Public service an inclusive process of collaboration -- McKinnon

Public service is no longer about bureaucracy or a one-way process of administration. It has become an inclusive process of collaboration, Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon told the inaugural Commonwealth Ministers’ Forum on Public Sector Development in Sydney on 26 October 2006.

“There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach in running a public service or reforming it,” Mr McKinnon said. “There are different ways of providing services, more and more of which involve delegating management to semi-autonomous bodies or to the private sector.” 

The Secretary-General reiterated that public sector reform is the responsibility of politicians and public servants alike. “Reform needs to accommodate the unique characteristics of public service,” he said. 

Mr McKinnon also saw the Commonwealth Connects website -- an information and communication technology development portal -- as a good example of how the Secretariat is promoting networking and the sharing of best government practice between countries. 

He called on ministers to set a forward agenda for development in line with the vision of 'networked government' set out in the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) conference in Singapore in 2004.

The forum has been convened by the Commonwealth Secretariat through its Governance and Institutional Development Division. The two-day event -- aimed at advancing public sector development in the Commonwealth -- is being held on the wings of the CAPAM biennial conference which took place in Sydney between 21 and 25 October.

Key Links:

• Speech by Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon
• Video Message to the Commonwealth Ministers Forum on Public Sector Development
• Governance
• Australia Country Profile

Related News:

• Commonwealth Connects
• CAPAM