Changing government: An important time for public service ethos
By Andrew Wills, Director IPAA Queensland
On Saturday 26th October 2024, the citizens of Queensland participated in one of the great functions of democracy, voicing their collective desire for change in government and electing Liberal National Party (LNP) leader, David Crisafulli as the 41st Premier of Queensland.
For around 29 of the past 35 years Queensland has had Australian Labor Party (ALP) governments. By virtue of this, a generation of state public servants have served mainly ALP executive governments. For a large group of young public servants, and those new to the sector over the last 9 years, they will have never served under an LNP government, nor experienced a transition of power between governments of different political persuasions.
For some in the service this will be an exciting time of change. For others, it may pose challenges. Afterall, public servants are still citizens – each with their own thoughts and values. We all experience change differently. For some it can be difficult or confronting, for others energizing and uplifting.
This crucial time highlights the importance of the public service ethos; being frank and fearless, apolitical, impartial, trustworthy, evidence-based, accountable, and above all, professional. These are not just words, but core principles – mindsets and behaviours that are unique characteristics of what it means to be part of a professional public service.
As power transitions from one side of politics to the other, the sector will be called upon to discharge important responsibilities in the system of bureaucracy in service to the government. This also presents opportunities – the opportunity to demonstrate why any executive government of the day should place its trust in the service, and why the community should do the same. The opportunity to play a key part in reinforcing why public administration, both as an ecosystem and a multilayered profession, deserves the trust of its citizens.
An essential success factor in achieving this will be the public service ethos.
Speak to any group of public service workers and you find some common drivers for their choice of profession – to make a positive difference to the community, to do work with a public purpose, and to deliver public value. These are but individual motivators, the reasons for entering into service. Public service ethos goes beyond this. An ethos is shared, a collective mindset of core principles that guide daily practice, regardless of whether you are a CEO or in frontline delivery. The compass that guides the true and committed public servant through the journey that each day of service brings.
This can look like different things in different settings.
Supporting a transition will become a requisite focus. Providing evidence-based and courageous advice to Ministers, assisting them in the process of governing, facilitating policy through systems of governance, and bringing policy to life through implementation and service delivery. Experienced public servants bring a wealth of practical wisdom and skills to these tasks, supporting the navigation of what can be a complex and interconnected system.
A shared ethos can look like leadership – recalibrating and motivating teams towards new or changed goals. In frontline service, engendering trust through professionalism and high-integrity interactions. In policy work, doing diligent research, considering different perspectives, being courageous and open in giving advice, and implementing the decisions of those who are elected.
The opportunity is there for everyone in public service.
The opportunity to exemplify the public service ethos.
To keep doing what the public service does best, each and every day regardless of the government of the day.
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