Services Australia will continue to review and assess the need for additional or supplementary training programs that focus on elements of service delivery, where more formal training or a qualification may be of benefit.
SES staff at Services Australia should spend some time in a front-line service delivery role and with other community partnerships.
The Government accepts this recommendation.
The Government supports Senior Executive Service officials spending time in a front-line service delivery setting or with other community partnerships, to gain exposure and insights to the delivery of government services.
Senior Executive Service officials within Services Australia regularly spend time in a front-line service delivery setting, including the face-to-face and telephony environments, to gain insight into the experiences of both customers and staff.
Services Australia is also supportive of providing experience of front-line service delivery more broadly to Australian Public Service and Senior Executive Service officials responsible for policy development to assist when formulating policy/legislative changes and program delivery.
The Public Service Act should be amended to make it clear that the Australian Public Service Commissioner can inquire into the conduct of former Agency Heads. Also, the Public Service Act should be amended to allow for a disciplinary declaration to be made against former APS employees and former Agency Heads.
The Government accepts this recommendation.
Secretaries and agency heads must be accountable for their actions.
The Government will require the performance process and framework for secretaries and agency heads to be published.
The Government will introduce legislative amendments to the Public Service Act 1999 (Cth) to provide the Australian Public Service (APS) Commissioner with a new power to commence own motion reviews and investigations into Code of Conduct matters. The APS Commissioner will no longer have to wait for a referral before commencing an inquiry.
The Government will also progress amendments to extend the APS Commissioner's powers to former secretaries, agency heads and APS employees. These amendments will also provide for disciplinary declarations to be made against past secretaries, agency heads and APS employees. This will ensure that inquiries into the conduct of former public servants can be commenced and undertaken, and sanctions applied, following the end of their tenure.
