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ANZSOG

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The Australia and New Zealand School of Government submission to the review of the Australia Public Service is attached.

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Australia&
New Zealand

PO Box 230 Carlton South School Of

Victoria 3053 Australia Government

T +61 3 8344 1990

E anzsog@anzsog.edu.au

anzsog.edu.au

ACN 102 908 118 ANZSOG

Mr David Thodey AO
Chair, APS Review Panel
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
PO Box 6500
Canberra ACT 2600

I am pleased to provide you with the submission of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government
(ANZSOG) to the review of the Australian Public Service.

On behalf of ANZSOG, my team and I would be delighted to discuss any elements of the submission with

the Review Panel or Secretariat. The submission details the role that ANZSOG plays in supporting better

public administration Further detailed information is available on our website: www.anzsog.edu.au We

welcome publication of our submission, and it would be our preference to follow publication with

communication via ANZSOG's website and social media channels.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide input to this important review. We look forward to working with the

Review Panel and/or the Secretariat. I can be contacted at k.smith@anzsog .edu.au or on (03) 8344 1977.
Yours sincerely

Owned by and working for Australian and New Zealand governments. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and First Peoples of Australia

and Maori, as tangata whenua and Treaty of Waitangi partners in Aotearoa-New Zealand.
ANZSOG submission to

the review of the

Australian Public Service
July 2018

Owned by and working for Australian and New Zealand governments.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and First Peoples of

Australia and Māori, as tangata whenua and Treaty of Waitangi

partners in Aotearoa-New Zealand.
Contents

Introduction and recommendations 1
Introduction 1
Improving our own fitness for purpose 1
Recommendations: areas for attention 3
Recommendations: specific actions 3

ANZSOG: an asset for the Australian public sector 5
Supporting fitness for purpose in the APS 5
Educational leadership for the public sector 5
Building capability for public sector managers 6
A trusted partner on difficult problems 7
A resource for constant improvement 8

Strengthening capability of the APS: areas of focus 9
Delivering high quality policy advice 9
Acting with integrity to strengthen public trust 12
Leading effective organisations 13
Working across the Federation 14
Strengthening Indigenous leadership in the APS 15
Creating greater public value through innovation 17
Making better use of data 18
Conclusion 19

References 20

Attachment: ANZSOG Capability Statement 22

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
1

Introduction and recommendations

Introduction

The review aims to ensure that the APS is fit-for-purpose for the coming decades, by identifying potential

reforms and the capabilities needed to deliver public value.
An organisation that is fit-for-purpose is one that understands its purpose and the capabilities required to

achieve that purpose.
In considering our response to the terms of reference for the APS Review, ANZSOG has reflected on the

current and future challenges facing the APS, the existing capability and structures of the APS, and

international research on public sector capability.
We consider capability as the ‘defining strengths’ of an organisation; the combination of skills, knowledge,
systems, procedures, decision-making practices, and other factors that enable effective action towards its

purpose (Leinwand and Mainardi 2011).
Much of the growth in organisational capability for the APS will come from building the skills and capacity

of the public sector workforce, which is a focus for ANZSOG.
The OECD’s Directorate for Public Governance has identified four areas of capacity required in the public

sector workforce – the capacity to develop policy and design for implementation, to work with citizens, to

collaborate in networks, and to commission and contract for delivery (OECD 2017). We have used this

OECD framework to review and improve our programs to target contemporary challenges for the

Australian and New Zealand public sector, and it informed our response to this review.
We begin by demonstrating our own approach to strengthening fitness for purpose.

Improving our own fitness for purpose

ANZSOG is currently completing a strategic review in which we have considered our own fitness for

purpose and the capabilities required to achieve our purpose. This is a useful case study of the process to

strengthen fitness for purpose in a dynamic environment.
As an organisation owned by the ten (10) governments of Australia and New Zealand and facilitated

through our fifteen (15) domestic partner universities, our stated purpose is the result of considerable

negotiation. Clarifying an organisation’s purpose is the essential first step in establishing fitness for

purpose.
Our purpose – To work with our government owners and university partners to lift the quality of public

sector leadership and improve the lives of Australians and New Zealanders in everything we do.

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To understand our fitness to achieve this purpose, we considered seven trends that are shaping the role of

the public sector, and how it operates.

• Five trends that affect the role and functions of the public sector:
– Increasing complexity and uncertain environments – requiring new knowledge, flexibility,
collaboration, and different ways of working.
– Greater social diversity through migration and engagement with Indigenous people – requiring new
ways of engaging with communities.
– Declining trust in governments – requiring sensitive responses and greater focus on integrity of
institutions.
– Changing expectations about the role of government and access to services – requiring innovation in
service delivery and information sharing, for effective interfaces between people and government.
– Potential of big data and analytics – providing new options for the public sector, but also new
regulatory challenges.

• Two trends that affect the approach to public sector education:
– Changing profile of the public servant – with a greater diversity of staff across social and professional
backgrounds.
– Changing attitudes toward professional development – with many ways to support life-long learning,
and greater focus on the impact of education.
These trends require the APS to expand and enhance its capability, and to develop new ways to build

capability. Knowing our purpose as an organisation aiming to strengthen capability in the public sector, and

understanding these trends, we identified four themes in our work toward our purpose:
Educate public managers to improve their skills, capacity and leadership and expose them to the best

thinking on public management.
Enrich debate on the future of our public services through our research and providing forums for

discussion of key issues.
Connect public sector practitioners and academics and build networks across agencies, sectors and

jurisdictions.
Inspire public sector leaders to be proud of their chosen career and be the best they can for themselves

and the communities they serve.
We are now working to refine and strengthen our capabilities, within ANZSOG and through our networks,
in order to do this work effectively and achieve our purpose. For ANZSOG, strengthening our capabilities

includes revising the content and delivery of our educational programs, expanding our research program to

ensure it is directly relevant to member governments, and establishing teams and networks to directly build

capability within agencies.

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
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Recommendations: areas for attention

ANZSOG's submission touches on what we believe are nine (9) priority areas for the APS Review to

consider in the context of its terms of reference. Our view is that these are significant areas of attention for

the APS to meet its mission in future. These are:
• Recognising the significant role of the non-profit and private sector in service delivery now requires
greater capability for commissioning and contracting, and attention to the capability of these counterpart
organisations.
• Providing access to systematic and ongoing targeted research to support innovation.
• Delivering high quality policy advice, through an assessment of policy capability, and developing ways
to better use research and collaboration for policy advice.
• Acting with integrity to strengthen public trust, through an institution-first approach to integrity.
• Leading effective organisations, through prioritising appropriate leadership for effectiveness rather than
simply relying on ongoing structural change.
• Working across the Federation, through attention to the interfaces between jurisdictions and the
responsibilities of each level of government.
• Strengthening Indigenous leadership in the APS, by building both the status of Indigenous public
servants and the capability of the APS to engage with Indigenous communities and other
jurisdictions/organisations.
• Creating greater public value through innovation, drawing on research and new learning and
development methods.
• Making better use of data, recognising both the potential of digital transformation and the technical and
strategic challenges that must be addressed.

Recommendations: specific actions

ANZSOG recommends some specific actions to the APS Review, as outlined in detail in the following

sections of this submission:
In the next section, on ANZSOG’s role:
• Consider appropriate models to provide research and education in the non-profit, mutual, local
government and private sectors.
• Consider the need for a systematic research program to support ongoing innovation in the public
service.
In the subsequent section on strengthening capability of the APS:
• Undertake an APS-wide assessment of current policy capacity which includes (i) internal sources of
advice (ii) external sources of advice (iii) areas of expertise (iv) processes for the internal and external
development/commissioning of advice
• Consider integrity on an institution-first basis, so that it moves beyond an individual, rule-based,
absence of corruption approach.
• Agencies should develop common concepts of institutional integrity and public officer integrity that allow
for consistent and broad support for integrity and ethical conduct across the APS.

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
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• Given the importance of leadership for organisational effectiveness, we recommend that the APS
Review devote attention to exploring the kinds of leadership attributes that will be required in the future
APS.
• Ensure services are planned and delivered by the right level of government, to maximise
responsiveness in case and place management.
• Acknowledge and support the need for further development of capability to respond effectively to the
needs of Indigenous people, and in leading work to ensure greater focus on achieving improvements in
government service delivery, whether direct or through the not-for-profit, state/territories, and private
sectors.
• Building the capability for innovation across the APS requires a focus on changes in organisational
culture and practices, both bottom-up and top-down.

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
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ANZSOG: an asset for the Australian public sector

Owned by, and working for, the ten governments of Australia and New Zealand, ANZSOG is a global

leader in education and research that aims to lift the quality of public sector leadership.
ANZSOG’s success is built on its partnerships with the national, state, and territory governments of

Australia and New Zealand and its partnerships with 15 domestic universities. ANZSOG’s partnerships

ensure its students and stakeholders have access to the world’s leading academics and senior

practitioners from the government and non-government sectors. Through its affiliate partners and

relationships with faculty including those from Harvard Kennedy School, the Lee Kuan Yew School of

Public Policy, and the Utrecht University School of Governance, ANZSOG has the breadth and depth to

have first-class faculty and the capacity to recruit leading scholars worldwide.
ANZSOG is a not-for-profit public company founded in 2002 with the support of the Australian and New

Zealand governments. Both contributed a substantial initial injection of capital funds. We have prudently

managed these funds such that they now provide a resource base to support ongoing innovation in the

public sector.

