Home page
> About the Commission > Working internationally
> Building organisational capability
>‹ Previous page
Working Internationally
The Australian Public Service Commission plays an active role in the international arena. It shares its experience with public sector reform and its expertise in good governance to assist in improving the quality and performance of public sector agencies in countries within the Asia-Pacific region.
Our responsibilities include developing and delivering programmes in the Asia-Pacific region to meet the Australian Government’s priority of supporting countries to establish professional, impartial public sector agencies. Specifically the programmes promote and support public sector reform in Papua New Guinea, the Pacific and in Indonesia. They have been developed in collaboration with the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), are dependent on AusAID funding and are consistent with AusAID country specific strategies. These programmes also form part of a whole-of-government exercise to strengthen relationships and build capacity within the Asia-Pacific region.
We also participate in international organisations, meet with overseas delegations and participate in relevant conferences that promote public sector reform.
The Pacific
The Commission has delivered assistance programmes in the Pacific region since August 2004. Our goal is to facilitate the strengthening of governance and the building of capacity for public sector reform. We provide regional capacity building activities with a focus on facilitating regional cooperation and regional solutions to common challenges.
Our programmes aim to support the development of public sector expertise, good governance, regional co-operation and public sector reform in the Pacific, through:
- building regional networks linking Public Service Commissions in the Pacific with each other as well as with Australian and New Zealand jurisdictions;
- strengthening regional cooperation and collaboration in finding solutions to common challenges; and
- building capacity in leadership and management skills and an understanding of how to implement public sector reforms.
In 2008-09 the Commission will:
- deliver a Pacific public sector leadership programme
- continue to facilitate and build the Pacific human resource managers network
- provide support for the annual Pacific Regional Public Service Commissioners’ Conference, to be held in the Cook Islands in September 2008
- co-ordinate work placements for Pacific officials receiving scholarships to participate in the Australian and New Zealand School of Government Pacific Executive Programme
- organise short-term work attachments for up to 30 officials in Commonwealth, State and Territory agencies.
For more information about the Commission’s role in the Pacific please contact the Programme Manager on (02) 6202 3826.
Indonesia
Our goal is to facilitate the strengthening of governance and public sector reform in Indonesia. To this end the Commission has undertaken to provide assistance in public sector reform and capacity building to the Indonesian public service under the Australia Indonesia Partnership for Reconstruction and Development funded by AusAID. There is strong support for this work in Indonesia.
The Commission's multi-year public sector reform and capacity building programme in Indonesia aims to:
- strengthen and maintain Australian-Indonesia institutional linkages through close collaboration between the Australian Public Service Commission and the Indonesian State Ministry for Administrative Reform, the National Civil Service Agency, the National Institute of Public Administration and the National Development Planning Agency Republic of Indonesia;
- make substantive contributions toward developing Indonesian civil service leadership skills, systems, and work culture; and
- make significant contributions toward a more productive and effective civil service capable of efficient and effective service delivery to the citizens of Indonesia.
The Commission currently has two senior officers based in Jakarta to coordinate its programme in Indonesia.
For more information about the Commission’s role in Indonesia please contact the Programme Manager on (02) 6202 3823.
Papua New Guinea
The Commission’s goal is to strengthen the managerial and operational capacity of the Papua New Guinea Department of Personnel Management and the Public Service Commission as well as building the capacity of indigenous staff within both departments.
The Commission has been providing advice and assistance to the Papua New Guinea Public Service Commission on a range of public sector reform initiatives since June 2003. This assistance will continue in 2007-08 and provide:
- short-term work attachments in Australia for two senior officials;
- technical assistance, training and mentoring in Papua New Guinea to the Chairman, Commissioners and staff of the Public Services Commission.
Under Australia’s Enhanced Cooperation Program in Papua New Guinea the Commission supports the deployment of a number of non-ongoing Senior Executive Service officers as advisers in the Papua New Guinea Department of Personnel Management. Their tasks involve the provision of advice on human resources, industrial relations and remuneration. This work is central to building the capacity of Papua New Guinea to undertake sustainable public sector reform initiatives.
For more information about the Commission’s role in the Pacific please contact the Programme Manager on (02) 6202 3823.
Other International activities
We are often asked to share our experience of public sector reform with delegations of international visitors. Where resources permit the Commission welcomes the opportunity to strengthen reform initiatives primarily within the Asia-Pacific region by meeting with such delegations to discuss issues of mutual interest.
The Commission is also a member of several key international public sector management organisations.
For more information about our role in advancing public sector reform through meeting international delegations and membership of international organisations please contact the Programme Manager on (02) 6202 3839.