Overview
The directorate, through Workforce Capability and Governance (WCaG), continues to provide strategic advice and support to the Head of Service as the central agency with a policy and advisory role on ACTPS employment. Areas of responsibility include flexible work arrangements, service-wide employment, industrial relations, secure local jobs code, workforce strategy, organisational learning and development, investigations, and accountability and governance. WCaG also provides support to the statutory offices of the ACT Public Sector Standards Commissioner, ACT Remuneration Tribunal, ACTPS Joint Council and provides support to the Workforce Transformation Group and the Human Resource (HR) Directors’ Forum.
Highlights
In 2018-19, the directorate:
- commenced development of the WoG eLearning modules which support the ACTPS Core Learning Policy. These modules will ensure employees are aware of the fundamentals of working in the ACTPS and will provide consistent core skills development across the Service;
- delivered the 2018 ACT Public Service Awards for Excellence with 149 nominations across the six categories of: Respect; Integrity; Collaboration; Innovation; Leadership; and Bill Harris Executive Leadership;
- coordinated the Service wide Executive development program including delivering eight executive development events on leading an agile, responsive and innovative public service into the future. The keynote speakers included;
- Mr Don Bemrose, teacher;
- Dr Ian Oppermann, NSW CEO and Chief Data Scientist;
- Mr Gil Penalose, World Urban Parks;
- Professor Ken Smith, CEO, Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG);
- Mr Michael Manthorpe, ACT Ombudsman;
- Ms Katrina Fanning, Chair, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body;
- Mr Sean Larkins, WPP Government and Public Sector Practice; and
- Mr Shane Drumgold, Director of Public Prosecutions;
- supported the government in implementing the revised four band executive classification structure across the ACT Public Sector from 1 July 2018 and the introduction of standardised executive position titles across directorates;
- developed additional resources under the ACT Government Veterans Employment Strategy. The resources now include:
- ACTPS Veterans Employment Transition Guide;
- Australian Defence Force Rank/ACTPS Classification Guide;
- Guide to Employment of Veterans in the ACTPS; and
- a register for current Australian Defence Force members and Veterans who are interested in a career in the ACTPS. Suitable ACTPS vacancies are forwarded to people on the register for their consideration.
- developed a strategic workforce plan for the ACTPS Graduate Program;
- commenced a new WoG Panel of Training Providers from 1 July 2018;
- established a cross-directorate working group focusing on the development of the Addressing Occupational Violence Strategy;
- developed additional inclusion programs, including mentor training with specific cultural focus, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Career Development and Retention program and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership program;
- commenced a review of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2012;
- facilitated policy development workshops focusing on value-creating policy services for senior executive leaders as part of this year’s Executive Learning and Development Program;
- coordinated the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Vocational Employment Program and the Inclusion Vocational Employment Program for People with Disability;
- coordinated the second Disability Employment Service (DES) Provider Expo in August 2018, which aimed to link members of the community and new school leavers with Local providers that support the employment of people with disability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;
- coordinated the ACTPS Graduate Program with 48 graduates completing the 2018 Graduate Program and 43 commencing the 2019 Graduate Program;
- developed a suite of materials, including a package of team resources and a cross-directorate Train the Trainer program for HR practitioners on the emotional and interpersonal aspects of organisational change (the Dynamics of Change Program), to support the WoG Workforce Transformation program;
- continued to support the expansion of Activity Based Work (ABW) across the Service with more than 800 staff working flexibly across four locations;
- launched the Workforce Transformation Portal, a resource developed to support the transition of staff into the new Dickson and Civic Office Buildings. Hosted materials include informational videos, Culture Ready Conversation starters, fact sheets, policies, and a questions and answers page;
- published the Designated Activity Based Work Environment and Flexible Workplace policies on the ACT Government Employment Portal;
- drove organisational and cultural change through coordination of meetings of the Workforce Transformation Group, an inter-directorate working group tasked with delivering the transition to the Dickson and Civic Office Buildings;
- provided support to those directorates moving to the Dickson and Civic Office Buildings as they focused internal change programs to achieve readiness prior to the move dates in Quarter Two and Quarter Four of the 2020 calendar year respectively;
