Workshops
8th & 11th February, 2010

The Australian Public Service is entering a difficult phase in its history. Although the Australian economy has remained robust in the face of the global financial crisis, in order to afford the Government's Fiscal Stimulus package a period of public sector austerity is already upon us. However, the governing rhetoric underpinning this period of change is currently emphasizing the important of 'governance innovation' over 'slash and burn'.

This workshop will respond to the government's challenge to turn what is potentially a public sector crisis into a period of public sector renewal and progress. It will achieve this aspiration through an evaluation of best practice models for public service delivery derived from national and international experience.

The workshop will provide participants with:

• An understanding of the conditions for effective organisational learning and innovation in periods of instability
• Insight into old and new methods of service delivery focusing on collaborative forms of governance with stakeholders and citizens
• Practical guidelines for assessing the transportability of ideas, policies and institutions from one jurisdiction domestically or set of jurisdictions overseas to a level of governance in Australia
• Practical guidelines for incorporating lessons from overseas into existing practice bearing in mind that issues of administrative culture and place determine effective policy transfer
• Practical guidelines for managing, monitoring and evaluating the implementation of new delivery systems

• Current governance challenges in service delivery
• Driving the reform agenda: using innovation for effective service delivery
• Building intergovernmental relationships between Commonwealth and State departments
• Involving key stakeholders in the process

About Your Workshop leader

Professor Mark Evans has recently taken up the position of Director of the Australia New Zealand School of Government's Institute for Governance at the University of Canberra. He was formerly Head of the Department of Politics at the University of York, Director of the Worldwide Universities Public Policy Network and Chair of the Public Administration Committee.

What is the Office of Public Sector Standards Commissioner's Good Governance Guide?

A first of its kind, the guide combines all WA across government accountability requirements into a single and simple framework - a one-stop-shop to check your accountability obligations. Based on the governance concept adopted by the Australian Stock Exchange, the guide has been developed in close consultation with WA's integrity bodies and numerous CEOs of the WA public sector.

How the Guide helps you comply with the standards

The guide defines the underlying principles in the nine governance areas and provides an operational matrix that helps identify

• The corresponding standard
• How to achieve the standard
• How to know whether the standard is met
• How to report on compliance with the standard

This Workshop Will:

• Explain how the ASX principles were translated into the public sector
• Introduce the Good Governance Guide and its component parts
• Focus on how the maturity model can be used as a governance management tool
• Use a case study approach to understand the Good Governance Guide

Benefits of attending:

• Explore the key governance principles in the public sector
• Examine the benefits of a governance framework
• Apply the governance framework to their own context
• Rate your own organisation's governance risk profile

Penny Bird, Executive Director Public Sector Practice,
Office of the Public Sector Standards Commissioner, WA

Penny Bird is the Executive Director Public Sector Practice within the Office of the Public Sector Standards Commissioner, a position she has held since January 2008. In this role, Penny leads the primary responsibilities of the Office in relation to setting public sector standards and codes of ethics, assisting public authorities to comply with the standards and codes, monitoring compliance with them and reporting to Parliament on the state of the service in respect of ethics and integrity.