Supporting fitness for purpose in the APS

Government touches all aspects of our lives. Improvements to the quality of the public sector and the

services it delivers have broad social, economic, and environmental benefits for the community. However,
all governments are facing increasing challenges in their daily wok. New skills are required to manage

digital transformation, disruptive innovation, demographic diversity, loss of trust, and the rise of anti-expert,
anti-evidence, and populist movements.
We believe that ANZSOG can work strategically with the APS to address these current and emerging

challenges. Our capability to address such challenges is demonstrated in our education programs, our

strategic partnerships, and our research. A more detailed explanation of our method for increasing public

sector capability and the courses and activities we offer is provided in the recently published ANZSOG

capability statement (attached to this submission).

Educational leadership for the public sector

Our pedagogy is innovative and interactive, designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice for

public sector managers. ANZSOG’s foundation education programs were a two-year part-time Executive

Master of Public Administration (EMPA) with a curriculum designed for aspiring and senior public

managers, funded by governments. It was premised on the idea that an MBA misses the distinctiveness of

government, and the accompanying focus on public value as opposed to shareholder value. Our programs

build public sector capability through combining the practical insights of senior practitioners with the

intellectual rigour of world-leading academics. The Executive Fellows Program (EFP) was developed for

senior officials, drawing closely on the Harvard Kennedy School design. These programs have evolved

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
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over time but remain at the core of what ANZSOG offers and are now supported by a purpose-built case

library (the third largest in the world) and a substantial research program.
Over time, ANZSOG has developed additional programs to support leadership development, Australia and

New Zealand's public diplomacy policies, policy capability, and to improve jurisdictional relationships.
These programs include:

• Toward Strategic Leadership. This program aims to develop leaders managing the transition from
professional to executive leadership, so they can effectively manage people and programs and respond
to change.
• The CEOs forum. The forum provides a space to share knowledge and confidential discussions about
some of the most pressing issues facing Australia and New Zealand.
• The Deputies forum. Participants will explore the unique challenges they face as deputies through an
immersive learning experience, while being exposed to leading thinkers and practitioners in leadership
development.
• Executive education. These are specialised workshops in a range of disciplines designed to meet the
practical needs of public sector workers and agencies, which can be customised for an agency, or
open-to-market. Recent growth in offerings is bespoke in nature rather than open-to-market.
• India and China international programs. In these programs, participants learn about cultural differences
and gain first-hand exposure to alternative models of public sector leadership and management. In
addition, significant work has occurred in the South Pacific and PNG, Malaysia, Singapore, and
Indonesia.
• Annual conferences and roundtables. ANZSOG works with partners to organise and run conferences
and roundtables on key issues facing the public sector, such as Indigenous engagement and the
implications of the rise of big data.
These evolutions speak to the ongoing development of our offerings and acknowledge global geo-political

transformation through a greater focus on Australian and New Zealand relations with East and South Asia.
We have a strong and growing focus on Indigenous issues across Australia and New Zealand. We are

likewise committed to achieving gender, racial, cultural, and cognitive diversity in our faculty, staff, and

participant body so that we are representative of changing demography and community in Australia and

New Zealand.
While ANZSOG has evolved, our purpose nevertheless remains: to shape the future of public sector

leadership, and so better serve the Australian and New Zealand communities.

Building capability for public sector managers

Our students are high-performing public sector managers who are nominated to join an ANZSOG program

by their agencies or departments from across Australia and New Zealand. Our curriculum covers the

issues that senior practitioners are dealing with daily, and our teaching style is based on real-world

examples and interactive learning, where participants learn from the perspectives of their peers. Students

are encouraged to work collaboratively and build networks that stay active after the course is completed.
Throughout the programs, students gain an understanding of policy design and analysis, economics, the

law, and how to think strategically about their work. We help them to develop their capacity to lead public

sector organisations in complex and uncertain environments. This includes students diagnosing and

reflecting on the strengths and weaknesses of their personal leadership style, and influencing,
collaborating, and leading to achieve outcomes beyond an official mandate. Our graduates know how to

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
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lead teams of domain experts to understand why and how their work area is part of the larger enterprise of

their agency or government.
Our core programs now include people from the non-profit, mutual and local government sectors. The APS

should recognise the growing reliance on external contracting and commissioning for key service delivery

with both the non-profit, private and local government sectors. This issue is significant. Whilst services are

delivered externally to government, government remains accountable for outcomes. A recent House of

Commons report estimated that 13.7% of UK GDP is spent on public procurement (PACA Committee

2018). As such, it would be useful for the APS Review to consider future capability of sectors external to

the APS yet essential to its continued effective operation. ANZSOG, with a specific mandate associated

with government, is not in a position to deliver comprehensive education programs outside the public

sector. However, there is major potential overlap between these sectors, which raises the challenge of

senior leadership development in a range of areas external to government. Experience in other

jurisdictions is that similar internationally focused public policy programs attract equal representation from

the government, non-profit and private sectors.
In addition to our core programs, ANZSOG delivers specialised workshops and courses which are

specifically tailored to individual government agencies or jurisdictions. These workshops and courses allow

agencies to fill specific gaps in the skill sets of their employees or teams.
ANZSOG provides an environment for intensive, personalised capability building through secondments

from participating governments. Our strategic review in 2018 offered an opportunity for four public service

officers to work closely with ANZSOG and The Boston Consulting Group; this model provides a template

for further collaboration with government in future.

What ANZSOG recommends to the APS Review

Consider appropriate models to provide research and education in the non-profit, mutual, local

government, and private sectors. The ANZSOG funding model of capital injection towards the development

of a virtual institution linking the academy and practice is a logical starting point. Any model specifically

developed could be structured to maximise working opportunities and efficiencies, working in partnership

with ANZSOG to ensure effectiveness in research and education delivery.

A trusted partner on difficult problems

ANZSOG has the ability to bring together world-leading academics and senior practitioners to work through

a specific policy issue or ‘public problem’ via roundtables and seminars, serving as a safe space for difficult

and frank conversations or to help broker complicated negotiations. These highly strategic events

encourage collaboration between jurisdictions on shared and pressing issues, and bring together public,
NGO, and even private expertise as required.
For example, in 2017, we partnered with the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to hold the

Indigenous Affairs and Public Administration: Can’t we do better? conference. The conference brought

together over 250 delegates from across Australian states, territories, and the Commonwealth, to begin to

chart a positive path for transformation in the public administration of Indigenous affairs. Following this was

the first in a series of forums of senior Indigenous public servants from Australia and New Zealand which

discussed public service challenges and the benefits of employing more Indigenous people.
ANZSOG has likewise facilitated roundtables with the non-profit and mutual sectors, and hosted cross-
jurisdictional fora on data sharing and analytics.

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
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This model is flexible to government needs and promotes a solution-focused approach to challenging

shared policy problems. Section 4 provides more detailed recommendations for Indigenous employment

and Indigenous affairs.

A resource for constant improvement

ANZSOG produces and commissions research on key contemporary issues in public administration, policy

development and management. This research supports the development of high quality policy advice and

policy-making throughout the public sector and enhances the knowledge and capability of public managers

and leaders. In 2017, ANZSOG committed to a demand-driven research approach in active collaboration

with its government owners. It simultaneously implemented a significant increase in research funding from
$250,000 to $750,000 per annum, with an objective of securing double-matched cash contributions from

government owners and university members. This substantial fund, potentially valued at $2.25 million or

more per annum, could prioritise policy and practice challenges faced by Australian and New Zealand

governments, working closely with them in the commissioning, supervision and quality assurance of

research projects.

What ANZSOG recommends to the APS Review

Consider the need for a systematic research program to support ongoing innovation in the public service.
Leveraging off the ANZSOG funding allocation of $750,000 per annum, and in conjunction with the states,
territories, and New Zealand, with the possibility of parallel matched university funding, then the minimum

fund for ongoing research on critical APS and other broader public service issues could be $2.5 million per

annum (minimum) in perpetuity.

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
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Strengthening capability of the APS: areas of focus

The review aims to ensure that the APS is fit-for-purpose for the coming decades. In responding to the

terms of reference, ANZSOG has reflected on the current and future challenges facing the APS, the

existing capability and structures of the APS, and international research on public sector capability. Our

view is that there are a number of significant areas for the APS to strengthen capability, for which

ANZSOG can provide advice and support. These are:

• Delivering high quality policy advice
• Acting with integrity to strengthen public trust
• Leading effective organisations
• Working across the Federation
• Strengthening Indigenous leadership in the APS
• Creating greater public value through innovation
• Making better use of data.

Delivering high quality policy advice

A high performing APS can best serve the Australian community when it has the capacity to deliver high

quality policy advice.
In a first-of-a-kind review of the effectiveness of civil services around the world, undertaken in 2017 by the

Institute for Government and the Blavatnik School of Government, Australia ranks third overall in the

assessment of 31 countries. Canada and New Zealand are in first and second place (Institute for

Government 2018). In determining effectiveness, the International Civil Service Effectiveness (InCiSE)
index focuses on a range of civil service procedures, processes and outputs which impact on the outcomes

that government pursue. These include core functions (e.g. policy making, risk management, tax

administration, HR) and attributes (e.g. integrity, inclusiveness, capabilities). In the specific area of policy

making, Australia ranks seventh;1 this indicator assesses (i) quality of policy advice; (ii) role of civil servants

in setting strategic policy direction; (iii) policy proposal coordination across government; and (iv) monitoring

policy implementation.
In developing policy advice, the APS draws on both internal and external sources of expertise. It is widely

accepted that the ‘market’ for advice has substantially increased over time, partly through an opening up of

the APS policy structures and systems (e.g. through contestability and outsourcing), but also through an

increased commitment to community engagement (e.g. through public consultation processes or citizens

juries). A key role of a fit-for-purpose APS is being able to develop, commission, mediate, and interpret

multiple, often competing, sources of evidence and exercise judgment in presenting this to government

and advising on current and future courses of action. The capabilities needed, therefore, range from how to

1As is noted in the report, “No country consistently appears in the top 5 positions for every indicator, although there

are some strong all-round performers and these are highlighted in the individual country assessments” p.5.

