I am pleased to present the 2018-19 State of the Service Report. In our 25th year as a public service we have shown that we are an innovative jurisdiction that actively seeks out new and better ways of doing things. As a small public service that covers both local and state responsibilities, we are in a unique position to work together as one service, making it easier for Canberrans to access programs and services.
As you read this report you will see many examples of how we use our capability to serve the government of the day and contribute to making Canberra a vibrant, inclusive and thriving city. The ACT Public Service (ACTPS) workforce is being shaped and supported through whole of government workforce strategies to drive a more agile, responsive and innovative service for the future.
Workforce transformation is a key priority for the ACTPS to ensure that we are an effective and efficient public service, focussed on delivering the Government’s strategic agenda and meeting community needs, with the agility to deliver consistently, responsively and sustainably. The completion of the new government office blocks during 2020 provides an opportunity to strengthen and further our 'one service' approach. Organisational and cultural change processes are being led across the ACTPS to ensure that our workforce is ready to take advantage of the new offices to adopt more innovative ways of working.
This year has seen a comprehensive and collaborative approach to delivering on our commitment of providing safe and supportive work and workplaces.
In January 2019, we saw the launch of our Work Health, Safety and Wellbeing Strategy 2019 - 2022, designed to deliver improved engagement, participation and productivity of our people through a whole of government work health, safety and wellbeing approach. Our application to become a licenced self-insurer for workers' compensation under the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 was approved and operations commenced on 1 March 2019. This is a significant change to the workers compensation arrangements in the Territory.
The Addressing Occupational Violence Strategy was launched in May 2019 and saw collaboration across directorates in developing Whole of Government strategies and policy to address occupational violence in our workplaces, including progressing initiatives such as a mental health strategy for our workforce.
Together, as one service, we continue to foster positive workplace cultures and drive employment initiatives to increase diversity within the ACTPS.
In February 2019, I renewed my commitment to supporting the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community by signing the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agreement 2019-2028 on behalf of the ACTPS. During the financial year, we saw continued growth in the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people employed within our service as it increased from 380 to 423 employees. We are delivering new career development and retention programs and initiatives, including mentor training with a specific cultural focus, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Career Development and Retention Program, and the ACT Public Service Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Program.
During 2018-19, Directorates collaborated with the Office for LGBTIQ+ Affairs to develop a strategy to deliver equitable outcomes for LGBTIQ+ people. The ACTPS continues to partner with Pride in Diversity and the Diversity Council of Australia and with local providers, such as the ACT AIDS Action Council and A Gender Agenda.
The ACTPS continues to digitise services to give customers and staff the option of dealing with ACT Government online. Digitisation also supports the ACT Government's commitment to reducing red tape, as well as paper waste.
This year more than 7,400 Canberrans created an account on the ACT Digital Account, a capability that allows people to verify who they are to government once and be able to access a range of services applicable to them. This included two new services, Rental Bond Help that offers eligible people interest-free financial assistance to enter the private rental market and Transfer My Infringement, for people to transfer their infringement notice to the driver of the vehicle at the time of the offence.
To improve public service efficiency, we established an online job application form and implemented systems to automate salary report approvals, calculation and reporting of Long Service Leave entitlements and a new Accounts Payable Invoice Automation System. During the year, significant progress was made on the procurement and implementation of whole of government human resource information management system (HRIMS). Given that we have approximately 23,000 public servants on the one payroll system this is quite a significant change affecting our business operations. This will allow the ACT Government to progress a more strategic approach to managing its greatest asset, our staff.
We established the ACT Data Analytics Centre to enable better services and policies by using data more effectively. The Centre comprises a team of data experts, an ACT-wide scalable data analytics platform and associated governance arrangements.
Directorates used the YourSay Community Conversations (YourSay) website as the place for online consultations with the community. In 2018-19, there were more than 100,000 visitors to YourSay, and the YourSay e-newsletter had more than 6,500 subscribers.
The new YourSay Community Panel was developed during the reporting year and was launched on 1 July 2019. The Panel allows the government to seek the views and opinions of a representative group of the community on a broad range of topics, as well as evaluate programs, services and communications. Panel membership makes it easy and convenient for members to have their say on any device, anywhere and at a time that suits them.
In our 25th anniversary year, the ACT Digital Account and YourSay website highlight the value of collaboration across the ACTPS and demonstrates the innovative, forward-thinking nature of our organisation and what can be achieved when we take a one-government approach to designing services for the community.
I would like to thank our staff for your commitment to the Canberra community. The innovative, collaborative and inclusive way in which you work is impressive. I look forward to seeing more innovative and progressive projects over the next 25 years.
Kathy Leigh
Head of Service
October 2019