To:
Hon Kyam Maher MLC
Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector
This annual report will be presented to Parliament to meet the statutory reporting requirements of the Public Sector Act 2009 and the requirements of Premier and Cabinet Circular PC013 Annual Reporting.
This report is verified to be accurate for the purposes of annual reporting to the Parliament of South Australia.
Submitted on behalf of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment by:
Erma Ranieri PSM
Chief Executive
As Chief Executive of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment (OCPSE), I take great pride in our work to enable the South Australian public sector to deliver results and outcomes for the community.
We work collaboratively with the public sector to:
- develop a resilient and sustainable workforce
- develop highly effective leaders who invest in their talent and unleash workforce potential
- enable data driven insights and decision making
- improve cultural capability, so agencies foster culturally safe workplaces, and
- lead a safe, diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve.
During the year, we continued to support my statutory responsibilities as Commissioner for Public Sector Employment, including;
- launching the public sector’s first employee integrity framework, Building Integrity, on 27 June 2023, attended by public sector employees with a panel discussion including representatives of the State’s key integrity bodies
- maintaining the Commissioner’s determinations and guidelines – the public sector’s core workforce and employment policies – to ensure they are relevant and fit for purpose
- continuing to report on the sector’s observance of the public sector principles in the annual State of the Sector report to Parliament.
Informed by what employees told us in the 2021 whole of government employee survey, we led targeted action to increase diversity and inclusion in public sector workplaces:
- We proudly worked with agencies to increase employment of Aboriginal people in the public sector and partnered with Tauondi Aboriginal College to deliver the Aboriginal Traineeship Program and the Aboriginal Leadership Program.
- We made great progress to finalise new strategies on diversity, equity and inclusion, and partnered with Wellbeing SA to develop the sector’s first anti-racism strategy, for launch in the next reporting period.
The South Australian Leadership Academy (SALA) continued to equip executives and managers to excel as leaders through:
- the launch of the new Leadership Excellence Framework in August 2022 to provide guidance on the three core functions of governance, leadership and management
- the rollout of more accessible, flexible and equitable learning to employees through a new series of online courses
- induction of 125 executives
- delivery of the Manager Essentials, Next Execs, and Executive Excellence programs which continue to be well-attended and well-received.
The public sector’s commitment to safe and healthy workplaces was renewed by the launch of the Safety, Wellbeing and Injury Management Strategy 2023-32. Agencies are now supported to improve employee health and wellbeing through a new Healthy Workplaces Adviser role, a consultancy service established in OCPSE that provides practical advice tailored to the needs of different workplaces.
We worked on improving human resources (HR) systems capability across the sector. The ‘myCareer’ HR system was established for 14 public sector agencies, enabling them to modernise and streamline HR operations. Work continued to enhance the capability of the sector-wide GovSAfety (Work Health Safety) and SIMS (injury management) systems.
Our experience from mobilising the public sector workforce during the Government’s COVID-19 response positioned us well to help agencies fill critical roles urgently to protect the community from the River Murray floods.
We also continued to provide advice and support to agencies, and coordinated a sector HR forum in April 2023, to update HR leaders and practitioners on our priorities and how we work together moving forward.
Improving our workforce data remains a priority of the office. Evaluation of our data capabilities in relation to gender equality and employment of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds is underway. To measure progress and the effectiveness of our strategies, we must continually strive to improve our data and reporting capabilities.
We are also well into our preparations to undertake the next whole of government employee survey, which is critical to measuring employee engagement and identifying areas we need to improve through our action plans. Many of the achievements since the last survey are the result of the insights provided via the survey.
I am confident my team will continue to deliver on our goal of ensuring the public sector continues to achieve the best outcomes for our State. I look forward to sharing more of our achievements next year.