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
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structure community engagement processes, through to producing high quality research. Our current

understanding of the range of processes for seeking and incorporating advice across the APS is not very

clear. A picture of this could provide increased opportunities for shared learning about good practice across

the APS or identify areas where co-investment in research could be undertaken more effectively and

efficiently.
A key component in maintaining and further developing the quality of policy advice is through the

development of a range of internal and external sources of advice. A high-performance APS will maintain

and develop its own sources of advice through, for example, investment in internal expertise and the

development of research hubs/centres.
The APS also needs to maintain and develop the capacity to procure high quality advice, where needed,
from external sources. To continue to provide, commission, and develop high quality advice, continued

investment is needed in learning and development across the APS. This could involve programs that would

enhance the research skills of current APS staff, developing networks of experts across the APS, or

investment in learning and development that enhances the skills of APS members to procure external

advice, including opportunities for cross-agency procurement.
There are also choices about the appropriate agencies to lead policy development. Economies of scale

can be attained through developing centralised units for policy advice, and there has been a trend to

greater policy development in central agencies. However, that ignores the considerable value to be had

from line agencies developing policy advice that is well-informed by their engagement with other

governments (e.g. states and territories), third party service suppliers (private, non-profit, and community),
and directly with citizens. We suggest that a fit-for-purpose policy advisory function must be sufficiently

flexible to support cross-government initiatives, while being able to draw upon the stream of insights that

continuously flow through line agencies concerning program effectiveness and how policies are impacting

with organisations and citizens ‘on the ground’.
High quality policy advice requires different forms of knowledge; knowledge of good government practices,
knowledge of the relevant evidence base, and knowledge of the context in which policy will be

implemented. It is important to resource policy development teams to have access to all relevant forms of

knowledge. Emerging insights from the application of design thinking and behavioural economics to policy

development strongly suggest that policy advising can offer enhanced insights for program design and

implementation when it is well-informed by knowledge of how government services are encountered ‘on

the ground’.
Whether the increased diversity of sources of advice has improved the performance of government or has

been fit-for-purpose is unclear. The current Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit inquiry on the

use of contractors and consultants across the Commonwealth will offer much insight. In any relationship

where an organisation is reliant on external parties (whether it be for procurement of social services, or

advice), there are various costs and benefits that much be weighed up – from the cost of procurement

itself, through to relational and strategic costs and benefits. For example, well-commissioned input into

policy advice can drive innovation, new approaches and the creation of public value. Poorly commissioned

advice may erode the ability of government to deliver on its goals. An overreliance on external parties may,
over time, impact on the capacity of the APS to fulfil its role (O’Flynn et al 2011). Internationally, there is

emerging research which has shown that, in some areas, the increased use of management consultants

has not delivered value for money and has reduced efficiency and performance (Sturdy 2018). Partly this

can be explained by the hollowing out of internal expertise on core business (Parkinson 2018,
Easton 2018) and inadequate governance structures to manage external actors who play a substantial role

in the business of government (Sturdy 2018).

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
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Developing the capacity to commission advice, in various forms, from a range of parties, is central to the

APS. As is ensuring that the APS maintains, and develops, its own internal advice capability. This means

getting a picture of the current state of capacity across the APS, for example, research skills and expertise

and looking at opportunities to leverage shared research opportunities. This might include pooling

resources internally to share research expertise to underpin high quality policy advice; or moving to joint

commissioning of external policy advice. An example might be the creation of new research hubs internal

to the APS, or shared hubs which draw together experts from across the APS with external experts.

What ANZSOG can offer the APS

ANZSOG plays an important role in maintaining and developing policy capacity, and in providing access to

a diversity of sources of advice. We do this through multiple channels:
• Through programs that focus on developing the leadership and management capacity of the APS,
including to develop and deliver high quality advice.
• Through commissioning a portfolio of research projects, undertaken by experts from Australia and
abroad, that provide robust sources of advice.
• Through drawing together members of the APS to explore complex issues and develop their capacity,
individually and collectively, to respond to these.
• Through brokering access and relationships with thought leaders.

What ANZSOG recommends to the APS Review
• Undertake an APS-wide assessment of current policy capacity which includes (i) internal sources of
advice (ii) external sources of advice (iii) areas of expertise (iv) processes for the internal and external
development/commissioning of advice
• Consider who should have input into advice provided to government and how that should happen; focus
on developing a diversity of approaches for engaging with communities (from citizen surveys through to
more in-depth deliberative processes); researchers (from arms-length competitively commissioned
pieces of research, through to collaborative, long-term co-produced research, evidence and advice)
• Use the InCiSE index methods to benchmark policy advice performance against those assessed as
high(er) performers in the index and develop avenues for learning from them (Institute for Government
2018).
• Develop a suite of learning and development offerings that enhance the capacity of the APS to
commission internal and external advice, including exercising judgement about different types of
evidence and research etc.
• Explore how the development and commissioning of future policy advice can occur in ways that benefit
(1) from the economies of scale of centralised work and (2) the insights that come from close knowledge
of how specific policies and programs impact upon and are dependent on the actions of citizens and
third parties.
• Investment in internal research capacity and development – grow it where it already exists and incubate
it where it may not.
• Investigate models for sector-wide capacity building for policy development. The New Zealand
Government’s Policy Project is a useful model for building capability, aimed at developing a ‘high
performing policy system’. It seeks to work as a catalyst, collaborating with agencies and providing
resources and opportunities for learning. The program provides policy improvement frameworks, a
toolbox of methods to support policy development, and is working to build an active policy community
(NZ DPMC 2018).

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
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Acting with integrity to strengthen public trust

We are all aware that public trust in the institutions of our representative democracy has been declining
(Brown 2017). Public trust is fundamental to our system of government and must be nurtured and

strengthened. Building public trust requires consistency and clarity of action, beyond the management fads

which emerge from time to time.
A trustworthy public sector is one that consistently demonstrates the ‘spirit of public service’, combining

political neutrality with a commitment to serving the public interest and open government. This spirit of

service enables a focus on public value, and the investment of public resources to create public value,
which accumulates as public wealth for the public good (Mazzucato 2018).
The issue of transparency, integrity, acting in the public interest and ensuring public trust are foundational

issues for the APS. They are important in shaping the APS, its values and ethical base and require

ongoing discussion and reflection.
Integrity is critical for an effective public sector and building public trust. Unfortunately, agencies often seek

to build integrity through a rule-based regime that views the issue of integrity very narrowly as simply the

absence of corruption. Integrity is fundamentally an institutional attribute, which shapes the behaviour of

individuals.
Dr Nikolas Kirby (an Australian and Director of the Building Integrity in Government Program at Blavatnik

School of Government at Oxford University) argues that the focus on rule based primarily anti-corruption

measures aimed at individual public servants misses the main point that we need to re-establish trust in

institutions and through them then turn to the behaviour of individual public officers. As he states, “integrity

in public life is an essential component in establishing trust between citizens and governments. This

prioritization makes sense. The fundamental focus of governance must be in the quality of institutions, and

only secondarily its individual officers” (Kirby 2018, p 11).
The focus on an institutions-first approach to integrity is appropriate for the APS. Kirby’s paper establishes

the importance of focusing on institutions and states to build integrity:
“A public institution has integrity if and only if it has a robust disposition through its constitutive parts, to

legitimately cohere to its legitimate purpose, consistent with its own commitments, across time and

circumstance. And a public officer has integrity if and only if she has the robust disposition to support the

integrity of her institution” (Kirby 2018, p 42).

What ANZSOG can offer the APS

ANZSOG therefore encourages the review to take a fresh look at the approach to integrity within the APS

as an institution first, and then conceptualize what this means for individual public officers. A concept of

integrity is far broader than the narrower conception of what may constitute abuse of power in public office

or official corruption. While rule-based arrangements are clearly important, they can lead to a compliance

culture, as they are insufficient to provide for a public officer integrity. As David J. Apol, an Acting Director

of the Federal Office of Government Ethics stated, integrity requires a “Should I do it? versus a “Can I do

it?” mentality (Kirby 2018, p 34).
ANZSOG is keen to work with the APS and other public services across the nation to define, develop and

refine the approach to integrity in the public sector.

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
13

What ANZSOG recommends to the APS Review

ANZSOG recommends that the APS works to ensure:

• Integrity be considered on an institution-first basis, so that it moves beyond an individual, rule-based,
absence of corruption approach.
• Agencies develop common concepts of institutional integrity and public officer integrity that allow for
consistent and broad support for integrity across the APS.

Leading effective organisations

Since its inception, ANZSOG has worked to strengthen the capability of governments operating at the

national level in Australia and New Zealand as well as in the states and territories. We have also worked

with representatives of governments in other countries – most notably, China, India, Singapore, Malaysia,
and many Pacific Island nations – with the purpose of building managerial and leadership capabilities.
While the immediate focus of our programs tends to be on the building of individual capability to offer

leadership in government, a strong secondary focus is on equipping leaders to design and operate

organisational structures that are fit for purpose.
While it is common for observers of government to assume that structural change involves major changes

to the machinery of government, we see things differently.
The starting point for making fit-for-purpose organisations is to populate them with leaders who can

effectively align the day-to-day behaviours and processes embodied in their organisation with a culture of

high performance (as defined by the governors of the organisation). In short, leadership capability can

translate into improved performance of structures and to the incremental adjustment of the structures

themselves.
Realignment of structures has often been motivated by the need to strengthen capability and focus of

organisations. These machinery of government changes are a constant feature of public administration in

Westminster systems (Davis et al 1999). The APS has experienced more than 200 changes in the past 20

years, but questions exist on their efficiency, effectiveness, and the impact they have on APS cultures
(Buick et al 2018).
Structural changes that are not accompanied by significant investments in the capabilities of organisational

leaders are unlikely to generate anticipated dividends.

