The Ethical Challenges in the Public Service

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• The Ethical Challenges in the Public Service

Hong Kong 12 December 2002
Mr Andrew PodgerPublic Service Commissioner
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Key messages

• The importance for modern, self-confident
  Government of having fundamental public sector
  values deeply embedded
• Values-based management needs hardwiring into
  organisational systems and procedures if it is to
  successfully affect behaviour and relationships
• If greater risk of fraud or corruption then there
  is a greater need for rules and controls

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CAPAM Characteristics for Justified Self
Confidence

• Increased involvement by citizens
• More partnerships
• More deliberative organisational learning
  (weaving the future)
• Most importantly, appreciation of the democratic
  fundamentals including the rule of law

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• Values have traditionally played a central role
  in the context of public service ethics and can
  be traced back to both Weberian philosophy and to
  the influence of developments such as the British
  Northcote-Trevelyan reforms which were introduced
  as a reaction to the previous climate of
  patronage and favouritism. (Williams, 1999)

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25 years of Public Service Reform

• Financial management
• Competition policy
• Responsiveness to the elected Government
• Workplace relations
• Service delivery
• E-Government

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At the same time there is growing emphasis on
corporate governance issues in the private sector
and both the public and private sectorsFrom both
sides public and private sector management
practices appear to be converging.
(Williams, 1998)
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Public Service Act 1999

• Values and Code of Conduct
• Public Service Commissioners Directions for each
  Value
• Sanctions available
• Agency Heads must uphold and promote Values
• Commissioner evaluates
• The extent to which Agencies incorporate and
  uphold Values
• Their systems and procedures for ensuring
  compliance with the Code

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APS Values Relations with the Government

• Apolitical, impartial, professional
• Employment decisions based on merit
• Openly accountable
• Responsive to the elected Government

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APS Values Relations with the Public

• Delivering services effectively, impartially and
  courteously
• Sensitive to the diversity of the public
• Focusing on achieving results

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APS Values Workplace Relations

• The merit principle
• Valuing communication, consultation, cooperation
• Achieving results and managing performance
• Promoting equity in employment
• Providing opportunity for community to apply for
  employment
• Fair system of review of decisions.

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APS Values Personal Behaviour

• Highest ethical standards
• Code requires
• honesty and integrity
• care and diligence
• treating everyone with respect and courtesy
• avoiding conflicts of interest
• not making improper use of position

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Evolution to Values-Based Management

• 1960s 1980s
• Objectives-based management, management for
  results, TQM
• 1980s 1990s
• Performance management, skills, competence, HR
• Late 1990s to now
• Values, leadership capabilities, emotional
  intelligence

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Challenges for the APS

• Leadership by example
• Application beyond ongoing employees, to
  non-ongoing employees, labour hirees, contractors
• Application to outsourced service providers
• Conflict of interest with wider contracting,
  partnering in the APS
• Record-keeping

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Other Challenges for the APS

• Continued improvement to performance management
  and organisational capability
• Workforce planning
• Whole-of-government approaches to policy, service
  delivery and issues management

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• Australia is incredibly lucky to have a cadre
  of senior public servants who are diligent to a
  fault, culturally self-aware, brighter than the
  average businessman or politician senior
  officials retain an old-fashioned sense of
  vocation, of serving the nation as much as
  holding down a job. Most could earn more doing
  something else but remain at their posts from a
  sense of calling.
• (Tony Abbott)