About the department—vision, role, values
Established in 1859 as the Colonial Secretary’s Department, the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) has been in operation for over 150 years, with responsibility for coordinating and leading the achievement of whole-of-government priorities while managing the administrative responsibilities of government.
In addition to DPC, the Premier’s Ministerial Portfolio includes the Public Service Commission, the Office of the Governor and the Queensland Audit Office. Information on each of these entities can be found in their Annual Reports.
The department’s key stakeholder is the Premier. By managing and developing resources in order to sustain a skilled and capable organisation, and actively working to strengthen governance systems, the department is better able to serve the needs of the Premier. Each year the department provides the Premier with the opportunity to provide feedback on services provided for that year. For the 2012-13 year, the Premier indicated an overall satisfaction level of 99 per cent with services provided by the department.
DPC is committed to supporting the delivery of the government’s community objectives through providing robust, objective policy advice, coordinating Cabinet support and managing the business of government.
Providing leadership to government agencies and to other stakeholders on policy development and performance improvement is a key priority for DPC, and a survey of stakeholders, including Directors-General, Cabinet Legislation and Liaison Officers and Senior Policy Officers across government indicated a client satisfaction rating of 96 per cent with this service.
Quality advice and support is provided to our key stakeholders, as indicated by Objective 1, above. Surveys undertaken throughout the year indicate that our stakeholders were satisfied on 90 per cent of occasions with the quality of support provided.
Engagement with the community enables us to actively promote transparency of government decision making and develop a long-term strategic vision for Queensland.
The Premier has committed to reporting to Queenslanders every six months on the government’s progress towards delivery of the five pledges. The progress made on each of the government’s commitments during 2012-13 is published online at www.thepremier.qld.gov.au/plans-and-progress.aspx
DPC’s Strategic Plan 2012-2016
Vision
The best public sector in Australia: efficient, modern and service-oriented.
Role
Support the Premier and Cabinet and drive public sector renewal
Objectives
- Provide the Premier and Cabinet with independent, rigorous and forward-looking policy advice
- Lead a resilient, innovative public sector
- Develop organisational capability and agility
- Renew the public sector to be more efficient while sustainably reducing costs
Strategies
- Inspire innovation through leading by example
- Establish and lead the Public Sector Renewal Program across government
- Cultivate a high-performing and professional workforce
- Nurture strategic relationships with stakeholders
Key Performance Indicators
- Benefits of reform initiatives identified by the Public Sector Renewal Program are realised
- Customer satisfaction
- Premier's satisfaction
- Cabinet satisfaction
- Government commitments delivered on time
Priorities
Restore accountability in government through addressing the following challenges in 2012-13:
- Establish Strategic Policy Unit
- Deliver Public Sector Renewal Program
- Implement Commission of Audit recommendations
And additionally undertake other priority activities:
- Prepare for the ANZAC Centenary Commemoration
- Prepare for G20
- Review corporate services
Values
The department is committeed to the ethics values of the Public Sector Ethics Act 1994, and will also be guided by the following values:
- Collaboration with partners
- Capable and responsive
- Outcome focused
- Our people make the difference
The Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel (OQPC)
The Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel (OQPC) was established as a statutory authority on 1 June 1992 under the Legislative Standards Act 1992 (the Act) The office is headed by the Parliamentary Counsel appointed under the Act. As part of the Premier’s Ministerial Portfolio, OQPC’s key strategic role is to support government and democracy by drafting and publishing legislation for Queensland.
OQPC’s responsibilities under the Act include advising on alternative ways of achieving policy objectives and on the application of fundamental legislative principles. These principles underpin good legislation and include ensuring legislation has sufficient regard to the rights and liberties of individuals and the institution of Parliament.