What ANZSOG recommends to the APS Review

Given the importance of leadership for organisational effectiveness, we recommend that the APS Review

devote attention to exploring the kinds of leadership attributes that will be required in the future APS. This

could be achieved, most readily, through case study explorations of government organisations that have

experienced objectively verifiable improvements in quality within relatively short periods of time. Useful

cases could include the development of new agencies; the transformation of existing agencies; and the

merging of two or more agencies into new entities. We are confident that a small-n study design could yield

a set of rich lessons about how enhancement of leadership capability promotes organisational

performance and continuous learning. Contrasts could also be drawn between cases where machinery of

government changes were made part of organisational development versus those where the focus was on

structural change with limited attention being given to enhancement of the competencies and capabilities

of strategic leaders.

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
14

Working across the Federation

The evolving nature of our federated structure require those in the APS to have regular contact with their

state and territory colleagues. There are necessary interfaces between the Commonwealth and the states,
for policy and delivery of services in all areas of government.
The Commonwealth has extensive and growing responsibility across social, environment, and economic

policy arenas. In some cases, this involves direct responsibility for both policy coordination, funding and

delivery (in areas like defence, aged care, income support, trade, and border security). In other policy

areas the Commonwealth has significant policy coordination and funding roles, with delivery in conjunction

with the states and territories (in areas like hospitals, schools, environmental management, and transport).
In other discrete areas, states and territories have the major sole responsibility (corrections, police, child

protection, emergency services, and some areas of justice), although often the Commonwealth is more

involved in these areas to drive policy change or adjustment, for example, to achieve better outcomes for

Indigenous people (given constitutional and coordination responsibility for Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Affairs).
The reality of working in a federation is therefore complex and requires most of the APS to work

systematically with other jurisdictions to deliver better outcomes for the Australian community. This cross-
jurisdictional working occurs through formal means, including negotiation through the COAG process or

Commonwealth/State Ministerial Councils and Officers Groups. We see this currently with the ongoing

significance of education and energy reforms, and with negotiation of outcomes of the Royal Commission

into Child Sexual Abuse. But there are also many less structured interfaces with other jurisdictions that

require further development of capability to streamline relationships between policy development and

delivery.
We have seen both successful comprehensive reforms in the past (such as microeconomic reforms in the

1980s and 1990s) and valiant attempts to reform Commonwealth/State Relations more recently in the

Rudd/Gillard and Abbott governments. The full gains of reforms to Commonwealth/State relations have

eluded us, and there is still a need to pursue improvements to interfaces between jurisdictions, to create

more effective and efficient government in Australia. Some might prefer the relative ‘nirvana’ of a unitary

system of government with regional and/or local representative structures to deliver on the need for

subsidiarity.
We need to ensure the APS has the skills and ability to continue to operate in a complex inter-
governmental, and in fact, inter-sectoral environment. This requires a focus on facilitating both competitive

and collaborative federalism. It will require a continuing focus on which level of government is best placed

to plan and deliver services to diverse communities. We have seen a few successes, but unfortunately

many failures, particularly relating to insufficient focus on implementation issues. Often too few public

servants take heed of the dictum that service reform is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. We are

reminded again and again of policy failure in implementation rather than at the conceptual stage.

What ANZSOG can offer the APS

ANZSOG is in a unique position to bring commonwealth, state/territory, and other sector leaders together

to review and plan better service delivery arrangements. We can do this through our research programs
(including the Case Library), our education programs, and specific roundtables to work through how we

might get consistent, coordinated effort to deliver better outcomes across a range of areas of government

administration.

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
15

What ANZSOG recommends to the APS review

ANZSOG recommends that the APS works to ensure:
• Services are planned and delivered by the right level of government, to maximise responsiveness in
case and place management.
• Roles and responsibilities of the Commonwealth and states are clarified in those policy areas that
requires resolution, to provide a basis for accountability to the community.
• Where there is primary responsibility for services to be delivered by states and territories (schools and
hospitals), the Commonwealth consider developing independent capacity to coordinate data, monitor
outcomes, and improvements, shifting from an inputs focus.
• Establishment of data sharing protocols with the states and territories, the non-profit and private sectors.
These agreements must protect privacy while providing an inter-jurisdictional, inter-sectoral body of data
as an evidentiary basis for service improvement, as has been achieved in other jurisdictions such as
NZ.
• Innovative solutions are developed to address Vertical Fiscal Imbalance (VFI) in Australia’s federated
system. Recent attempts to maintain the important principle of Horizontal Fiscal Equalization (HFE) and
the availability and quality of services across the nation, and attempts to reform HFE taking account of
issues like GST revenue split, are important.

Strengthening Indigenous leadership in the APS

Building the status of Indigenous public servants

There are more Indigenous public servants shaping the public sector than ever before. However,
significant work remains to achieve proper representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

across all levels of the APS.
Professor Ian Anderson has described the current approach to building the public sector Indigenous

workforce as “well past its use-by-date. It focusses on entry-level programs and assumes a sort of ‘trickle

up’ model that looks increasingly constrained given the growing numbers of skilled and experienced

Indigenous professionals working outside of government.” (Anderson 2017)
This has left many First Peoples being located at the lower and middle levels of the APS, and relatively few

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the SES. Increasingly agencies are recognising the need to

better engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public servants, make greater use of their talents,
and increase the number of Indigenous staff.
Dr Martin Parkinson has set out the business case for inclusion and representation of Indigenous people in

the public service, stating that diverse organisations are more innovative, creative, and successful than

homogenous ones (Parkinson 2017). Yet diversity alone is not sufficient. The benefits of diversity come

from inclusivity and valuing the diverse experiences and knowledge of staff.
Through engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public sector stakeholders, ANZSOG has

identified some common challenges, and ways these can be addressed.

• Challenges for the individual – walking in both worlds.
Leadership requires fulfilling commitment to land and people while working within standard public sector
norms. There are significant opportunities to leverage the leadership of Indigenous public servants in
mainstream roles. Indigenous-specific agencies and positions are important and have a place, but the
APS also needs to create space for Indigenous people and policy in other areas.

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
16

• Challenges for the APS – working in relationship with communities.
Stability in the machinery of government for the administration of Indigenous affairs must be achieved.
This requires structuring government so that decision-making is responsive to community concerns and
engages First Peoples.
The next step for the APS is to move from articulation of what needs to be done to realising those

outcomes.

Building the capability of the APS to engage with Indigenous communities

How the APS engages with Indigenous communities continues to be a fundamental issue for both groups.
Since the 1967 referendum the Commonwealth has been oscillating between principles of guardianship/
assimilation and choice/ self-determination.
In working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public sector leaders, ANZSOG has repeatedly heard

the message that the APS must engage with communities on the basis of substantive and reciprocal

relationships. As one delegate to the 2017 ANZSOG Indigenous Public Servants Forum explained:
“We know there are no simple solutions to the policy problems facing Indigenous people and

communities… Governments and the public sector cannot assume they have the answers or solutions, or

that they know the aspirations of our people. They need to keep in touch, maintain contacts and

relationships, keep the channels of advice and communication flowing.”
Stronger relationships built on trust between government and community will be essential in overcoming

the deficit frame through which much Commonwealth public policy deals with Indigenous peoples. An

essential component of reframing the deficit lens is the public sector giving autonomy and decision-making

power back to Indigenous people where appropriate.
We are currently working to help build capability for Indigenous-led program evaluation, funded by the

Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. ANZSOG currently hosts the BetterEvaluation website
(www.betterevaluation.org), a global initiative to improve evaluation by sharing information about choosing

and using evaluation methods. In this project we are working with Indigenous evaluators to co-create

guidance material on evaluation, and examples of good practice for Indigenous evaluation. These will be

made available on the BetterEvaluation website for use by individuals, organisations and communities

doing evaluation and those who commission or manage evaluations.
Last year, ANZSOG and DPM&C held our inaugural Indigenous affairs conference - Indigenous Affairs and

Public Administration: Can’t we do better? The capability of the APS to positively engage with Indigenous

communities was a major theme of the discussions.
Professor Chris Sarra, in his address to the conference, called on governments to: “embrace our humanity

and capacity to be exceptional; bring us policy approaches that nurture a sense of hope rather than an

entrenched sense of despair; do things with us not to us.” Professor Sarra also explained that he does not
“want white fellas to stand down, I want them to stand up and be in a high expectations relationship with

us.”

