Purpose of Strategic Leadership Group
The Secretaries Board requires sufficient time for members to participate in strategic, forward-looking discussions on significant public policy or administration matters. To enable this to occur, every third meeting of the Secretaries Board will be followed by an extended strategic discussion considered by the Strategic Leadership Group.
The Group’s discussions will focus on significant live issues requiring coordinated action or advice from the Australian Public Service (APS). Agendas will be structured thematically and meeting papers will be kept to a minimum with a focus, instead, on enabling open and free-flowing discussion, knowledge sharing and across-government collaboration between members.
While the Group will be chaired by the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C), group member(s) will be requested to introduce and lead meeting agendas where the theme is relevant to their portfolio responsibilities. Group members leading agendas are encouraged to recommend senior thinkers or practitioners, including from outside the APS, to participate in the Group’s discussions. External facilitators will also be considered to lead discussions, where appropriate.
Discussions should, wherever possible, lead to tangible actions and/or outcomes that will be recorded by the Secretariat.
Membership of the Strategic Leadership Group
The Secretary of the PM&C is the Chair of the Strategic Leadership Group.
The Group membership comprises:
- all members of the Secretaries Board (departmental secretaries, Secretary for Public Sector Reform, and the Australian Public Service Commissioner);
- the Director-General of National Intelligence;
- the Chief of the Australian Defence Force;
- the Commissioner of Taxation at the Australian Tax Office;
- Chief Executive Officer of the National Indigenous Australians Agency; and
- Chief Executive Officer of Services Australia.
Meetings
The Group’s meeting schedule will be determined by the Secretaries Board meeting schedule, noting that the Group is expected to meet every third month, immediately following a relevant Secretaries Board meeting.
Attendance
Group members are expected to attend all meetings in person and as scheduled, noting proxies are permitted to attend when substantive acting arrangements are in place, or as agreed by the Chair.
The Deputy Secretary Governance PM&C, First Assistant Secretary Government Division PM&C and the PM&C Secretary’s Chief of Staff will attend all meetings as notetakers. Senior thinkers or practitioners, including from outside the APS, may be co-opted for items at the request of Group members.
All Group members must declare any potential, apparent or actual conflicts of interest as they arise.
Secretariat
The Strategic Leadership Group is supported by a Secretariat located within Government Division, PM&C.
The Secretariat is responsible for providing administrative support to the Strategic Leadership Group, including, but not limited to:
- developing meeting agendas in consultation with Strategic Leadership Group members and distributing agendas, once approved by the Chair, at least one week prior to a scheduled meeting;
- where required, collating and distributing meeting papers one week prior to a scheduled meeting and keeping meeting minutes;
- liaising with Strategic Leadership Group members and their offices; and
- keeping a forward work plan and tracking agreed actions from the Strategic Leadership Group.
The Secretariat can be contacted via email secretariesboard@pmc.gov.au
Review
The Terms of Reference may be reviewed at the discretion of the Chair in consultation with members of the Secretaries Board.