OQPC’s Strategic Plan:2012-2016
Vision
Committed to excellence in Queensland legislation
Role
Support government and democracy by drafting and publishing legislation for Queensland
Objectives
- Draft Queensland legislation of the highest standard
- Provide access to Queensland legislation of the highest standard
- Maximise OQPC's organisational capability and agility
Strategies
- Identify and adopt best practice in legislative drafting and publishing
- Cultivate a high-performing, resilient and innovative workforce
- Nuture strategic relationships with clients, stakeholders and partnering entities
Key Performance Indicators
- Government legislative program delivered on time
- Client satisfaction with drafting services
- Client satisfaction with accessibility and publishing services
- Premier's satisfaction with contribution to reduction in regulatory burden
Values
OQPC is committed to the ethics values of the Public Sector Ethics Act 1994, and will also be guied by the following values:
- Collaboration with partners
- Capable and responsive
- Outcome focused
- Our people make the difference
Priorities
Main challenges in 2012-2013:
- Draft, within tight timeframes, succcinct, user-friendly and error-free legislation that has regard to fundamental legislative principles
- Contribute drafting and publishing services to reduction in regulatory burden
- Progress eLegislation project to streamline the drafting, publishing and accessibility of legislation
- Contribute to public sector renewal program
OQPC has a number of unique responsibilities under the Act. These include:
- ensuring the Queensland statute book is of the highest standard
- providing an effective and efficient drafting service for Queensland legislation
- publishing and making legislation accessible.
Successful delivery of these statutory responsibilities is supported by the three objectives established under OQPC’s strategic plan. OQPC’s strategic key performance indicators cumulatively measure its success in relation to these objectives.
OQPC’s results against its key performance indicators in 2012-13 include:
- responding in a timely way to requests from government departments and agencies for the preparation of new and amended principal and subordinate legislation through the delivery of:
- 79 Bills (6384 pages)
- 298 instruments of subordinate legislation(3547 pages)
- 28 government amendments to Bills debated in Parliament (238 pages).
- Surveys completed by government instructing officers reveal a high level of client satisfaction with OQPC’s drafting services. The overall client satisfaction rating achieved for 2012-13 was 97.4 per cent.
- As part of DPC’s survey of key stakeholders, the Drafting and ePublishing Service provided by OQPC achieved a 100 per cent satisfaction rating from Ministers, Directors-General, Cabinet Legislation and Liaison Officers and agency Senior Policy Officers in relation to its timeliness, quality of information and support.
- To further strengthen client confidence and
satisfaction with OQPC’s drafting and publishing
services, the office continued a range of
initiatives to continue to generate service
delivery products of the highest standard.
Some of these initiatives included:
- strict adherence to rigorous quality control processes on all legislation drafted and published
- provision of timely advice to departments and agencies on the pending expiry of subordinate legislation and the automatic commencement of uncommenced Act provisions
- regular internal communications and updating of technical written materials used by drafters to ensure their work reflected best practice and applicable standards (these materials include the Drafting Standard and Precedents and Information Manual)
- provision of regular training for instructing agencies, enhancing their capacity to instruct OQPC effectively so drafted products meet their needs and expectations
- Similarly, client satisfaction with the accessibility of Queensland legislation was promoted through a range of measures, including:
- authorisation of electronic reprints
- implementation of a number of enhancements to the Queensland legislation website, including print-on-demand functionality and the publication of third reading versions of Bills
- progression of the backcapture project which involved the electronic publication of pre-1991 legislation as made
- annual volumes of Acts as passed from 1963 to 1991 were scanned and published on the Queensland legislation website
- application of consistent user experience to the Queensland legislation website.
- In an address to OQPC staff on 19 June 2013, the Premier expressed his thanks for OQPC’s significant contribution to the government’s red tape reduction initiative. OQPC’s key activities for this initiative included:
- providing regular legislative page counts to the Office of Best Practice Regulation
- drafting the required principal and subordinate legislation on instructions from administering agencies
- providing advice to administering agencies on legislative options for reducing the regulatory burden, alternative means of achieving policy objectives and the application of the principles that underpin good legislation, including fundamental legislative principles
- presenting and chairing a session at the Queensland Law Society’s 7th Annual Government Lawyers’ Conference on red tape reduction, including OQPC’s role in supporting agencies to achieve reductions in the regulatory burden.