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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (13 November) . . Page.. 4125 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

Under this strategy ACT government agencies must clearly identify their customers and consult them about access to their services, and consider the views of those customers in the ongoing process of setting commitment to service standards. Commitment to service statements are written statements about the type and level of service which ACTPS staff are committed to providing. The statements will enable customers to check their expectation against the type and level of service being offered and provide avenues for giving feedback if their expectations are not met. The principles of fairness and opportunity are incorporated into these statements. This ensures that services are available to the elderly, to people with disabilities, to people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, to women, to young people, and to people from different socioeconomic groups.

The emphasis on a customer focused public service has seen government agencies developing and using client satisfaction surveys and broadening their consultation with consumers, and as a result they have gained a better understanding of who their customers are and what they need; benefiting from improved feedback and the development of quality improvement processes resulting in improved fairness in the treatment of customers; and making better use of technology, thus providing better communications and information to their customers and resulting in improving the access of customers to their service.

The Government's approach can be summarised as follows: First, services are available to everyone entitled to them. This is accomplished through government service delivery areas identifying their customers and their needs and ensuring that service delivery priorities are directed at those with the greatest needs and incorporating these elements in the commitment to service statements.

Services are provided free of discrimination. The ACTPS standards require that no client or potential client shall be disadvantaged in accessing a service or receiving an equitable program outcome by virtue of their background. The Public Sector Management Act, the Public Interest Disclosure Act and the Discrimination Act provide the legal framework, which is supported by ACTPS standards, ethics and training as well as appeals and review mechanisms. The Office of Multicultural and International Affairs in the Chief Minister's Department plays a significant lead role in these matters.

Customers have fair and just treatment. Customers who believe their expectations of service have not been met are made aware of and provided with appeals and complaint mechanisms, including the Ombudsman, the Auditor-General, the ACT Human Rights Office and the Health Complaints Commissioner. Government services are also committed to ensuring the training of staff in customer service and cross-cultural awareness.

Customers know of the services to which they have an entitlement. Again, this is accomplished through the commitment to service statements which identify the customers whom services are targeted at and their eligibility requirements. Customers know what entitlements are for each service and how they are applied. Services providers make clear the priority basis on which services are delivered to customers through their commitment to service standards as well as providing information on the type and level of service which they may expect.

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