Message from the Commissioner
I am pleased to share the Victorian Public Sector Commission’s Strategic Plan 2020-23. Since joining the Commission in July 2020, I have enjoyed working with a collaborative and passionate team. Our people want to shape a dynamic, contemporary public sector workforce that is trusted by the community because it acts with integrity and delivers exceptional outcomes for Victorians.
I envision a public sector that is diverse, responsive, digitally engaged and community focused. When we wrote this strategy in 2020, Victoria, Australia and the world was dealing with a critical outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The COVID-19 outbreak represented a significant challenge for us all. It highlighted the importance of a resilient and adaptive public sector as we respond, recover and rebuild across our economy and society. The Commission will play an important role in this as we support the Victorian public sector to adapt and respond.
We updated this strategy in 2021 to reflect the work we will do on Recommendation 76 of the COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry: that the Public Sector Commissioner examines the evidence that emerged in this Inquiry as to the lines of accountability and responsibility as between Departmental heads and Ministers and gives guidance across the public service as to the obligations, both in law and in practice, on heads of departments and senior public office holders.
Over the last three years, the Commission has been through a period of renewal. We invested in our people, processes and technology. We have made changes to what we do and the way we work. We listened to our stakeholders and adjusted our course to meet their needs. We increased our engagement, refocused existing activities and grew our capabilities.
Our new strategic plan builds on the sensibility of the last. Our vision remains clear and unchanged: a trusted public sector that delivers exceptional outcomes for the Victorian community. We retain the same outcomes approach, building on priorities set in our previous strategy and maintaining our core functions in accordance with the Public Administration Act 2004 (PAA).
Our outcomes span four domains:
- an integrated and future-focused public sector
- an inclusive, high-performing and engaged workforce
- empowering and engaged leaders
- Victorians trust the public sector.
Over the next 3 years our strategic priorities will be:
- promote workforce reform
- support a positive employee experience
- develop outstanding leadership and stewardship
- promote public trust.
I look forward to implementing the initiatives in this strategic plan alongside my colleagues here at the Commission and more broadly out in the sector.
Adam Fennessey PSM
Commissioner
Victorian Public Sector Commission
The Commissioner’s Role
The Commissioner acts as an independent steward of the public sector, providing counsel on difficult ethical and integrity issues to leaders. The Commissioner has the power to issue binding codes of conduct and employment standards to the sector, and to make recommendations to agencies about adherence to them.
The Commissioner’s role is established under the Public Administration Act 2004 and is appointed for up to five years by the Governor in Council, on the recommendation of the Premier. The Commissioner has statutory independence in respect to several functions. For administrative and all other functions, the Commissioner reports to the Minister for Government Services, Hon Danny Pearson MP.
The Commissioner is a member of the Victorian Secretaries’ Board (VSB) which coordinates policy initiatives and promotes leadership and information exchange. VSB is chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) and comprised of Secretaries of all other departments and the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police.
Message from the Minister
The Victorian public sector is driven by a strong moral purpose to improve the lives of all Victorians. It delivers high-quality services that meet the community’s needs.
The community relies on the public sector to be efficient, effective and capable. People rightly expect public sector workers to conduct themselves with professionalism and act with integrity.
My role is to oversee the public sector, cybersecurity and citizen digital transaction reform. The Victorian Public Sector Commission’s Strategic Plan envisions a workforce that is customer-focused, connected and working together, steered by accountable leaders who embody public sector values and drive service excellence.
Most importantly, the Commission’s strategy positions the community at the centre, putting people first in everything we do. I look forward to working with the Commissioner to achieve our shared vision: a trusted public sector that delivers exceptional outcomes for the Victorian community.
Hon Danny Pearson MP
Minister for Government Services