November 27 2024
A lack of direction from senior executives has seen the top-tier leaders at the Department of Veterans' Affairs ranked the equal worst of any APS department in the 2024 APS Census.DVA was tied equal last with Home Affairs, with staff at both departments giving their SES leaders an index score of 66.
While this was a single-point increase for Home Affairs from 2023, DVA was one of only two large departments to see this metric go backwards, along with the Attorney General's Department, which fell from 75 to 72.
Alison Frame, secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Picture by Elesa Kurtz
Staff at DVA scored their SES manager lowest on their teamwork, with only 50 per cent of staff agreeing that "in my agency, the SES work as a team".
The largest falls from DVA's 2023 scores were in leading the direction of the agency, with statistically significant drops in the staff's confidence that their SES manager clearly articulates the direction and priorities for their area and agency, as well as ensuring that work effort contributes to the strategic direction of the agency and the APS.
Home Affairs staff were less than effusive about their senior managers' ability to work as a team and saw the greatest difference from the rest of the APS when asked if their SES manager routinely promotes the use of data and evidence to deliver outcomes, with only 60 per cent of Home Affairs staff agreeing, compared to 67 per cent across the APS as a whole.
However, efforts to change the culture at Home Affairs over the past year appear to have begun to pay off, with the department either stable or improving across the SES metrics.
Senior leaders at Prime Minister & Cabinet continued to inspire confidence among their staff, with the Department achieving the equal highest SES leadership score for the third year in a row.
SES leaders at Treasury also scored highly, improving their metric by 1 point to 76 to achieve a rank equal to PM&C.
Infrastructure, Health and Finance department heads were also well regarded by their staff, achieving scores of 75, five points above the APS wide average of 70.
The index score is a combination of responses across half a dozen questions asked of staff, with the census open for responses between May and June this year.
DVA Action Plan targets leadership
In its action plan in response to the census findings, DVA's first priority targets "authentic leadership" to set direction and maintain momentum.
The Department will consolidate its leadership team, refresh its "purpose and culture vision" and implement the SES Performance Framework.
Senior executives will also complete masterclasses and manager information sessions.
Australia's richest person Gina Rinehart has taken aim at bureaucrats while calling for Trump-style cuts to the public service, saying taking the axe to public spending would pay for tax cuts
The billionaire mining magnate and Liberal party donor used her speech at a National Mining Day event hosted by Santos last week to outline her vision of a stripped-back Australian Public Service.
The Coalition has criticised the Albanese government for its increased APS budget, but has not outlined where it would find savings or explained how it would avoid a drop in service delivery.
"Cut out the duplicated federal departments, have the courage to sell the ABC radio, and close the ABC TV like the opposition leader in Canada, Pierre, has announced he will do," Ms Rinehart said.
"Cut out expenditure on the Environmental Defenders Office, sell the pot plants and artifacts from all the departments and agencies offices (let them bring in their own), these are just some of many opportunities to cut expenditure and wastage to make way for tax cuts!"
The Hancock Prospecting executive chair, who donated $150,000 to the Liberal party ahead of the 2022 election, said the "Canberra cocoon" needed reminding that people flourished when red tape and taxes were cut.
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Ms Rinehart referred to Trump's "Drill, baby, drill" slogan and lauded the Australian mining industry's contribution to national prosperity, saying the taxes it contributed paid for public hospitals, roads, schools and defence spending with "change to spare".
But, she said, the nation's living standards were declining and public sector waste - along with policies leading to "less productive investment" - was to blame.
"We should be watching and learning from the recent announcement ... following President-elect Trump's tsunami victory that he will be establishing a Department of Government Efficiency," she said.
"With Elon Musk and fellow billionaire, Vivek Ramaswamy leading the charge, they will achieve significantly cutting tape."
Ms Rinehart called for an Australian DOGE and came up with an acronym of her own: LINOs, understood to mean Liberals in Name Only (a play on the RINOs or Republicans in Name Only, a sledge created by Trump supporters).
"This is not a time for LINOs, timidly fiddling around a few edges, careful not to upset the minority noisies or rapidly increasing bureaucrats, none of whom will ever vote for the Coalition," she said.
"We need make Australia great again ... DOGE will cut government intrusion, cut government waste, and enable President-elect Trump to cut taxes.
