NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Australian Public Service

The Australian Public Service (APS) is the Australian civil service, the group of people employed by Departments and courts under the Government of Australia, to administer the working of the public administration of the Commonwealth of Australia. The Byzantine civil service in action. ... The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional monarchy, a federation, and a parliamentary democracy. ...

1 Leadership
2 Advancement
3 See also
4 External links

Leadership

The Government has appointed a "Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service" to whom is responsible the Public Service Commission, led by a Commissioner, which promotes the APS Values, evaluates performance and compliance, and helps to build the capability of the Service. The Commissioner has both statutory powers (under the Public Service Act 1999) and policy responsibilities. Judicial High Court Lower Courts Constitution State and territory governments Executive Governors and Administrators Premiers and Chief Ministers Legislative Parliaments and Assemblies State electoral systems ACT - NSW - NT - Qld. ...

The Government also recognises a role for the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet for certain aspects of leadership of the APS. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is an Australian Government department. ...

Each Department is headed by a Secretary, and each independent authority by an appointed head, whose job description includes the administration of the people in that organisation. A secretary is either an administrative assistant in business office administration, or a certain type of mid- or high-level governmental position, such as a Secretary of State. ...

Advancement

Advancement throughout the APS is by merit, rather than by a skewed process such as nepotism. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

APS jobs are advertised throughout Australia by various means, including publication in the Government Gazette and various newspapers.

External links

Australian Federal Government
- Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
- Public Service Gazette

Categories: Government of Australia | Civil service by country

Results from FactBites:

Reform in the Australian Public Service 1983-1996 (18421 words)
	The Australian public service constitutes 8.7 percent of employed wage and salary earners in the Australian public sector, and 2.3 percent of employed wage and salary earners in the country as a whole (Department of Finance 1994-95: p.
	Over the period 1936 to 1953 the public service tripled in size, in part because its functions were extended to a wide range of services not previously expected of government, such as the maintenance of economic welfare, and in part because the federal government assumed a greater role in relation to the states.
	In 1984, the Public Service Act was amended to reflect the view that, except where specific powers were invested in a secretary by statute, the secretary [would be responsible for the] general workings of the department, subject to the minister's powers under the Constitution to administer such departments.

Politicising the Australian Public Service? (Australian Parliamentary Library - Research Paper 3 1998-99) (7540 words)
	Conversely, the assumption behind appointment decisions in a politicised public service is that they are made to suit the preferences of the government of the day or of individual ministers and that these preferences run counter to the 'merit principle' so defined.
	As the New Zealand experience with a State Services Commissioner demonstrates, such an officer, having his or her main statutory focus on nurturing a professional public service, has a strong incentive to champion the professional neutrality of a non-politicised service if only as a means of maintaining the relevance of his or her own office.
	By talking instead of partnership between politicians and senior public servants in the shared enterprise of policy development, Australian public servants have encouraged the view that secretaries share responsibility for government policies and are as much associated with particular policies as are the elected ministers.

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Advancement

See also

External links

Leadership