What ANZSOG can offer the APS

As a leader in the thinking and teaching of public sector leadership, ANZSOG is in a unique position to

work with the APS to promote Indigenous leadership and transform traditional bureaucratic practice.
We do this through creating spaces for discussions including our Senior Indigenous Public Service Forum

and our conference. The conference included over 300 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
17

representatives, other Indigenous peoples and public servants from state and federal governments. This

conference was designed to help re-establish old, and forge new, relationships between Australia’s public

services, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public servants and Indigenous communities more broadly.
ANZSOG also organises bespoke programs where we work with individuals and/or agencies to promote

and develop Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership practices and stewardship of the public

sector.
ANZSOG is continuing to work with Indigenous public servants and the APS to bridge cultural

understandings between them. We are currently seeking an Indigenous public servant to be seconded to

help lead our Indigenous programs, especially the next iteration of the forum and the conference.
To be able to engage in high expectations relationships with Indigenous communities, the APS will need to

overcome the deficit frame that shapes policy. ANZSOG could assist with this transition through convening

forums that bring together Indigenous knowledges, and APS perspectives, to jointly reflect on the way

Indigenous policy has been framed and work to negotiate new understandings and concepts that can

enable positive relationships with Indigenous communities. We can also draw on our extensive knowledge

of co-production approaches to help agencies and programs develop the skills and methods to collaborate

with communities.

What ANZSOG recommends to the APS review
• Acknowledge and support the need for further development of capability to respond effectively to the
needs of Indigenous people, and in leading work to ensure greater focus on achieving improvements in
government service delivery, whether direct or through the not-for-profit and private sectors.

Creating greater public value through innovation

A high-performing APS must respond, often in innovative ways, to evolving challenges to perform its core

functions. Public sector innovation is delivered when new ideas are executed to create public value.2 Such

ideas can be evolutionary – incremental and generated based on the limitations of existing solutions, and

revolutionary – radical and non-linear changes to create novel offerings.
Machinery of government changes are sometimes proposed as a way to promote innovation, but research

is needed to develop an informed agenda for any structural changes intended to enhance innovation

culture and practice.
Current and future leaders in the public sector must be equipped and willing to recognise new ideas, take

positive well-assessed risks, embrace measured disruption and implement effective innovative policies, for

its functions to be delivered.3

ANZSOG prepares public sector leaders for these demands through program offerings that promote

innovative thinking in the public sector, thought leadership that introduces new approaches to common

problems, and creating networks that bring together peers.

What ANZSOG can offer the APS

Moving forward, ANZSOG is in a unique position, with its network of governments and academia, to work

with the APS to incubate and develop new ideas and approaches: This could include using deliberative,
collaborative and experimental lab-based approaches. Such “idea labs” often use approaches that can

2 For more on innovation in the public sector see: Kastelle 2015.
3 For more on innovation, risk taking and the need to develop this in public servants see: Mazzucato 2017

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
18

provide the space for governments, universities, communities, and others to experiment with new ways to

tackle common challenges. For example, by using design thinking to innovate in service delivery systems,
or deliberative processes to work with communities to tackle tough policy decisions.

We are also experimenting with rapid research and data sprint approaches which will be done to work in

partnership with government owners and partner universities to cross-fertilize knowledge, talent and

achievement. This substantial new investment using innovative research approaches can fuel lab-based

experimentation with broader stakeholder groups, and also infuse our program offerings.

What ANZSOG recommends to the APS

Building the capability for innovation across the APS requires a focus on changes in organisational culture

and practices, both bottom-up and top-down. Previous reports to governments recommended actions to

increase innovation, and we consider that some of these recommendations are now a priority for the APS

in order to realise the sought-after outcomes.

• As the Ahead of the Game review found in 2010, the APSC should contribute to capability through
developing tailored, agency-appropriate learning and development opportunities that encourages both
organisational-level and more system-wide innovation (AGRAGA 2010). ANZSOG is available to assist
the APSC to develop and deliver these capability development programs.
• The APS Management Advisory Committee report of 2010, Empowering Change, showed that the APS
has many options to build a culture of innovation in the public sector. Leadership is critical to building a
culture of innovation, and APS leaders will require training and new methods to facilitate and champion
innovation (MAC 2010). Collaborative arrangements are also necessary for innovation that is fit for
purpose, and effective models for collaboration must be developed and tested to suit the context of
agencies.
• Collaborative experimentation programs are increasingly being developed by governments to enable
and support on-the-ground experimentation to address specific cross-agency policy challenges, and as
a means of developing more innovation-focused cultures.

Making better use of data

Understanding the potential of data and digital transformation is important for the APS. Making better use

of data can lead to more informed policy, better service delivery, better management of public resources,
and better outcomes for Australians. But there are many technical and strategic challenges that must be

addressed.
Our People-centred data collaboration initiative over the last three years has been connecting

organisations across all jurisdictions to explore ways to address these challenges. Senior officials from the

Commonwealth and all states and territories have participated in roundtables, and now form a network of

people who understand the issues and can drive the better use of data for public value.
Agencies often focus on analytical capacity, whereas the strategic challenges are best addressed across

agencies. Our roundtables have helped agencies to understand ways to use data to support both

operations and policy. Topics have included:

• improving the use of data for better people-centred policy and service delivery
• understanding the benefits of data collaboration in support of social investment, and using outcomes
frameworks to guide data collaboration
• using data to support performance and transition to outcomes-focused management

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
19

• opportunities for data sharing and collaboration across agencies and jurisdictions, including dealing with
different jurisdictional privacy arrangements
• building analytical capacity in the public sector
• developing specific data-related projects.
Building on our People-centred data collaboration, we are now working to facilitate knowledge transfer

from specialists in data strategy and data science to the broader public sector. In March this year we

curated a conference with the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare (AIHW), entitled Breaking the

Data Silos. This two-day conference brought together 400 people from the public sector, university, and

not-for-profit sectors to explore the issues around effective collaboration, data sharing, and more open use

of data. Participants were challenged to look beyond building technical capability, to consider strategies

and tools for data collaboration across the entire public sector and create a growing spirit of collaboration

around data in the ‘public purpose’ sector.
We are planning a follow-up conference for April 2019, with a broader design and planning committee,
representing key government agencies at federal and state level. This conference will among other themes

look at the potential for data and digital transformation to enable greater use of evidence and outcomes

measurement.

What ANZSOG can offer the APS

ANZSOG has a key role as a hub in Australia’s network of governments, allowing us to facilitate

connections between agencies, link agencies to international experts, and deliver collaborative research

projects to address specific challenges.
For example, research could include exploring the application of advanced analytics for interpreting

unstructured data held by agencies, as a way to augment the capability of public servants. Developing data

products and digital services requires a multi-disciplinary team, to cover the technical, strategic, social,
legal, and ethical perspectives. ANZSOG has the deep public sector knowledge and access to

international expertise to facilitate projects to explore options, and address challenges, to support

innovation in data use and digital transformation.
More than ever the public service operates in a multi-disciplinary and cross jurisdiction environment, with

access to vast amounts of data. Making better use of this data through data integration and sharing, and

collaborative technologies, can significantly improve effectiveness.

Conclusion

ANZSOG thanks the APS Review for the opportunity to provide this submission. We are of course willing

to discuss in further detail any recommendations or specific elements of the submission with the Review

Panel or Review Secretariat.

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
20

References

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Blueprint for the reform of Australian government administration, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra,
Australia.
Anderson, I 2017, Speech at the Institute of Public Administration Australia – Professor Ian Anderson.
Online at: https://www.pmc.gov.au/news-centre/indigenous-affairs/speech-institute-public-administration-
australia-professor-ian-anderson

Australian Public Service Commission [APSC] 2003, The Australian experience of public sector reform,
Occasional Paper two, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, Australia.
Australian Public Service Commission [APSC] 2015, Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Employment Strategy, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, Australia.
https://www.apsc.gov.au/indigenous-employment-1

Brown, A J 2017, Australian Constitutional Values Survey 2017, Centre for Governance and Public Policy,
Griffith University.
Buick, F, Carey, G, and Pescud, M 2018, ‘Structural changes to the public sector and cultural

incompatibility: The consequences of inadequate cultural integration’. Australian Journal of Public

Administration, vol. 77, no. 1, pp.50-68.
Davis, G, Weller, P, Craswell, E and Eggins, S 1999, ‘What drives machinery of government change?
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Easton, S 2018, Australian Public Service to start running citizen-satisfaction surveys’, The Mandarin, 4

July 2018, viewed 10 July 2018, https://www.themandarin.com.au/95214-australian-public-service-to-start-
running-citizen-satisfaction-surveys/
Institute for Government, 2018, The International Civil Service Effectiveness (InCiSE) Index 2017, viewed

10 July 2018. https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/our-work/whitehall/international-civil-service-
effectiveness-index-incise

Kastelle, T 2015, ‘How does innovation work in the public sector’, Australian Journal of Public

Administration, vol. 74, no. 1, pp. 68-71.
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Building Integrity Workshop, 3 May 2018, viewed 10 July 2018,
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Leinwand, P & Mainardi, C 2011, The essential advantage: how to win with a capabilities-driven strategy,
Harvard Business Review Press, Boston, Mass

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
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MAC [Management Advisory Committee] 2010, Empowering Change: Fostering innovation in the

Australian Public Service, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Canberra, Australia, viewed 10 July

2018, https://www.apsc.gov.au/empowering-change-fostering-change-aps

Mazzucato, M 2018, The Value of Everything: Making and Taking in the Global Economy. Penguin, UK.
Mazzucato, M 2017, Rediscovering public wealth creation, Project Syndicate, December 21, viewed 10

July 2018, https://www.project-syndicate.org/onpoint/growth-and-public-sector-investment-by-mariana-
mazzucato-2017-12

New Zealand DPMC [Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet] The Policy Project, viewed 6 July

  1. https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/our-programmes/policy-project

O’Flynn, J, Vardon, S, Yeatman, A and Carson, L 2011, ‘Perspectives on the capacity of the Australian

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8500.2011.00731.x

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outsourcing and contracting, Seventh Report of Session 2017–19,
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and Cabinet, 3 July, viewed 10 July 2018, https://www.pmc.gov.au/news-centre/pmc/innovation-success-
stories-across-aps

Parkinson, M. 2017. The diversity business case for the APS, The Mandarin. 8 November 2017

https://www.themandarin.com.au/85773-martin-parkinson-diversity-business-case-aps/
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nhs-money-new-evidence-89590

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22

Attachment: ANZSOG Capability Statement

ANZSOG submission to the review of the Australian Public Service
CONNECT
INSPIRE

ENRICH
EDUCATE
SHAPING
YOUR
Owned by and working for

all Australian and New Zealand
governments FUTURE
CONNECT
03 Prime Ministers' Messages

INSPIRE

ANZSOG THE RT HON.