"To enable tax cuts here in Aussie, we need to cut government expenditure and waste. Out with the failed approach, that being let's get the bureaucracy-friendly Treasury to cost tax cuts.
"Treasury don't want to cut bureaucracy or recognise that cutting taxes leads to revenue growth, who then advise 'we can't afford'. Instead, let's decide to cut the government waste, then we can afford."
Ms Rinehart also called for the fuel excise to be "completely and immediately" axed and for a "return to reliable and cheaper energy".
"Stop taxpayer funding of unreliable green energy and its incredibly expensive infrastructure," she said.
"Don't make us taxpayers pay for more pollies', bureaucrats' and billionaires' luxurious gabfests around the world in aid of banning fossil fuels.
"This expensive net zero cult sure likes to use lots of fossil fuels for their many many trips, including using hundreds of private jets."
Ms Rinehart signalled that the Coalition would be measured against the second Trump administration, which was promising a 15 per cent company tax rate.
"Our company tax rate is double that. So far, the Coalition has brought in more government tape and regulations than the socialist Whitlam government ever had," she said.
"Commitment and action to significantly cut is badly needed, not LINO words - capital is already flooding out of Australia, hence we need to act fast."
The billionaire mining magnate and Liberal party donor used her speech at a National Mining Day event hosted by Santos last week to outline her vision of a stripped-back Australian Public Service.
The Coalition has criticised the Albanese government for its increased APS budget, but has not outlined where it would find savings or explained how it would avoid a drop in service delivery.
"Cut out the duplicated federal departments, have the courage to sell the ABC radio, and close the ABC TV like the opposition leader in Canada, Pierre, has announced he will do," Ms Rinehart said.
"Cut out expenditure on the Environmental Defenders Office, sell the pot plants and artifacts from all the departments and agencies offices (let them bring in their own), these are just some of many opportunities to cut expenditure and wastage to make way for tax cuts!"
The Hancock Prospecting executive chair, who donated $150,000 to the Liberal party ahead of the 2022 election, said the "Canberra cocoon" needed reminding that people flourished when red tape and taxes were cut.
READ MORE:
Ms Rinehart referred to Trump's "Drill, baby, drill" slogan and lauded the Australian mining industry's contribution to national prosperity, saying the taxes it contributed paid for public hospitals, roads, schools and defence spending with "change to spare".
But, she said, the nation's living standards were declining and public sector waste - along with policies leading to "less productive investment" - was to blame.
"We should be watching and learning from the recent announcement ... following President-elect Trump's tsunami victory that he will be establishing a Department of Government Efficiency," she said.
"With Elon Musk and fellow billionaire, Vivek Ramaswamy leading the charge, they will achieve significantly cutting tape."
Ms Rinehart called for an Australian DOGE and came up with an acronym of her own: LINOs, understood to mean Liberals in Name Only (a play on the RINOs or Republicans in Name Only, a sledge created by Trump supporters).
"This is not a time for LINOs, timidly fiddling around a few edges, careful not to upset the minority noisies or rapidly increasing bureaucrats, none of whom will ever vote for the Coalition," she said.
"We need make Australia great again ... DOGE will cut government intrusion, cut government waste, and enable President-elect Trump to cut taxes.
"To enable tax cuts here in Aussie, we need to cut government expenditure and waste. Out with the failed approach, that being let's get the bureaucracy-friendly Treasury to cost tax cuts.
"Treasury don't want to cut bureaucracy or recognise that cutting taxes leads to revenue growth, who then advise 'we can't afford'. Instead, let's decide to cut the government waste, then we can afford."
Ms Rinehart also called for the fuel excise to be "completely and immediately" axed and for a "return to reliable and cheaper energy".
"Stop taxpayer funding of unreliable green energy and its incredibly expensive infrastructure," she said.
"Don't make us taxpayers pay for more pollies', bureaucrats' and billionaires' luxurious gabfests around the world in aid of banning fossil fuels.
"This expensive net zero cult sure likes to use lots of fossil fuels for their many many trips, including using hundreds of private jets."
Ms Rinehart signalled that the Coalition would be measured against the second Trump administration, which was promising a 15 per cent company tax rate.
