Foreword by the Head of the State Service

This year’s Tasmanian State Service Annual Report is the second report that I have presented as the Head of the State Service, and reflects my first full year in that role. It has been a challenging and rewarding year, one where the Tasmanian State Service has progressed a number of reforms, and focused on developing the right workforce within the right workforce management framework to meet the Government’s expectations and priorities.

This year has also seen a number of machinery of government changes, including the commencement of the Department of State Growth, and preparations for the start of the Tasmanian Health Service.

In last year’s Report, I outlined a series of priorities, focusing on reducing prescriptive instructions, and providing State Service leaders with the tools and guidance needed to lead a productive and efficient workforce. These priorities continue to inform work across the State Service, and this year’s report reflects how we are working to ensure that the State Service continues to develop the capability to meet the requirements of the Tasmanian community.

We have achieved many positive outcomes over the past 12 months:

We delivered a new workforce survey, the People Matter Survey, in partnership with the Victorian Public Sector Commission. This year’s survey had our highest ever level of participation, at 30.6 per cent. The survey indicated that our engagement index is at 66 per cent, which is comparable to other public sector jurisdictions, and a pleasing result given we have come to the end of a year of much change. I anticipate this solid result will continue to improve in light of new workforce management practices and policies across the Agencies implemented in 2014 -15.

• We undertook the first ever skills audit of our senior executive. The audit results will be used to develop a senior executive capability program, to build a strong leadership cohort.
• We also held a number of SES forums which addressed ‘Tasmanian’s relationship with China – Insights and Opportunities’, and ‘Leadership’, and delivered an inaugural ‘State of the Service’ address in Launceston and Hobart.
• We progressed the redevelopment of the State Service Jobs Website, and anticipate that the new website will be launched in early 2016.
• We continued to increase our capability in work health safety and wellbeing through a number of initiatives and through our collaboration with WorkSafe Tasmania and Skills Tasmania.
• We have continued our work on the HR Integration Project to increase effective HR systems, data and reporting capability.
• We implemented a suite of tools under Managing Positions in the State Service to assist agencies meet their budget and staffing targets.

My priorities for the coming year are to review our employment processes so that they provide clear principles and accountabilities, invest in the capability of our people to lead and manage, and to ensure robust, consistent and transparent rules are in place to manage issues such as gifts and hospitality.

I look forward to working with state service employees and officers across the State throughout the coming year, and to reporting again on our further achievements in 2015-16.

Greg Johannes

Head of the State Service