ENRICH

03 Prime Ministers' Messages

04 Welcome From The Dean
JACINDA

06 Who We Are ARDERN MP

EDUCATE

07 Our Partners PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND

08 Government Leaders' Messages

10 Our Purpose “ANZSOG has an important

11 Our Board role in helping to support and
grow the talent and leadership

EDUCATE needed to ensure our public
sector continues to provide

14 What We Do – Educate the world-leading service New

15 Executive Master of Public Administration Zealanders deserve.”
16 Executive Fellows Program

17 Towards Strategic Leadership

18 Executive Education and Tailored Learning

19 ANZSOG Career Path

INSPIRE

22 What We Do – Inspire

23 Thought Leadership
THE HON.
MALCOLM

ENRICH
TURNBULL MP

27 What We Do – Enrich
PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA

28 Evidence and Evaluation Hub

29 John L. Alford Case Library
"I offer my strongest
encouragement and support

CONNECT for the School in its work

33 What We Do – Connect to build a public sector

35 CEO Forums distinguished by the highest
standards of professionalism

36 Indigenous Engagement
and rigour, leadership and

37 Alumni excellence."
CONNECT

04 Welcome From The Dean 05 Welcome From The Dean

INSPIRE

PROFESSOR A growing research program
informed by practice issues, and
ANZSOG is a dynamic institution
which is creating a permanent

ENRICH
our Evidence and Evaluation Hub, legacy of better government that

KEN SMITH work with government partners
and universities to provide unique
benefits our societies.

DEAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE research products, with a focus This brochure provides a summary

EDUCATE

OFFICER on practical applications. At a of the scope of our activities. If
time when isolationism is on you wish to know more please
the rise globally, we are building visit our website www.anzsog.
new links across our region, with edu.au or connect with us on our
partnerships with institutions social media platforms. Follow
in Singapore, Beijing, Delhi and @ANZSOG on Twitter, Facebook
Kuala Lumpur, including high- and LinkedIn.
level exchange programs involving
public servants in China and India.

While we have a strong
Government touches all aspects Public sector leaders in the 21st reputation, we are continually
of our lives. Improvements to century face increasing challenges working to improve what we
Professor Ken Smith
the quality of the public sector in their daily work. New skills are do and ensure our education
Dean and Chief Executive Officer
and the vital services it delivers required to manage demands for programs and our research
have broad social, economic and collaboration; technological and evolve to meet the needs of
environmental benefits for the structural changes in all sectors governments.
community. of the economy; an increasingly
informed and demanding In recent years we have revamped
That is why I am proud to be citizenry, and a 24/7 social and our research program, begun
Dean and CEO of ANZSOG, a traditional media cycle. to work more closely with our
unique institution owned by alumni, who form a vital and
every government in Australia Our role is to equip individuals highly skilled network, and
and New Zealand with a mission and agencies with the capability expanded our work with the not-
to lift the standard of public to thrive in this challenging and for-profit sector, which is playing
sector leadership across our complex environment. We offer an increasing role in delivering
two nations. high-quality, contemporary important public services.
programs that are tailored for
We educate and inspire public the public sector and draw on
servants, enrich the debate academic talent available from
our 15 domestic and many other
around public management
global university partners. We
We offer high-quality,
and policy with our research,
and build connections between also have a strong network of contemporary programs that
current and former senior public
agencies, between academics
service practitioners (including
are tailored for the public
and practitioners, between
Australia and New Zealand, those actively engaged in sector and draw on academic
education, mentoring and support
and globally, particularly within
programs). This unique blend of
talent available from our 15
the Indo-Pacific region.
the theory and practice of public domestic and many other
administration allows our students
to expand their knowledge, learn
global university partners.
new skills as critical thinkers
with a greater ability to meet the
challenges that confront them
regularly in their work.
CONNECT

06 Who We Are 07 Our Partners

INSPIRE

WHO WE ARE OUR PARTNERS

ENRICH

ANZSOG was created by We connect senior public service ANZSOG was created, and is Our partnerships with these

government, for government. practitioners and academics and owned, by the New Zealand educational institutions as well

EDUCATE

While business schools teach provide a bridge between theory and Australian Commonwealth as our affiliations with leading

how to create shareholder value, and practice. We build networks governments, and by all eight institutions including the

ANZSOG helps public sector across agencies, sectors, Australian state and territory Singapore Civil Service College,
leaders learn how to create jurisdictions and nations, creating governments. We work in Lee Kuan Yew School of Public

public value. opportunities for collaboration. partnership with our owners to Policy in Singapore, the Razak
As the futures of Australia develop tailored education and School of Government in Malaysia,
Owned directly by 10 and New Zealand become research offerings that meet Indian Government's Department

governments and 15 universities, more closely linked with our their needs and help lift the of Personnel and Training, Chinese

we were established as a not-for- neighbours, we are increasingly quality of public management in Academy of Governance and

profit company in 2002 with the building connections across the Australia and New Zealand. China Executive Leadership

vision of creating a world-leading Indo-Pacific region. Academy Pudong, mean our

educational institution that would There are 15 university and students are exposed to expertise

enhance the capability of public We are committed to adapting business school partners that from across the world.
servants and lift the quality of to the trends affecting the public contribute to ANZSOG’s programs

public management in Australia service including increasing by providing resources and ANZSOG’s head office is in

and New Zealand. We are also complexity and uncertainty, ensuring our students have access Melbourne and our teaching and

home to a substantial research evolving community expectations, to the world’s leading academics. research activities are spread

program that aims to enrich demographic and workforce across Australia and New Zealand,
the discipline of public sector shifts and the rise of big data and They are: with bases in Brisbane, Sydney,
leadership through focused analytics. Being responsive to Canberra, Perth and Wellington.
Australian National University

research that explores better these trends ensures we meet the We use the campuses of our

ways to serve our communities changing needs of public sector Carnegie Mellon University partner universities and business

into the future. leaders. H. John Heinz III School schools to deliver courses across
of Public Policy and our education programs. The
Management, Australia school has recently established
ANZSOG’s purpose is to shape the
future of public sector leadership Charles Darwin University new academic positions at
and, by doing so, improve the lives Curtin University of Victoria University of Wellington,
of people in Australia and New Technology Griffith University in Brisbane
Zealand. Flinders University and Curtin University in Perth,
which are in addition to existing
Griffith University academic positions in Sydney,
Melbourne Business School Melbourne, Canberra and
As the futures of Australia Monash University
The University of Melbourne
Wellington.

and New Zealand become The University of New South
Wales
more closely linked with our The University of Queensland

neighbours, we are building The University of Sydney
The University of Western
connections across the Australia
University of Canberra
Indo-Pacific region. Victoria University of
Wellington
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08 Government Leaders' Messages 09 Government Leaders' Messages

INSPIRE

ENRICH
EDUCATE

THE HON. DANIEL ANDREW BARR MLA THE HON. WILL THE HON. STEVEN

ANDREWS MP CHIEF MINISTER OF THE HODGMAN MP MARSHALL MP
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

PREMIER OF VICTORIA PREMIER OF TASMANIA PREMIER OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

“We are pleased to support ANZSOG “Attracting and retaining talented “We support ANZSOG for its “I am pleased to support ANZSOG

and its crucial role in developing people can help make our city great. commitment to good public in its important role in training and

the next generation of public policy ANZSOG programs develop talented administration. It plays an important developing a high level public service.”
leaders.” people for all Australian jurisdictions role developing better educated,
and New Zealand.” informed and motivated public
sector leaders.”

THE HON. GLADYS THE HON. MICHAEL THE HON. MARK THE HON.
BEREJIKLIAN MP GUNNER MLA MCGOWAN MLA ANNASTACIA

PREMIER OF NEW SOUTH WALES CHIEF MINISTER OF THE PREMIER OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA PALASZCZUK MP
NORTHERN TERRITORY
PREMIER OF QUEENSLAND

“NSW recognises ANZSOG’s integral “The demands of the Territory “Western Australia is proud to “The Queensland Government

role in developing a well-qualified and demand a high quality public service. support ANZSOG and its role in recognises the role of ANZSOG in

effective public sector and is pleased I’m thankful every day for the quality providing the public sector with shaping our best and brightest to

to support the School’s globally- people we have throughout our the skills and knowledge to deliver ensure the public sector is well

renowned work.” centres and remote regions. Our the best possible outcomes for our placed to respond to current and
Government applauds ANZSOG community.” future policy challenges, be agile
and any organisations dedicated and innovative thinkers, and
to professional and effective globally engaged.”
governance.”
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10 Our Purpose 11 Our Board

INSPIRE

OUR PURPOSE OUR BOARD

ENRICH
The ANZSOG Board of Directors
has overall responsibility for the

EDUCATE
organisation, setting direction
and overseeing the effectiveness
of delivery against strategy.

