Page 1875 - Week 05 - Thursday, 5 May 2011
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The bill provides that the head of the service may also be the director-general of the Chief Minister’s service unit. It is my intention that the head of the service will also head the Chief Minister’s directorate.
The head of the service will take on most of the employment functions previously undertaken by chief executives and the Commissioner for Public Administration. This rightfully reflects the head of the service’s responsibility for the management of the employment of members of the service. The commissioner has a new additional role as a “check” on decision making where vesting all employment powers in the head of service has the potential to create a conflict of interest; for example, where the head of service makes a decision to terminate someone’s employment and decides to re-engage that person within a short time of the termination. The commissioner will also retain responsibility for resolution of grievances, authorisation of management standards, sponsorship of employee diversity programs and offering advice on public sector values and ethics.
The bill provides that the office of directors-general for an administrative unit is established when the unit is established—it no longer has to be created separately.
A director-general will be engaged on contract by the head of the service in consultation with the Chief Minister and the relevant minister. A director-general will, under the relevant minister, be responsible for managing the business of the directorate, providing advice and reports to the minister on matters relating to the directorate and implementing, at the direction of the head of the service, whole-of-government strategies and responses to critical or potentially critical issues, consistent with the new single entity structure. It also provides for a director-general to perform any other function given to them by the head of the service or by a territory law.
The amendments will be accompanied by new administrative arrangements on commencement. This instrument will outline the new nine-directorate structure. The nine directorates are Chief Minister’s, Treasury, Economic Development, Justice and Community Safety, Health, Education and Training, Territory and Municipal Services, Community Services, and Sustainable Development.
The key changes include the creation of two entirely new directorates: Sustainable Development and Economic Development. The main purpose for creating these new structures is to better align the efforts of those responsible for economic development for the territory, and create a cross-portfolio entity responsible for tackling one of the most challenging policy areas of our age—sustainability.
Economic Development will incorporate almost all of the former Department of Land and Property Services as well as elements of the former Chief Minister’s Department responsible for business support and programs, events, skills and economic development, tourism, and the team supporting the Live in Canberra campaign. It will also take on responsibility for territory venues, including EPIC and sport and recreation, both areas formerly in TAMS.
Sustainable Development will comprise the entirety of the former Department of the Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water and the ACT Planning and Land
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