designed to provide a place where children from birth to six could access immediate and short term supports, assessment and diagnosis support.

Public Sector Management Act amended

The amendments further embedded the concept of a values-based service by vesting all employment powers at the Head of Service level and applying the ACTPS values to the whole of the public sector. The amendments also formally established the Senior Executive Service and created the office of Public Sector Standards Commissioner.

New Public Sector Management Standards made

Family Safety Hub

The role of Coordinator-General for Family Safety was established in 2016. On 11 May 2018 after 12 months of consultation, the Family Safety Hub, which is a network for collaboration and innovation to improve domestic and family violence services in the ACT, was launched.

Barrier Free Model

The ACT Revenue Office introduced a new system for collecting conveyancing duty on property transactions; Barrier Free Model. The benefits of the model were that duty is no longer paid before settlement, transactions could be processed faster, and concessions and exemptions could be claimed without a detailed application form. The ACT Revenue Office used innovation in redesigning the model for collecting conveyance duty that was well adapted to a digital platform and to the ACT’s size and property market.

University of Canberra Hospital – Rehabilitation, Recovery, Research opened

The University of Canberra Hospital is a dedicated and purpose-built rehabilitation facility, for people over the age of 18 who are experiencing mental illness or recovering from surgery, illness or injury.

ACT Health transitioned into Canberra Health Services and the ACT Health Directorate

The Integrity Commission Act 2018 passed

The Act provides for the establishment of the ACT Integrity Commission which fully commences by 1 December 2019.

Coordinator-General, Mental Health and Well-being

On 3 December 2018, the Coordinator-General, Mental Health and Well-being commenced. The Coordinator-General will be leading a new vision for mental health and suicide prevention through a process of collaboration and co-design with relevant stakeholders.

Case Management Reforms in the Courts and ACAT

The ACT Courts and Tribunal (ACAT) implemented a new case management system known as the ICT Integrated Case Management System (ICMS) to replace the legacy core case management system. The ICMS is a more efficient business system which will improve service delivery to the judiciary, tribunal members and court and tribunal users and will provide a platform for a number of online services, such as electronic lodgement of court and tribunal documents.

ACT Government as a workers’ compensation self-insurer

The ACT Government became a self-insurer under the Comcare scheme. As a licensed self-insurer, the Government is better able to influence how these services are delivered to its employees. The Government’s self-insurance arrangements are supported by the infrastructure established under Public Sector Workers’ Compensation Act 2018. In addition, a third-party claims manager, Employers Mutual Limited (EML), has been engaged to provide claims administration services for the ACT Government.