To inspire public Our Board of Directors are:
sector leaders To educate public
to be proud of their managers to improve
chosen career and be their skills capacity and
the best they can leadership and expose
for themselves and them to the best thinking
the communities on public management.
they serve.

Mr Peter Hughes Professor Ken Ms Kathryn Mr Chris Eccles AO
CNZM (Chair) Smith Campbell Secretary
State Services Dean and Chief Secretary of the Department of
Commissioner Executive Officer, Department of Premier and
and Head of ANZSOG Social Services, Cabinet, Victoria
State Services, Australian
To work with our New Zealand Government
government owners and
university partners to lift
the quality of public sector
leadership and improve the
lives of Australians and
New Zealanders in
everything we do.
Professor Margaret Professor Girol Ms Robyn Kruk AM Mr Tim Reardon
Gardner AO Karacaoglu Independent Secretary
President and Head of School, Director Department of
Vice-Chancellor, School of Premier and
Monash University Government, Cabinet, NSW
Victoria University
of Wellington

To connect public To enrich debate
sector practitioners and on the future of our
academics and build public services through
networks across agencies, our research and providing
sectors and jurisdictions. forums for discussion
of key issues.

Ms Jodie Ryan Dame Karen Sewell Mr Robert Setter Professor Deborah
Chief Executive, DNZM QSO Chief Executive, Terry
Department of the Independent Public Service Vice Chancellor,
Chief Minister, Director Commission, Curtin University
Northern Territory Queensland
CONNECT
ENRICH
INSPIRE
EDUCATE
EDUCATE
CONNECT

14 What We Do – Educate 15 Executive Master of Public Administration

INSPIRE
ANZSOG's mix of government EXECUTIVE MASTER OF PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION

ENRICH
owners and university partners
means we are uniquely placed The Executive Master of Public The EMPA is a supportive and
to offer programs that combine Administration (EMPA) is
ANZSOG’s flagship course – a
collaborative environment,
which allows graduates to build
the practical insights of senior two-year post-graduate degree
that equips senior managers with
a network of peers from across
Australia and New Zealand that
practitioners with the intellectual a broad toolkit of essential skills
required in today’s public sector.
will be a valuable resource for the
rest of their careers. The EMPA is
rigour of world-leading The EMPA produces world-
class public sector leaders with
taught at eight universities across
Australia and New Zealand, and
academics. strong skills in everything from
financial management to laws
includes the option to study a unit
delivered in partnership with the
and regulations, data analysis Lee Kuan Yew School of Public
and intellectually sound policy- Policy in Singapore. Students
making. complete a mix of compulsory

A globally-recognised school Our courses range from the and elective units, as well as an

for developing the theory and two-year Executive Master of The program has been designed applied research work-based

practice of outstanding public Public Administration to day-long in collaboration with ANZSOG’s project during the second year of

sector leadership, we operate workshops on key issues and owner governments and the degree.
in cities across Australia, New core skills. All courses focus on accredited by our partner

Zealand and the Indo-Pacific. equipping participants with the universities in Australia and New The EMPA program now has
skills and mindset they need to be Zealand. It applies the latest over 1545 graduates based in 15

We have created an outstanding, leaders in their jobs and to deliver thinking and academic rigour, countries around the world and

immersive learning environment public value for the communities while being firmly grounded in has been providing high-quality

that attracts the most promising they serve. the reality of the modern public education since 2003.
public sector leaders. The sector environment. Participants

curriculum covers the issues ANZSOG has a commitment to learn from world-recognised

that students are dealing with providing diverse gender and academics and high-calibre

daily, and our teaching style is cultural representation in both practitioners from the senior

based on real-world examples its faculty and students across ranks of the public, not-for-
and interactive learning, where our educational programs. profit and private sectors.
participants learn from the Graduates gain an understanding

perspectives of their peers. of policy design, economics and

Students are encouraged to work the law, and the ability to think

collaboratively, through initiatives strategically about their work.
such as work-based projects, and

to build networks that stay active

after the course is completed.
EMPA graduates are confident,
critical thinkers with the skills
required to manage the growing
complexity of public sector
challenges and deliver public value
to the communities they serve.
CONNECT

16 Executive Fellows Program 17 Towards Strategic Leadership

INSPIRE

EXECUTIVE FELLOWS TOWARDS STRATEGIC

PROGRAM LEADERSHIP

ENRICH

The Executive Fellows Program resource for the rest of their Towards Strategic Leadership We help participants develop
(EFP) is an intensive, three-week careers. The EFP is delivered in (TSL) is a program with a unique habits of reflection and strategic

residential course which helps three cities across New Zealand, philosophy and structure thinking, and encourage them

senior executives develop their Australia and the Indo-Pacific designed to create leaders who to integrate these into their

adaptive capacity to lead public region. A core element of the can effectively manage people everyday practices. The course

sector organisations in complex EFP is the annual Impact Lab and programs and respond to aims to reveal the potential

and uncertain environments. for alumni, which is focused on change. The program is aimed strengths as well as the endemic
refreshing and extending learning, at senior executives or managers roadblocks within participants

The EFP provides a rare deepening networks, and helping who have recently moved, or and the systems they inhabit.
opportunity for learning and participants overcome obstacles are about to move, into a more

reflection away from the office. to applying their learning. The strategic leadership position TSL harnesses the knowledge and

The immersive course challenges EFP has increased the leadership in the public or not-for-profit experience of the participants

and stretches its participants and capacity of over 990 graduates sectors. as a key learning tool through

gives public sector leaders the since 2003. active participation. Its practical

tools they need to spark critical The most effective leaders have approach includes real-world

insights and build their capacity a defined sense of purpose, a case studies, experiential learning

to innovate. strong sense of self and the ability and access to exceptional leaders,
to discern and address not only and helps participants build a

The program uses the latest the urgent but the strategically
important tasks. TSL is designed
network of like-minded peers.

thinking and academic research to develop such leaders. The TSL program has produced

but is grounded in the reality of over 250 graduates since 2009.
modern public sector challenges.
Participants learn from a unique

combination of world-recognised

academics and high-calibre

practitioners from the public,
private and not-for-profit sectors.
The EFP includes faculty from

Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School

of Public Policy, The University of

British Columbia in Canada and

Warwick University in the UK.

The EFP is a supportive and

collaborative environment

which allows graduates to build

a network of high-level leaders

from across Australia and New

Zealand which will be a valuable
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18 Executive Education and Tailored Learning 19 ANZSOG Career Path

INSPIRE
PROFESSIONAL
• EXECUTIVE MASTER OF PUBLIC

EXECUTIVE TAILORED
ADMINISTRATION
• EXECUTIVE EDUCATION WORKSHOPS

EDUCATION LEARNING

ENRICH
• INDIVIDUAL ACCREDITED SUBJECTS
• THOUGHT LEADERSHIP SEMINARS
• TAILORED IN-HOUSE COURSES

CAPABILITIES

ANZSOG delivers specialised ANZSOG works with individual

workshops in a range of government agencies to develop Deliver projects/programs,
disciplines designed to meet the courses that suit their needs and develop skill sets, problem
solve, broaden experience

practical needs of public sector which can increase capabilities and build networks.
workers and agencies. This is part and bring about concentrated SENIOR PROFESSIONAL

of ANZSOG’s role of building the changes in understanding and • EXECUTIVE MASTER OF PUBLIC

capacity of public services across practice. ADMINISTRATION
• TOWARDS STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

Australia and New Zealand and • EXECUTIVE EDUCATION WORKSHOPS

spreading the latest thinking on Our long-term relationships with • INDIVIDUAL ACCREDITED SUBJECTS

public management. our ten owner governments give
us a unique understanding of

Executive Education workshops their needs, and our network CAPABILITIES

expose public sector workers of academics and practitioners Understand and lead teams

to new ideas and different gives us the expertise to design of domain experts to understand
why and how their work area

perspectives. The workshops and deliver tailored education is part of the larger enterprise

allow agencies to fill specific programs for individual agencies of agency and government.
EXECUTIVE

gaps in the skill sets of their and jurisdictions that meet their • EXECUTIVE MASTER OF PUBLIC

employees or teams. specific learning needs. ADMINISTRATION
• TOWARDS STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP
• EXECUTIVE EDUCATION WORKSHOPS

Presented by world-leading These courses are shaped by • INDIVIDUAL ACCREDITED SUBJECTS

experts, the workshops cover the needs of the agency, ranging

a range of subjects including: from a seminar series through to

regulation, policy design, intensive, multi-module learning CAPABILITIES

behaviour change, solving programs.
Diagnose and reflect on strength and

complex problems and evaluation weaknesses of personal leadership

for the public sector. Workshop Tailored short courses can style, and influence, collaborate and

topics are continually updated incorporate content on new ideas
lead to achieve outcomes beyond
boundaries and official mandate.
to ensure they cover areas and approaches to issues, drawing SENIOR EXECUTIVE/
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR /
which are relevant to our owner on expertise in areas as diverse DEPUTY SECRETARY

governments and the needs of as behaviour change, budgeting • EXECUTIVE FELLOWS PROGRAM

their staff. and finance, economics, program • EXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLES
• OUTBOUND INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
evaluation, evidence-based • DEPUTIES FORUM

By working with our government policy, governance, knowledge

owners and university partners, management, leadership,
CAPABILITIES

ANZSOG’s Executive Education inter-agency collaboration,
workshops are able to meet the organisational change, policy Manage up, out and down, including
working with ministers and major

professional development needs skills, strategy, evidence and stakeholders, to lead major reform

of 1500 public sector employees evaluation, project management initiatives at whole of agency and

each year. and service delivery. whole of government level.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE/
ASSOCIATE SECRETARY/
SECRETARY/COMMISSIONER
• CEO FORUM
• EXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLES

CAPABILITIES

Define, manage and deliver the
key public sector leadership tasks
of principal portfolio and ministerial
adviser, department head, custodian
of the integrity and effectiveness
of the public service and principal
negotiator of interjurisdictional
relationships.
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ENRICH
INSPIRE
INSPIRE
CONNECT
23 Thought Leadership

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

ENRICH
Thought Leadership sees world-
leading academics share their

ANZSOG’s Thought Leadership knowledge with public managers,
creating a dialogue which

seminars are developed and encourages learning, reflection
and innovation.
delivered in partnership with owner

governments to bring challenging and

fresh ideas in public policy and public

management to wide and diverse

audiences of practitioners.

