B.2 Performance Analysis

Output 1.1 Government Policy and Reform

Overview

The directorate provided advice and direction across the ACT Public Service on complex policy matters, incorporating a central agency coordination role in strategic planning, social and economic policy, regulation reform, regional policy, and government information. It also drove digital transformation across the Service by providing strategic direction and advice on whole of government digital and ICT strategy, including cloud adoption, open data and digital delivery methods such as Agile.

The directorate supports the Chief Minister, the Cabinet and its Subcommittees and the Head of Service as Secretary of Cabinet through the provision of policy and support, including secretariat functions and advice. It also has responsibility for monitoring progress of government priorities as articulated through the Government’s election commitments, the Parliamentary Agreement and strategic priorities.

The directorate provides secretariat and policy support to the ACT Public Service Strategic Board, chaired by the Head of Service, which comprises Directors-General of all ACT Government agencies, the Under Treasurer, the Commissioner for Public Administration and Deputy Director-General, Policy and Cabinet. The Board provides strategic leadership and supports alignment and coordination of effort by officials across the ACTPS.

The directorate supported the Chief Minister at intergovernmental forums, notably the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) and the Council for the Australian Federation (CAF). The directorate managed and coordinated the ACT’s relationships with other jurisdictions, most significantly with the Commonwealth and NSW Governments and surrounding local councils which are members of the Canberra Region Joint Organisation (CBRJO).

The directorate released the ACT Government Digital Strategy in July 2016, setting the framework for digital transformation. Strategic governance for digital is provided through the Digital Service Governance Committee, chaired by the Chief Digital Officer. The committee provided governance and guidance over technology architecture, standards and practices and identifies and endorses common capabilities to ensure that the digital portfolio aligns with government strategic direction.

The directorate also coordinated regulation and process reform efforts across government and is secretariat to the Regulatory Reform Panel, a consultative body established to reduce red tape and regulatory impediments to ACT businesses.

Highlights

Against this output in 2016-17, the directorate:

