Public Sector Directives

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:33): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector regarding public sector directives.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: The Premier has issued a series of public sector directives aimed at improving efficiency, accountability and service delivery. However, the 2024 State of the Sector report published by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment highlights concerns about inconsistent implementation, unclear accountability frameworks and resource constraints affecting the execution of these directives. My questions to the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector are:

1. Has the minister read the 2024 State of the Sector report to avail himself of the information contained within that report?

2. What specific actions has the minister taken to address the deficiencies identified in the 2024 State of the Sector report?

3. Can the minister provide clear evidence that the Premier's directives are achieving measurable improvements for South Australians?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (14:34): I thank the honourable member for her question. I certainly have, and I have regular meetings with the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment in South Australia to discuss matters that affect public sector employment in this state. Certainly, the public sector is a very, very significant employer in South Australia. I think figures from the middle of last year show the South Australian public sector represented something like 12½ per cent of total persons employed within South Australia.

There are a range of ways that we try to make the public sector as effective and as efficient as possible. Directives provided by the Premier or the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment are part of those. They are expected to be abided by. I know that there are regular reminders that are sent out, and there are regular meetings that are held by the heads of agencies and departments to ensure that the service that is provided is done effectively and efficiently for South Australian taxpayers.