Our purpose is to be steadfast in building a capable, confident, and future-ready public sector that delivers lasting value to the community.
Employing more than 100,000 South Australians, our public sector is the largest employer in the state.
The South Australian public sector is the administrative arm of the Government of South Australia, accountable to the relevant ministers, the Premier, and Parliament.
Agencies within our sector (external site) (external site) (external site), variously called departments, commissions, authorities and services, are responsible for:
- advising the government on policy matters
- implementing government decisions and parliamentary legislation
- delivering public services such as health care, education, policing, emergency services, natural resource management, and public transport.
On this page
Our function
We bring together a number of central functions including:
- the statutory responsibilities of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment
- reform and renewal
- leadership development
- HR policy development and advice
- workforce data analysis and strategy development
- salary sacrifice
- work, health, safety and workers’ compensation, and
- performance and policy.
We are an attached office within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet. An attached office is an administrative unit with increased reporting responsibilities and has a Chief Executive appointed by the Premier in accordance with the Public Sector Act 2009. Being an attached office strengthens our independence.
Our strategic direction
Our strategic plan articulates our purpose, what success looks like, and how we’ll get there. The plan sets five key goals that guide our work and enable us to measure our success.
Learn more about OCPSE's strategic direction.
Our work
South Australian public sector agencies and employees provide many essential services to the community and we work with them to help them to deliver their best.
In particular, we:
- support the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment to fulfil functions and responsibilities assigned under the Public Sector Act 2009 (external site) (external site) (external site)
- embed the South Australian Code of Ethics and Public Sector Values
- encourage people and teams to continually improve
- encourage innovation
- develop employment determinations and guidelines to guide workforce management across the sector
- develop and deliver leadership programs through the South Australian Leadership Academy
- provide advice and develop policies on human resource issues
- deliver employment opportunities for young people, Aboriginal South Australians and people with disability
- collect and analyse information about the public sector workforce to guide planning
- collect and analyse information about the public sector health and safety and injury management outcomes
- develop health and safety and injury management strategies to help the sector achieve safety excellence
- administer the IWORKFOR.SA.gov.au (external site) (external site) (external site) website, and
- maintain the South Australian public sector Induction module.
We work closely with government, non-government organisations, industry and the community to harness the full potential of the public sector workforce and consistently deliver excellence. To find out more about our work, you can read our State of the Sector reports or our Workforce Information Report.
