18 December 2019
ACS, the professional association for Australia’s technology sector, has welcomed the Federal Government’s response to technology-related findings and recommendations of the Independent Review of the Australian Public Service (APS).
Given the size of public sector employment in Australia, the digital transformation of the APS represents a strategic opportunity for enabling knowledge and skills transfer across the broader Australian economy.
In its August submission to the APS review, ACS recommended the public sector’s human capital be recognised and treated as a strategic asset with recruitment, investment and training to prepare for emerging technology areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber security and data science.
The government’s agreement with the report’s recommendations to establish an APS professions model and to standardise performance management is also welcomed. ACS hopes adoption of these proposals will increase the public service’s recognition of ICT roles and improve renumeration of technically qualified IT workers.
ACS’s submission also called for the government to recognise that risk assessment, risk management, and technology governance accountabilities cannot be outsourced. ACS encourages the government and the APS Secretaries Board to consider this as they further review the capabilities of the public sector.
Yohan Ramasundara, ACS President, said: “As we stated in ACS’ 2019 election manifesto, public sector employment makes up 19% of the nation’s workforce and the APS is an enabler of technology and knowledge transfer for the broader economy.
“So, the technology aspects of the APS review are important beyond the bounds of the public sector.
“It’s particularly heartening to see the government’s commitment to invest in the public sector’s data and digital skills and, as stated in our 2019 election manifesto, we would also like to see APS recruitment strategies include specific targets for emerging technology areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and cyber security.
“That view was underscored by the 2019 Digital Pulse report, which found that skills development was the highest priority in addressing Australia’s skills shortage. This shortage is expected to see the economy needing an additional 100,000 ICT workers by the end of 2024.”
In its response to the APS review, the government committed to invest in skills across the data, digital and procurement professions with the Secretaries Board to implement a government-wide learning and development strategy to target investment in learning and development, emerging leaders and future skills needs.
ACS also welcomed the government’s recognition on the importance of ensuring privacy and security while sharing data across agencies.
The effective use of data and sharing between government agencies will support better services for Australians, and better policy, programs and research. The commitment to open data is also welcome.
“However, to maintain Australians’ confidence and trust in providing data to government agencies, it is essential to assure citizens their privacy will be protected,” Mr Ramasundara continued.
“This was a key recommendation of ACS’ recent Privacy Preserving Data Sharing Frameworks report which described a framework for privacy-preserving data sharing.”
The government-wide audit of government ICT systems and the development of a longer-term APS technology blueprint is essential for the effective and efficient digital transformation of government and the integration of services.
Along with data sharing and skills development, ACS is delighted to see the government’s commitment to a better services roadmap to integrate government services, and delivery of the Digital Transformation Strategy to make it easier for business to interact with Government.
“The government’s response to the report is an important step in preparing Australia’s government services for the third decade of the 21st Century,” said Mr Ramasundara.
“Proper execution of agreed actions and related programs/projects hold the key to APS success in generating new value to the public, continuing relevance and improving trust through transparency.
“We look forward to assisting the Government, APS and the Secretaries Board in delivering on these crucial commitments.”
-ENDS-
Director of Corporate Affairs and Public Policy
ACS is the professional association for Australia's technology sector. More than 45,000 ACS members work in business, education, government and the community. ACS exists to create the environment and provide the opportunities for members and partners to succeed.
The Society strives for technology professionals to be recognised as drivers of innovation in our society, relevant across all sectors, along with promoting the formulation of effective policies on technology and related matters. Visit www.acs.org.au for more information.