The Secretaries Board met at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to discuss the following matters.
Psychological safety and integrity in the APS
The Board discussed fostering a pro-integrity culture through psychological safety with Professor Brock Bastian, Principal Psychologist and Partner at Psychological Safety Australia, as part of the APS Integrity Taskforce’s work supporting Secretaries Board to strengthen integrity within the APS through cultural and behavioural practices, values and leadership capabilities that support integrity.
APS Reform Update
The Board received an update on the Review of Public Sector Board Appointments Processes. More information on the Review can be found on the APS Reform website.
The Board noted the cross-agency projects funded under Round 1 of the APS Capability Reinvestment Fund, to address service-wide challenges, and committed to support implementation. Projects funded under Round 1 address capability needs in:
- uplifting APS-wide First Nation cultural competency;
- promoting culturally and linguistically diverse capability in the APS;
- developing APS capability in foresight, scenario and futures analysis;
- embedding evaluation across the service;
- improving gender impact analysis in policy; and
- developing deeper knowledge and networks in Asia and the Pacific.
The Board endorsed the Long Term Insights Briefing Pilot topic Building trust in public institutions – ‘How might AI affect the trustworthiness of public service delivery’ to be delivered later this year.
Central Australia Response
The Board received an update on implementation of the Central Australia Plan and welcomed the appointment of Mr Gavin Matthews as Central Australia Plan Implementation Lead within the National Indigenous Australians Agency. The Board welcomed the establishment of an Aboriginal Leadership Group and acknowledged the efforts of Ms Dorrelle Anderson, Central Australian Regional Controller.
Closing the Gap
The Board received an update on the 7 June 2023 meeting of the Joint Council on Closing the Gap and opportunities to utilise Closing the Gap governance structures to support strategic engagement and partnership cooperation.
Economic and Budget Update
Dr Steven Kennedy PSM, Secretary of the Treasury, and Ms Mary Wiley-Smith, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Finance, provided an update on the 2023-24 Budget and economic outlook.
Other Business
The Board thanked Mr Andrew Metcalfe AO for his service following his announcement of retirement from the APS, and noted there will be a merit-based process to inform the Prime Minister’s consideration of the next Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
Next Meetings
The next Secretaries Board meeting is scheduled for 5 July 2023.