The final report of the Service Priority Review was released today, setting out a blueprint for reform and cultural change in Western Australia’s public sector.
The report highlights 17 recommendations and 37 actions in which the public sector can operate more efficiently to deliver better services to the community, at a lower cost.
The independent review panel, chaired by Iain Rennie CNZM, undertook extensive consultation over six months with government and non-government stakeholders across the State.
The report’s key recommendations include:
- Introducing whole-of-government targets to focus government agencies on the most complex and critical issues facing the community;
- Developing and implementing CEO performance-based remuneration and improved CEO performance management;
- Leveraging government procurement to reduce costs and improve outcomes for the community, including positive job creation benefits;
- Preparing ‘umbrella’ legislation to reform governance, accountability and oversight of Government Trading Enterprises to improve transparency and service delivery;
- Data-sharing legislation to facilitate increased data-sharing and smarter use of data to respond to community needs and to improve service delivery;
- Digital transformation to enable citizens to access government through multiple channels; and
- Strengthening the budget process to encourage a more collaborative government and focus on community outcomes.
The WA Government has endorsed the final report, broadly supporting the recommendations and will move to begin implementing them next year.
Since being elected, the Government moved quickly to implement election commitments and major reform of the State’s public sector, including a 40 per cent reduction in government departments and a 20 per cent reduction target in the number of Senior Executive Service (SES) positions.
The 40 per cent reduction in government departments is double what was promised before the election and the 20 per cent reduction in the number of SES positions is now on track to be fulfilled early next year.
The State Government is expected to reduce the number of SES positions by a total of 102 by the end of March next year, delivering on another election commitment, after the SES blew out to 521 positions under the previous Liberal National Government.
The final report can be found at http://www.dpc.wa.gov.au