Each seminar encourages
rigorous, critical and
innovative thinking to
support the capacity of
public servants to deliver
the highest quality services
to citizens.
CONNECT
ENRICH
ENRICH
CONNECT
27 What We Do – Enrich

RESEARCH CONFERENCES

We use our unique network ANZSOG works with partners to
of scholars, practitioners and organise and run conferences

ANZSOG’s research program governments to fund practical
research that meets the demands
on key issues facing the public
sector, such as Indigenous

focuses on collaborative research of our owner governments and
addresses contemporary issues
engagement and the implications
of the rise of big data.
that lifts the quality of public sector in public administration, policy
development and management. These conferences use ANZSOG’s

management and creates solutions In 2017, ANZSOG expanded its
networks to bring together public
servants, academics and other

for governments. We link academia research funding from $250,000
a year to $750,000, on the
experts, from Australia, New
Zealand and the rest of the world,
with practitioners to solve current basis that every dollar is at least
matched by a government,
to create unique forums for
productive discussion. Findings

challenges and assist the public sector university, foundation or other
partner. This will result in up
from conferences are distributed
broadly to spark debate and

to improve outcomes for people to $2.25 million in funding
for research into public
provide resources for further
discussion.
and communities. administration and public
policy issues each year, with
an emphasis on research with
practical application. ANZSOG
also appointed University of
Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Glyn
Davis AC as chair of its research
committee.

All our research aims to inform
debate and enhance the knowledge
and capability of public services in
Australia and New Zealand.

As well as ANZSOG’s research
program and the work of our
academics, our research activities
include the Evidence Base journal,
the ANU research series and
one-off collaborations on
specific issues.
CONNECT

28 Evidence and Evaluation Hub 29 John L. Alford Case Library

EVIDENCE AND JOHN L. ALFORD

EVALUATION HUB CASE LIBRARY

ANZSOG’s Evidence and Evaluation
Hub is a centre of expertise
developed to strengthen the
capacity of the public and not-for-
profit sectors to use evaluation and ANZSOG’s Case Library is a
other types of evidence to support unique resource for teaching
decision-making and practice. public management and policy
and has become the third-largest
collection in the world with nearly

Rather than seeing evaluation

as the responsibility of a 200 cases from federal, state and

few technical experts, or an

afterthought to the ‘real’ work, local governments in Australia

the Hub places an emphasis on

ensuring that evaluative thinking and New Zealand.
and evidence-informed decision

making are embedded in the ways The cases provide detailed

that organisations and people descriptions of real-world examples

work. of public management and policy
issues. They are a vital resource for

The Hub works with public ANZSOG’s courses, which use the

services and not-for-profit interactive approach known as ‘case

organisations, to evaluate specific teaching', focusing on people as

projects or policies, to strengthen decision-makers and giving practical

evaluation capacity and to shape and illustration to concepts.
conduct research into strategies

for more effective evaluation. The Case Library was started in
2004 to remedy the lack of case

The Hub designs and delivers studies relevant to our region. It was

evaluation capacity strengthening made freely available to the public

activities, including blended in 2017 as part of ANZSOG’s ongoing

learning workshops, mentoring, mission to lift the standard of public

and quality assurance. administration in Australia and New
Zealand, and offers a regularly-
updated collection of resources to
assist anyone interested in public
management. It is now named
after its founder, former ANZSOG
Professor of Public Management
John Alford, in recognition of his
contribution to the creation and
international reputation of the
Case Library.
CONNECT

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33 What We Do – Connect

INTERNATIONAL
ENGAGEMENT

ANZSOG’s international

ANZSOG’s international programs programs develop partnerships
and connections across the

develop partnerships and Indo-Pacific to educate,
strengthen and progress the

connections across the Indo-Pacific strategic interests of Australian
and New Zealand public sectors.
to educate, strengthen and progress

the strategic interests of Australian The programs are generally
aimed at deputy head of agency

and New Zealand public sectors. level or above from Australia,
New Zealand and international
jurisdictions. Tailored programs
for other levels of the public
sector can also be developed.

Participants learn about cultural
differences and gain first-hand
exposure to alternative models
of public sector leadership and
management, including how other
governments are approaching
similar challenges.

CHINA RECIPROCAL
PROGRAM

ANZSOG’s China Reciprocal
Program is a two-week intensive
in-country program that provides
an opportunity for Australia
and New Zealand senior public
officials to gain a deeper
understanding of China. The
program covers several major
cities in China and introduces
participants to senior Chinese
officials and explores information,
ideas, values and beliefs with
a focus on the Chinese system
of government, including
politics, the economy, and key
contemporary issues such as
the environment, industry and
social policy.
34 What We Do – Connect 35 CEO Forums

CHINA ADVANCED CEO FORUMS

LEADERSHIP

PROGRAM The program has been running
since 2006, and since 2017
has been operating under the

The China Advanced Leadership leadership of Professor Glyn Davis

Program is a three-week program AC and Dr Jeffrey Harmer AO. It

for Chinese officials, delivered in centres on strategic management

Australia and New Zealand. The techniques and how to apply

program develops productive these in the world of government.
relationships between high- It provides a forum for sharing

level public officials of Australia, knowledge and confidential

New Zealand and China, whilst discussions about some of the

providing the opportunity for most pressing issues facing

Chinese officials to learn from our Australia and New Zealand. The

approaches to leadership, policy forums include input from social

and public administration issues commentators, intellectuals

of common concern. and current and former leading
government and political
identities from Australia and
New Zealand, including former
Australian state Premiers. Due to
the success of the CEO Forum,
ANZSOG commenced a Deputies
Forum in 2018 aimed at providing
the same opportunities to public
sector deputies.

INDIA ADVANCED
LEADERSHIP
PROGRAM ANZSOG’s annual CEO Forum
brings together government
The India Advanced Leadership
Program is a unique collaboration agency heads from across
between ANZSOG, the NSW and
Victorian governments and India’s New Zealand and Australia to
Department of Personnel and
Training. Inaugurated in 2013, reflect on challenges in their
the one-week program delivered
in Melbourne and Sydney to work with the aim of improving
Indian public officials aims to
develop a positive and productive organisational practices and
relationship between high level
public officials of Australia, New performance.
Zealand and India.
36 Indigenous Engagement 37 Alumni

INDIGENOUS ALUMNI

ENGAGEMENT

ANZSOG acknowledges the ANZSOG’s alumni network is development, thought leadership

Traditional Owners of the land on one of our greatest strengths and visiting academic events

which the organisation operates and forms a powerful network organised in partnership with

and pays respect to Elders, past of influential leaders across local alumni groups.
and present. the senior levels of the public
sectors of Australia and New Many alumni play an active role in

ANZSOG is committed to working Zealand, and internationally. Our ANZSOG, by serving as program

with communities across Australia alumni community is now 3,600 mentors for current students or

and New Zealand to promote and strong and based in 37 countries, acting as Alumni Ambassadors.
prioritise the perspectives and offering a wealth of knowledge They also have the opportunity

contributions of Aboriginal and and experience. to contribute to ANZSOG’s future

Torres Strait Islander peoples direction through working groups

and M ori. ANZSOG’s alumni program helps or the Alumni Advisory Council.
our alumni to stay connected

As part of the organisation’s and build their relationships

responsibility to First Peoples, by providing professional

ANZSOG is developing programs In 2017, we partnered with Australia’s development opportunities

and research to support the and networking events. Alumni

development of better educated, Department of the Prime Minister have the chance to refresh their

informed and motivated public and Cabinet to hold the ‘Indigenous skills, knowledge and networks

sector leaders. This is relevant for by participating in professional

all members of the public service, Affairs and Public Administration:
including Aboriginal, Torres Strait Can’t we do better?’ Conference to

Islander and M ori public sector

leaders and non-Indigenous mark the 50th anniversary of the Our alumni community is

public sector leaders. Commonwealth Government’s role

ANZSOG is committed to helping
in Indigenous policy in Australia. now 3,600 strong and based

create public services that are

diverse and representative of
in 37 countries, offering a

the communities they serve. This

means public services which
The conference brought together
over 250 delegates from across wealth of knowledge and

value Indigenous culture and

knowledge, and work to recruit
Australian states, territories
and the Commonwealth, to experience.
begin to chart a positive path

and retain Indigenous public
for transformation in the public

servants at all levels.
administration of Indigenous
affairs.
ANZSOG is working with

government departments to
This was followed by the first in

create an inter-jurisdictional
a series of forums of Indigenous

network for sharing knowledge
public servants from Australia

and experience, to support
and New Zealand in Canberra,
Indigenous leadership in the
which discussed the challenges

public sector and maximise the
within the public service and the

influence of First Peoples across
benefits that could be delivered

all levels in every jurisdiction.
by employing more Indigenous
people.
ANZSOG.EDU.AU