Robert Watling was appointed as the State Service Commissioner in February 2004. The State Service Commissioner is an independent statutory officer, appointed by the Governor and reports directly to the Tasmanian State Parliament. The powers and functions of the State Service Commissioner are set out in part 5 of the State Service Act 2000 (the Act).

As I have outlined in my earlier reports, when I took up the role of State Service Commissioner in 2004, I made a decision to separate the employment policy functions under the Act from the statutory functions of the Commissioner. This was achieved by delegating my employment policy powers and functions to the Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, which are now administered through the Public Sector Management Office.

A major focus of my Office over the last three years has been the development and refinement of one of my statutory functions, that is, to evaluate practices, procedures and standards in relation to the management of employment in the State Service. In this regard, significant progress has been made in relation to the development of the annual Agency Survey and biennial Employee Survey, both of which provide a valuable perspective on issues relevant to my statutory functions and underpin the evaluation role of the Office. Importantly, the results of these surveys are a major factor in determining areas to target for specific evaluation projects.

The inaugural Tasmanian State Service Employee Survey was conducted in 2005, with the second Employee Survey Report completed in December 2007. Another major project to evaluate Agencies Performance Management Systems, conducted by the Office was completed in 2006. The decision to evaluate performance management was prompted by the fact that two of the lowest scoring areas in the Employee Survey were associated with managing performance. A Tasmanian State Service Agency Performance Management Systems Evaluation Report 2006 was produced. Copies of all of the above mentioned reports are available on this website.

All employees are encouraged to investigate this site further and I hope that it is helpful in providing relevant information about employee rights and responsibilities under the State Service Act 2000. Robert and his staff would be pleased to provide assistance in relation to the Commissioner's statutory functions and responsibilities, and employees are encouraged to contact the Office if they require further information.

The State Service Act 2000

The State Service Act 2000, which came into effect on 1 May 2001, gave Agencies more flexibility in organising work practices as well as encouraging modern management practices in the workplace. Principles and a Code of Conduct have been incorporated into the Act. The State Service Principles will ensure we have effectively managed workplaces, providing opportunities for employees based on equity and fairness, and delivering a high standard of services to the Government and Community. The Code of Conduct provisions reinforce and uphold the Principles by establishing standards of behaviour and conduct that apply to all employees, including Officers and Heads of Agencies. An important aspect of the State Service Commissioner's statutory function is to promote these Principles and the Code of Conduct within the State Service.

Functions of the Commissioner

In summary, the statutory functions of the Commissioner under the State Service Act 2000
(the Act) include:

• upholding, promoting and ensuring adherence to the State Service Principles; evaluating the application within Agencies of practices, procedures and standards in relation to management of, and employment in, the State Service;evaluating the adequacy of systems and procedures in Agencies for ensuring compliance with the Code of Conduct;investigating alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct by Heads of Agencies and to report to the Premier on the results of such investigations;undertaking reviews of actions applied for under Section 50 of the Act;investigating and determine whether an employee is able to efficiently and effectively perform their duties;determining requirements, including qualifications, for the employment of employees or groups of employees in the State Service; and

• determining the period within which action arising under this Act may be taken by the Commissioner, an officer or an employee.
  

Contact Information

Office of the State Service Commissioner
Level 2/144 Macquarie Street
HOBART TAS 7000

Postal Address:
PO Box 621
HOBART TAS 7001
AUSTRALIA

Email: ossc@dpac.tas.gov.au
Phone: (03) 6233 3637
Fax: (03) 6233 2693