21 June 2006
RETHINK NEEDED ON MANAGING THE PUBLIC SERVICE, SAYS AUDITOR GENERAL
Worrying signs are evident in the management of the public service workforce
in a time of change as the State’s economy grows and the labour
pool shrinks, warns WA Auditor General Des Pearson in a report, “Help
Wanted: Public Service Workforce Management”, tabled in Parliament
today.
With Government experiencing increasing problems in managing the public
service and agencies struggling to attract and retain staff, he has called
for a revisiting of the approach to public service workforce management
via an informed debate that leads to action.
The biggest issue is a lack of clear leadership for management of the
public service as a whole, says Mr Pearson
This was evident from the lack of a concerted, whole-of-government response
to the many reviews over recent years that have identified weaknesses
in public service workforce arrangements.
Since 1996 there have been 20 reviews or reports repeatedly identifying
public service workforce issues, but little action in responding to them.
In particular, there has been inadequate response to the tight labour
market and changing workforce demographics and a lack of evaluation of
the effectiveness of some workforce policies.
This situation has contributed to difficulties in attracting and retaining
public servants and consequently has resulted in serious delays in the
delivery of some government services and in the implementation of critical
new initiatives.
Mr Pearson found there is too much central control and not enough coordination
and practical support, with workforce management weighed down by bureaucratic
controls which have accumulated over time and that are seen by agencies
as not contributing to improved management of public services.
There was also a lack of accountability for many of the existing policy
instruments being used – agencies having to satisfy convoluted
provisions when seeking central agency approvals but with no equivalent
accountability for the decisions made by the central agencies.
Commenting on the situation, Mr Pearson says: “In hindsight, it
seems that there has been an under-investment in the public service workforce
over the past 20 years, at both the leadership and entry levels.
“The major focus during the 1990s was on making the public service
leaner and meaner.
“Priority was given to reforms such as increased use of contractors
and not-for-profit organisations, and more recently restructuring, amalgamating
and splitting agencies; shifting individual agency corporate services
to shared service centres; and procurement reform.
“While each of these has merit in itself, the challenge of ensuring
that there are motivated, capable staff and an alignment between services,
outcomes and workforce management has gone largely unaddressed.
“I am thus urging the government, Members of Parliament and the
wider community to recognise the fundamental importance of, and very
high expectations placed on, the public service.
“There needs to be a rethink about how best to provide a management
framework that delivers coordinated responses and high-quality services
into the future.”
Ends/.
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