  • supported the operation of Cabinet and committees of Cabinet including Budget, Capital Metro and Security and Emergency Management and subcommittees including Economic Growth and Urban Renewal, Transport Reform, Social Inclusion and Equality;
  • delivered the Incoming Government Briefing following the October 2016 ACT election;
  • advised on and managed administrative arrangement changes following the October 2016 ACT Election and those taking effect from 1 July 2017;
  • supported the establishment of new Cabinet subcommittees post the 2016 election including the Economic Development, Human Services and Social Inclusion, Legislation and Enterprise Bargaining Negotiations subcommittees;
  • implemented governance reforms to boards and committees including releasing updated Governance Principles for Appointments, Boards and Committees and a Better Practice Toolkit;
  • consolidated a Cabinet and Assembly web page on the Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development website including revisions to guidance material for Cabinet and Legislative Assembly processes;
  • monitored progress of Government priorities as articulated through the Government’s election commitments, the Parliamentary Agreement and strategic priorities;
  • delivered the Social Inclusion Statement as part of the 2017-18 ACT Budget;
  • prepared for the introduction of the Reportable Conduct Scheme on 1 July 2017 which will improve the oversight of how organisations, including the ACT Government, respond to allegations of child abuse by employees and volunteers;
  • established the Office for LGBTIQ Affairs within the directorate;
  • supported the Chief Minister at intergovernmental forums, including the COAG and CAF meetings held in December 2016 and June 2017;
  • supported the ACT’s participation in various COAG Senior Officials’ meetings;
  • provided policy advice and coordinated across government working groups and participation in national working groups on national reform initiatives including health and hospital funding, the National Disability Scheme, housing and homelessness, schools education, national energy market, national security and reducing violence against women and their children;
  • negotiated the renewal of the ACT-NSW Memorandum of Understanding for Regional Collaboration (the MoU) and the development of an MoU with the CBRJO with priorities focussing on economic development opportunities;
  • managed and coordinated the ACT’s relationships with:
    • the Commonwealth on Jervis Bay Territory service delivery;
    • the NSW Government on the ACT-NSW MoU for Regional Collaboration;
    • the surrounding NSW local councils which are members of the CBRJO; and
    • the capital cities through the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors; the Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council to pursue a best of region approach to policy and projects;
  • coordinated regulation and process reform efforts across government, including engagement with the COAG on regulatory reform, innovation and competition initiatives. The work on regulatory reform matters included:
    • as part of ongoing on-demand transport industry reforms (taxi, hire car and rideshare), work was undertaken on the development and implementation of the taxi licence release strategy, announced on 7 February 2017, and arrangements for the evaluation of the ACT’s nation leading reforms; and
    • the Red Tape Reduction Legislation Amendment Act 2017, which was notified on 14 June 2017 and included amendments to reduce duplication and reporting for charities and incorporated associations registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission;
  • provided clear direction and leadership for digital transformation across government;
  • released the ACT Government Digital Strategy 2016-19, setting the framework for digital transformation across the Service;
  • conducted a series of Digital Strategy Implementation Workshops with directorates to assist them in understanding how their digital transformation journey aligns with the Digital Strategy;
  • increased the profile of the Digital Service Governance Committee across the Service, providing strategic governance around digital transformation, in particular through the development of technology roadmaps and common capabilities;
  • championed the adoption of cloud services across government, including leading discussions on legislative amendments to ensure that legislation keeps pace with technological changes;
  • conducted a trial of the Digital Initiative Program, including securing whole of government digital research and analyst access for all ACT Government employees, raising the digital knowledge and awareness of the Service;
  • promoted the value of open data through securing whole of government support and sponsorship for a community hackathon;
  • through iConnect, undertook a number of key pilot projects using several technologies. The outcomes of these have shaped iConnect’s approach to digital service delivery, including:
    • understanding user preferences to produce the customer design for the ACT Digital Account and a roadmap for transition to an end to end digital experience;
    • use of Software as a Service (SaaS) Cloud platforms, and addressing the architecture, technical, legislative and publicly sensitive issues of customer identity to support a smooth transition to this modern technology;
    • adoption of agile project management approaches in the program and collaborating directorates; and
    • the development of a secure, user friendly citizen identity and access management platform, recognising this as a critical foundation for the digital transformation of service delivery;
  • through the Data Warehouse and Analytics Framework pilot, conducted five projects to demonstrate the value of a whole of government data management practice, developing proofs of concept to:
    • automate liquor licencing reporting;
    • better understand the contributing factors to alcohol-related street violence;
    • assess the operational effectiveness and efficacy of the Working With Vulnerable People Registration Scheme;
    • identify businesses that are most likely to be under insured for workers’ compensation claims; and
    • demonstrate how, through the use of a controlled and curated data lake, workforce profile reports can be delivered more effectively to HR Business Units across government;
  • represented the ACT Government and promoted the ACT’s digital agenda at a number of national and international forums, including providing the keynote address at the CxO Summit in Wellington New Zealand in March 2017, and attendances at a number of national data conferences promoting the ACT Government’s approach to whole of government data management;
  • developed the ACT Digital Account, via iConnect, to support delivery of digital services to provide anytime, anywhere access. This will create the opportunity for the ACT Government to deliver services with a modern, mobile-friendly look-and-feel, and via any device with an internet connection, citizens will be able to:
    • personalise and customise their ACT Digital Account;
    • conveniently and securely receive communication from the ACT Government; and
    • access a range of easy-to-use transactions, bill payment services, and reminders;
  • continued to coordinate the Government’s smart city agenda, with the initial assessment of the Manuka Smart Parking trial indicating that the sensors had some impact on reducing travel times, and improving driver satisfaction with parking at Manuka. The trial has been extended into 2017-18 to assess whether the technology can deliver further benefits from sensor-based enforcement. Other smart city highlights included:
    • supporting the Chief Minister’s Smart City Co-operation Agreement with the City of Adelaide;
    • connecting with Australian and international smart cities through the Australian Smart Communities Association and the Global Smart Cities and Communities Coalition;
    • coordinating ACT Government bids to the Smart City and Suburbs grants program; and
    • commencing community engagement, and discussions with peak bodies, industry, academic and government stakeholders to inform Smart City initiatives, in 2017-18.

