Australia's Northern Territory perspectives of public sector reform
| Published date | 01 February 1997 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-162X(199702)17:1<181::AID-PAD907>3.0.CO;2-X |
| Author | DAVID HAWKES,KERRY MOIR |
| Date | 01 February 1997 |
Australia's Northern Territory perspectives of
public sector reform
DAVID HAWKES and KERRY MOIR
Northern Territory, Australia
SUMMARY
This article analyses the forces driving reform of the Northern Territory Public Sector over the
past 20 years. It spans an era in which the NT, a `small State' moved from colonial-style
dependency on external governments to self-government, with corresponding shifts in the
public service. Included is an analysis of the demise of old civil service traditions and their
replacement with modern methods of policy development and implementation. It scrutinizes
the impact of politicians and politics on the public sector. It examines new legislation currently
governing the public sector and the role played by the Public Service Commissioner in leading
the reform movement through all its stagesÐfrom the analysis of weaknesses in earlier
legislation to the passage of new legislation which encapsulates the philosophy behind a
modern and effective public sector. It looks at what subordinate legislation is needed by a
public service to add substance to a primary Public Sector Employment & Management Act.
It analyses the main functions of the Act and highlights the roles and relationships of
politicians with the Public Service Commissioner and the Chief Executive Of®cers of various
government departments. Finally, it attempts to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the
Act after three years of operation. (&1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)
THE SETTING
The Northern Territory is one of two territories in Australia. It covers approximately
1,300,000 km2of land stretching from the tropical `Top End' to the arid desert of the
`Red Centre'. The result is a diverse mix of climates, landscapes, peoples and
attractions.
The population of the Northern Territory is approximately 160,000 people with
14,000 people employed in the public sector. The capital of the Northern Territory is
Darwin. It is situated on the northern coast of the continent and has a population of
over 80,000 people. The other major centre in the Northern Territory is Alice
Springs. With 25,000 people, `the Alice' is the second largest town in the Northern
Territory, and is situated in the MacDonnell Ranges.
The climate is divided into two seasons, the cooler `dry' season and the hot,
humid, monsoonal `wet' season. The dry season usually extends from May to
October and the wet season starts in November and continues until April the
following year.
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT, VOL. 17, 181±195 (1997)
CCC 0271±2075/97/010181±15$17.50
&1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
David Hawkes is Commissioner at the Northern Territory Commission for Public Employment and Kerry
Moir is Director, Human Resource Dept, NT Dept of Education, GPO Box 4821, Darwin NT 0801,
Australia.
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