Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

PUBLIC SERVICE ACT 1999 - SECT 57

Roles of Secretaries

  (1)   The roles of the Secretary of a Department include, but are not limited to, the following:

  (a)   principal official policy adviser to the Agency Minister;

  (b)   manager, ensuring delivery of government programs and collaboration to achieve outcomes within the Agency Minister's portfolio and, with other Secretaries, across the whole of Government;

  (c)   leader, providing stewardship within the Department and, in partnership with the Secretaries Board, across the APS;

  (d)   any other role prescribed by the regulations.

Responsibilities of Secretaries

  (2)   The responsibilities of the Secretary of a Department are as follows:

  (a)   to manage the affairs of the Department efficiently, effectively, economically and ethically;

  (b)   to advise the Agency Minister about matters relating to the Department;

  (c)   to implement measures directed at ensuring that the Department complies with the law;

  (d)   to provide leadership, strategic direction and a focus on results for the Department;

  (e)   to maintain clear lines of communication within the Agency Minister's portfolio, as negotiated between the Secretary and the other Agency Heads in the portfolio;

  (f)   to engage with stakeholders, particularly in relation to the core activities of the Department;

  (g)   to manage the affairs of the Department in a way that is not inconsistent with the policies of the Commonwealth and the interests of the APS as a whole;

  (h)   to ensure that the Agency Minister's portfolio has a strong strategic policy capability that can consider complex, whole - of - government issues;

  (i)   to assist the Agency Minister to fulfil the Agency Minister's accountability obligations to the Parliament to provide factual information, as required by the Parliament, in relation to the operation and administration of the Department;

  (j)   such other responsibilities as are prescribed by the regulations.

  (3)   Subsection   (2) does not affect a Secretary's responsibilities under any other law.

Note:   See, for example, the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 .