Governing well

Support for good decision-making processes and the integrity of the Cabinet system is an essential service to Government. Our role is to ensure the Prime Minister and the Cabinet have access to the information they need to support informed decision-making and to undertake the important secretariat task for the Cabinet and its committees.

Our new responsibility to support the Prime Minister as chair of the National Cabinet will focus on continuing national management of the COVID-19 health response and co-ordination of a national agenda for economic recovery through creating jobs and rebuilding the economy.

Australia is a respected global partner and we support the Prime Minister in promoting our country’s interests internationally through overseas visits and welcoming visiting Heads of State and Government as part of the Guest of Government Program. Facilitating the Prime Minister’s relationships and engagement with other leaders, including through virtual summits, has been a priority during the current global health crisis.

PM&C recognises that good policy development and service delivery relies on robust research and data and rigorous analysis. We are tracking government priorities through to implementation. Through the regular collection of data we are monitoring the implementation of the Government’s priorities and providing the Prime Minister with regular whole-of-government updates.

Additionally, through the Project Office, we are deploying expertise in structured policy analysis to support rigorous, iterative development of policy solutions. Through the Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA) and leadership and coordination of the Australian Government data policy, governance and data sharing activities, we support more effective policies benefiting the whole community.

The APS is vital to Australia’s ongoing management of the COVID-19 crisis. Our skills in the areas of policy design and service delivery through problem solving, sharing data and mobilising people have never been more essential. We will continue to support the development of the APS’s capacity to respond to the needs of all Australians in this new operating environment. Practical APS-wide reform, underpinning our capacity to meet the current and post-COVID-19 environment, will require an APS-enterprise approach to digital investment and enhance our critical leadership capabilities.

We support the Prime Minister in responding to Australians who increasingly expect a high level of interaction on matters that affect them. Access to unambiguous and accurate information and timely responses to those Australians who take the time to share their views with the Prime Minister and portfolio ministers are an essential priority for PM&C in its support of the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are also supported in the management of the executive branch of Government through the provision of advice on matters of process and policy to ensure the effective functioning of government operations.

Through the Chief Operating Officer and our Corporate areas, we manage our own organisation to ensure we are fit-for-purpose and ready to perform our functions to a high standard.

PM&C’s success in all its work is dependent on the quality of our workforce. Our people are the key to how the Department will continue to deliver a high standard of service and respond to change. We strive for excellence in everything we do through leveraging strengths-based performance, diverse expertise and continual collaboration. Our investment in people capability is critical in ensuring the Department can deliver in a fast-paced and changing environment for the benefit of Australians.