Our commitment to capability

The ongoing development of PM&C’s capability ensures that we can continue to achieve our purpose. Investments in capability also support the department to lead by example, and uphold public sector principles and values, while building sufficient flexibility and expertise to meet current and future needs.

People

We seek to reflect the diversity of Australians in our workforce and leverage the voices, skills and experience of our people to deliver advice and outcomes for the Government and the Australian people. To do this, we foster a workplace that is supportive, respectful, safe and inclusive – giving everyone permission to perform at their best.

Our Inclusion and Diversity Strategy 2023–26 and Reconciliation Action Plan 2021–23 will help guide this work over the forward years, and we will seek to refresh our Reconciliation Action Plan in 2024. Our employee networks and senior executive champions will continue to play a lead role across gender, pride, ability, wellbeing, cultural and linguistic diversity, First Nations people (the Mara Network) and reconciliation. Our approach is informed by a range of APS-wide diversity and inclusion strategies.

We will continue to invest in our workforce through a range of learning offerings, to ensure that we have the capability we need to do our jobs well. We will focus on critical capability areas such as economics, gender responsive budgeting, policy, communication, consulting, digital and data literacy, research, analysis and evaluation, and a range of other core APS learning priorities identified by the APS Academy. PM&C will also work with the APS Academy to identify a range of other core capability requirements, in line with the APS Reform agenda and the Capability Reinvestment Fund.

Developing good leaders through the ongoing delivery of our Executive Management and Leadership Program will underpin this. Our leaders are responsible for building high levels of engagement, productivity and integrity in our teams so we can collectively deliver great outcomes.

PM&C, and the APS more broadly, is operating in a highly competitive labour market. We must continue to evolve our attraction, recruitment and workforce planning frameworks so that we have the expertise needed to meet the changing needs of government and the community. Part of our approach is offering a range of flexible working options, including working in a hybrid capacity (that is, both from home and in the office) to ensure we can access Australia’s diverse nationwide talent pool. In doing so we are guided by the principles of flexible work in the APS.

Equally important is providing staff with access to contemporary wellbeing supports and reasonable adjustments so that they can thrive at work. We focus on both physical and psychological health and seek to continue to lead the APS in the implementation of the APS Mental Health Capability Framework. We are committed to providing a psychologically safe workplace, to be an employer of choice, support staff wellbeing, and drive a pro-integrity culture.

In 2023–24, we will bargain for a replacement enterprise agreement for non–Senior Executive Service staff, to include common APS-wide employment conditions and promote the APS as a model employer that can attract and retain the right people. We will also make important updates to our employment framework to reflect and comply with Commonwealth legislative changes, including the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Commission and Respect@Work.

Our forward priorities in this area align with the APS Reform agenda, which commits to building a stronger APS that delivers better outcomes for the community, acts as a model employer and contributes to a fairer and more inclusive Australia.

Information and communication technology tools and capability

PM&C strives to be a strategic and trusted adviser on digital, information and communications technology (ICT) services, and in service delivery for the Prime Minister, portfolio ministers and assistant ministers, the department, and our shared services agencies.

The ICT services and systems PM&C delivers are complex and require an understanding of future challenges and solutions, to ensure we have the technology and business services needed to deliver on Government priorities.

Our environment is fast-paced and requires us to be highly flexible in responding quickly to changing demands, ensuring ICT capability remains fit-for-purpose and addresses information technology requirements.

The cyber threat landscape is also continuously evolving, presenting increased risk to Australian Government systems and requiring a greater demand for resources, knowledge and hardened security. Strengthening PM&C’s cybersecurity resilience capability will enable us to be more responsive to cyber threats, and will maintain confidence in PM&C as a trusted provider of ICT services. PM&C will continue to work closely with and draw advice from lead agencies in this space.

By standardising core services and taking an enterprise approach to new technologies, we can meet business needs and deliver technology and information solutions that are future-proof, flexible and secure, while continuing to maximise value.