Office for the Public Sector

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for the Public Sector) (14:15): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: I am pleased to inform the house that from 1 July this year a new Office for the Public Sector will be created within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet. This decision delivers on the government's election promise to rationalise public sector renewal, workforce relations, and public sector review functions within the government by amalgamating the functions of the Office for Public Sector Renewal, the Office of Public Employment and Review, and the Public Sector Workforce Relations agency.

The primary goal of the new Office for the Public Sector is the creation of a fully integrated approach to a more innovative and higher performing public sector that constantly delivers excellence.

I share the Premier's passion to build a strong public sector workforce that is responsive, open, productive, innovative and collaborative. The Office for the Public Sector will have responsibility for public sector leadership development, workforce planning, cultural change, partnership building across sectors, industrial relations, workforce wellbeing, and the South Australian Executive Service.

The new office will be led by Erma Ranieri as chief executive of the Office for the Public Sector and she has already taken the leadership of the teams making up this office in order to deliver the merger and associated savings for 1 July. Ms Ranieri has demonstrated her capability for this role through her experience as chief executive of the Office for Public Sector Renewal and Change@SouthAustralia, as well as the deputy chief executive of DMITRE. As an outstanding leader of one of the merging units, Ms Ranieri was the obvious choice for the leadership of the combined office.

The establishment of the Office for the Public Sector is an important step and shows this government's commitment to improving the performance of the public sector. South Australia's dedicated public sector workers represent an asset to be realised, not a burden to be minimised.

Staff from the newly merged Office for the Public Sector will continue to support Mr Warren McCann in fulfilling the statutory responsibilities of his role as Commissioner for Public Sector Employment. Mr McCann's term runs until the end of October this year and no final decision has been made on a replacement. I can assure the house that a process of due diligence will be undertaken before a recommendation to the Governor is made.

The decision around merging the three public sector agencies reflects the work of a government that is focused on delivering on its election promises and ensuring the good governance of a modern and capable Public Service that works together with citizens, businesses, and communities to deliver for South Australia.