Page 3698 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 28 October 2014
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cutting, footpaths, graffiti removal through to emergency departments, schools and the courts. Whilst this broad scope does provide challenges, it should also provide opportunities for efficiency and better alignment with the wishes of the constituents we represent.
We are fortunate in the ACT to have economies of distance and, to an extent, have economies of scale. We do not have thousands of kilometres of road to distant parts of the jurisdiction. We do not have small country hospitals with just a couple of dozen beds. We do not have schools with 15 kids, or police stations with just a couple of officers. We have a city-state, and we should be able to operate efficiently as a result.
In 2011 Dr Allan Hawke AC delivered a report to the ACT government, Governing the city state: one ACT government—one ACT public service. This review of the operations of the ACT government provides a valuable assessment of the areas that are going well and the areas of government operations that could be done better. Dr Hawke summed up the rationale well in the letter of transmittal. It included:
In making recommendations for improvement and enhancing performance, the Review has concluded the ACTPS is not broken and that there is much to be celebrated in what the ACTPS does on a daily basis.
He continued:
The necessary enhancements to cohesion, coordination and alignment of effort will be supported by the creation of a deliberately powerful centre for the ACTPS which will work with colleagues directly responsible for service delivery to the community to ensure officials’ efforts remain focused, and that issues are identified, engaged with, and resolved quickly. This central hub will provide an enhanced capacity to facilitate connections across government in the development of aligned and coordinated government policy, it will provide assurance to Cabinet that its decisions are properly informed and implemented, and, when necessary, will drive policy development on critical issues. Its successful implementation will be dependent on the clear articulation of government priorities, and the ability of officials to work cohesively in genuine collaboration in pursuit of those objectives.
Dr Hawke said:
The opportunities for reform in the ACT included:
…
• rebase the ACTPS;
• remove complexity and inefficiency from its structures and business processes;
• recalibrate the strategic planning and reporting framework; and
• transform how the ACTPS is structured and works together in the future.
Dr Hawke articulated the opportunities for the ACT to develop a better government for Canberrans. Whilst some of his reforms have been implemented, there are
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