Question Without Notice No. 800 asked in the Legislative Council on 7 November 2017 by Hon Diane Evers
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
800. Hon DIANE EVERS to the Leader of the House representing the Premier:
I refer to an answer given by the director general of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Mr Darren Foster, during the Standing Committee on Estimates and Financial Operations hearings of Tuesday, 17 October, to my question about leadership and coordination of cross-agency solutions to complex issues.
(1) Will the minister detail the processes that the public sector leadership council will employ to support collaborative cross-agency solutions to complex issues, and include —
(a) how often the council will meet;
(b) the issues the council will address first;
(c) other issues the council might address subsequently;
(d) how the issues that will be addressed by the council will be selected;
(e) how the efficacy of the council will be evaluated; and
(f) any other relevant information?
(2) Will the minister please list the working groups involved in cross-sector collaborations, and the issues they are considering?
Hon SUE ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1)–(2) There are a number of different cross-agency efforts being undertaken to support a collaborative approach to complex issues in Western Australia, one of which includes the public sector leadership council. The council, which meets monthly, aims to drive reform across the public sector; receive briefings on key strategic issues of sector-wide interest; review progress on whole-of-government objectives and election commitments; and model collaboration and problem solving on cross-cutting issues. The council allows members to identify issues for discussion and provides an opportunity to share experiences and learnings to enhance the proficiency of the sector in responding to complex issues that require whole-of-government outcomes.
A number of other working groups have been established or have continued to focus on specific complex public policy issues that do not stop at the boundaries of an agency and require a whole-of-government solution. Some of these include justice planning and reform, information and communications technology, the strategic assessment of the Perth and Peel regions, and state emergency management. Other key issues that will be addressed through cross-agency collaboration include responding to the service priority review, an inquiry into government programs and projects, and a sustainable health review.
The Department of the Premier and Cabinet can brief the member further on the details of the cross-sector collaboration efforts.