The directorate met all its 2016-17 accountability targets against this output except for accountability indicator 1.1 g. This accountability indicator sought to capture the number of new services made available online to the community utilising the iConnect platform. A review of iConnect at the end of 2016 resulted in the program re-focusing its direction towards establishing online identity and access management as a shared platform for all directorates. A new iConnect Accountability Indicator for 2017-18 aligned to this program direction is reflected under Output 1.4.

Future Direction

In 2017-18 the directorate will:

  • continue to provide high quality, objective strategic advice to the Chief Minister and Cabinet and its subcommittees on decisions before government;
  • continue to provide advice and support to Cabinet and the Manager of Government Business in the Legislative Assembly;
  • monitor and report on the implementation of Government priorities;
  • provide policy support as required to directorates on complex policy matters;
  • assist to achieve Government objectives through effective engagement with Commonwealth, State and Territory governments, through COAG and CAF frameworks as well as through treaties and agreements;
  • support the Chief Minister in 2018 as chair of the Council for the Australian Federation and Council of Capital City Lord Mayors;
  • coordinate a Government response to the recommendations of the final Report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse;
  • continue to develop and promote Canberra as Australia’s most welcoming city for LGBTIQ people;
  • continue to promote better regulation across government and remove unnecessary burdens on businesses and the community and ongoing engagement with the COAG regulatory reform agenda;
  • coordinate the transition of industry for the cessation of greyhound racing in the ACT;
  • evaluate the ACT’s on-demand transport industry (taxi, hire car and rideshare) reforms;
  • undertake further phases of single model of licensing reform under the Traders’ Licensing Act 2016 – standardising licensing requirements for additional occupations and streamlining business regulation;
  • streamline charities regulation and fundraising – including consulting with the community sector on ways to further streamline their interaction with government agencies and improve the conduct of organisations undertaking fundraising in the ACT;
  • develop regulatory arrangements for combat sports activities;
  • explore opportunities to make use of low cost behavioural insights to improve the delivery and effectiveness of government programs and services;
  • explore further Smart City initiatives for government consideration, building on the Chief Minister’s Statement of Ambition and ACT Digital Strategy;
  • work with agencies to support implementation of any ACT Smart Cities and Suburbs bids that attract Federal Government funding and continue engagement with the Australian Smart Communities Association;
  • undertake more detailed evaluation of the extended smart parking trial in Manuka to assess the technology’s suitability for wider deployment across the ACT;
  • take a leading role in identifying and capitalising on opportunities for digital transformation across government;
  • lead in the development of legislative amendments improving the government’s ability to capitalise on the digital transformation technology, including cloud;
  • develop high level ICT roadmaps to assist directorates in making strategic decisions in relation to technology investments;
  • develop a framework for the adoption of a common capabilities approach for ICT in government;
  • continue to support Strategic Board and Treasury through the assessment of ICT submissions for budget cabinet;
  • promote the value of open data through the sponsorship of a community hackathon (GovHack 2017);
  • release the ACT Digital Account to directorates, via iConnect, to support delivery of digital services;
  • pursue the accreditation of the ACT Digital Account within the Federal Government identity framework for the benefit of ACT residents;
  • further develop the secure platform, framework and governance for a whole of government data management practice;
  • continue to promote cyber security awareness and resilience within government through participation in the Australian Government’s Deputy Senior Officials Meeting and collaboration across government and with local industry; and
  • continue to promote the ACT Government’s digital agenda at national and international forums.

Further information can be obtained from

Leesa Croke
Deputy-Director-General
Policy and Cabinet
+ 61 2 6207 3751
Leesa.Croke@act.gov.au

Jon Cumming
Chief Digital Officer
Office of the Chief Digital Officer
+ 61 2 6207 7733
Jon.Cumming@act.gov.au