- led the successful introduction of the Secure Local Jobs Code for ACT Government contracts in the construction, traffic management, cleaning and security industry;
- assessed the level of insecure work in the Service and developed policy responses to give effect to the ACT Government’s policy of a preference towards permanent employment;
- finalised the enterprise bargaining round through completion of the common core outcome and commencement of the approval of the various agreements through the Fair Work Commission;
- updated the Annual Report Directions under the Annual Report (Government Agencies) Act 2004 for 2018-19 onwards;
- supported the ACT Remuneration Tribunal to finalise the Major Review: ACT Public Service Senior Executive Service remuneration, allowances and other entitlements in March 2019;
- in partnership with the Justice and Community Safety Directorate (Parliamentary Counsel’s Office and Legislation, Policy and Programs), prepared for the ACT Government, the Integrity Commission Bill 2018 and the Integrity Commission (ACT Policing) Amendment Bill 2018 for introduction into the Legislative Assembly on 27 November 2018;
- supported the ACT Government on the Select Committee on an Independent Integrity Commission Inquiry 2018 and prepared the Government Response to over 50 recommendations from the 2018 inquiry; and
- in partnership with the Justice and Community Safety Directorate (Parliamentary Counsel’s Office and Legislation, Policy and Programs), prepared the Integrity Commission Amendment Bill 2019 for introduction into the Legislative Assembly on 16 May 2019. The amendment bill sought to commence some establishment provisions of the Integrity Commission Act 2018 and delay the receipt of referrals to 1 December 2019, or earlier, if requested by the Integrity Commissioner.
The directorate met or exceeded five out of six accountability indicators against this output.
The one accountability indicator exceeded was:
- Conduct the annual whole of government Graduate Program – 94% (representing 48 out of 51) of the graduate cohort completed the program in December 2018, exceeding the target of 85%.
The one accountability indicator not met was:
- Conduct vocational employment programs – this indicator measured the conduct of vocational employment programs for People with Disability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. The target was for 85% of the participants to complete the program and the result was 75%. Of the 20 participants who commenced in the vocational employment programs between February and May 2017, 15 completed the program. Of these, 14 completed the program in the 2018 calendar year and one in the 2019 calendar year. One participant is due to complete the program by the end of 2019 and four participants have left the program.
Future Direction
In 2019-20 the directorate will:
- further executive development through the implementation of the Leading Digital Transformation program in the ACTPS;
- finalise implementation of the ACTPS Graduate Program Strategic Workforce Plan;
- continue to drive the Workforce Transformation Program through regular meetings of the Workforce Transformation Group and associated sub-groups;
- support the successful transition of staff from Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate, Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate, Access Canberra and the Suburban Land Agency into the Dickson Office Building;
- continue to provide advice and support for ABW initiatives within directorates;
- develop policy responses to people issues that arise and to implement the enterprise agreements;
- support the Enterprise Agreement voting and applications to the Fair Work Commission for Medical Practitioners, School Teaching staff, Fire and Rescue Officers, Legal Professionals, Correctional Officers and Ambulance Officers;
- support the Insecure Work Taskforce by working through government employment and outsourced functions to assess if employees should be offered permanent employment or whether functions should be insourced;
- conduct a Classification Review of selection classifications in the ACT Public Service to ensure market competitiveness;
- continue to maintain the employment framework comprising the Public Sector Management Act 1994 and the Public Sector Management Standards 2016;
- implement the WoG i-delegate management system which will collect and administer delegable functions under all ACT legislation (including delegations from Ministers, the Head of Service and Directors-General) into a centralised register for directorates to use;
- contribute to and co-ordinate the ACT Public Service Compliance Project to ensure that Directors-General have in place relevant resources and trained staff to demonstrate compliance with their legislative and non-legislative responsibilities and obligations;
- deliver the next stage of the Secure Local Jobs Code including the release of new support material and standard contract terms on the ACT Procurement website; and
- continue to issue Secure Local Jobs Code certificates; and conduct Secure Local Jobs Code training sessions for industry and the ACT Government.
Further information can be obtained from
Meredith Whitten
Deputy Director-General
Workforce Capability and Governance
+ 61 2 6205 5147
Meredith.Whitten@act.gov.au