John Stoney (AES)The Independent Inquiry into the Australian Public Service was announced in June 2018. It received over 600 initial submissions, including from the AES, which proposed the Inquiry should consider options for developing appropriate organisational infrastructure and support systems for evaluation and policy evidence, capable of informing policy decision-making and showing the effectiveness of the APS. This included:
- investment in better systems,
- increasing the APS staff evidentiary and performance literacy
- a critical mass of staff with specialist technical expertise
- encouraging a culture of performance management
- institutional infrastructure
Following the release of its ‘Priorities for Change’ interim report and associated discussion papers in April 2019, the AES lodged a second submission, proposing:
an enabling environment for performance
- a central whole-of-Australian Government evaluation hub
- support for the introduction of a professions model and an ‘APS Academy’
- consulting across and outside of government to inform the design and introduction of these and other reforms proposed by the Independent Review
With the Final Report due to be delivered shortly to the Australian Government, and the Prime Minister recently outlining some of his vision for the APS, this session will enable AES members to hear an update on the Inquiry, panel members views about the issues raised in the AES submission, and their thinkingon the possible implications for evaluation arising from the Inquiry's work.