Erma Ranieri PSM
Chief Executive
Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment
Overview: about the agency
- Our strategic focus
- Our organisational structure
- Changes to the agency
- Our Minister
- Our Executive team
- Legislation administered by the agency
The agency’s performance
- Performance at a glance
- Agency specific objectives and performance
- Corporate performance summary
- Employment opportunity programs
- Agency performance management and development systems
- Work health, safety and return to work programs
- Executive employment in the agency
Financial performance
- Financial performance at a glance
- Consultants disclosure
- Contractors disclosure
Risk management
- Risk and audit at a glance
- Fraud detected in the agency
- Strategies implemented to control and prevent fraud
- Public interest disclosure
Reporting required under any other act or regulation
- Reporting required under the Carers’ Recognition Act 2005
Public complaints
- Number of public complaints reported
- Additional Metrics
- Service Improvements
- Compliance Statement
Appendix: Audited financial statements 2022-23
Our strategic focus
| Our Purpose | Enabling the public sector to deliver great results and outcomes for the community |
| Our Vision | An agile, flexible and inclusive public sector that is enabled to serve a strong and healthy South Australia |
Our Values | Service, Professionalism, Trust, Respect, Collaboration & Engagement, Honesty & Integrity, Courage & Tenacity, Sustainability |
Our functions, objectives and deliverables | Enhance and shape workforce performance Advance current and future leaders Reporting and engagement Build a confident and culturally capable public sector workforce Inclusive, safe and ethical public sector |
Our organisational structure
Changes to the agency
During 2022-23 changes to the agency’s structure and objectives were made as a result of internal reviews or machinery of government changes. These included:
- The chief executive performance appraisal process was transferred from the Department of the Premier and Cabinet in August 2022.
- OCPSE implemented a new structure following an organisational review in October 2022, to better align the delivery of strategic goals and government priorities, and pivot resourcing more easily to new and emerging needs.
Our Minister
The Hon Kyam Maher MLC is the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector.
He is also the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council, the Attorney- General and the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.
Executive Team
Erma Ranieri Chief Executive | As Chief Executive, Erma provides strategic leadership for the office and is accountable for its organisational performance. Erma is also the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment. |
Josie Barbaro Director, Workforce Integrity, Strategy and Capability | Josie’s role is to design and implement workforce policies, systems and strategies that enhance the performance of public sector employees and uphold standards set by the Commissioner through determinations, guidelines and resources. This includes the public sector Code of Ethics and Values, and the Integrity Framework to foster excellence in governance, leadership and performance. Crucial to this is engagement with stakeholders to ensure policies and systems are client focused and accessible, and reporting measures are in place to assess their effectiveness. |
Talitha Coulthard Director, Aboriginal Workforce Partnerships | Talitha’s role seeks to improve Aboriginal employment outcomes in the public sector. She oversees engagement strategies and programs that build the capability and capacity of the South Australian workforce in both the public sector and the Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) sector. She provides specialist strategic and cultural leadership and co-ordination to identify, influence and establish a sustainable and impactful model for professional development and cultural learning exchange between the public sector and ACCOs in South Australia. |
Legislation administered by the agency
Public Sector Act 2009
Public Sector (Honesty and Accountability) Act 1995
Performance at a glance
OCPSE supported the Commissioner in meeting obligations under the Public Sector Act 2009, including:
- providing the Commissioner’s annual report to Parliament (the State of the Sector report)
- maintaining the Commissioner’s determinations and guidelines and the Code of Ethics
- undertaking investigations into employment and industrial matters.
During 2022-2023, OCPSE also:
- launched the public sector integrity framework, Building Integrity
- released a new Management of Misconduct Guideline
- led the recruitment processes for five chief executives and assisted with the reappointments of a further five chief executives
- managed the chief executive performance appraisal process
- launched the Safety, Wellbeing and Injury Management Strategy
- established a new role of Healthy Workplaces Adviser, a consultancy service to help agencies promote employee wellbeing
- led conversations across the public sector for a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy to improve employment and workforce outcomes for diversity groups
- launched the Leadership Excellence Framework
- continued to deliver leadership development programs through the South Australian Leadership Academy, including launching the Aboriginal Leadership Program in partnership with Tauondi Aboriginal College
- coordinated the second Aboriginal Traineeship Program with 72 commencements across the sector
- assisted the South Australian State Emergency Service in identifying resources to support the River Murray flood response
- coordinated the Premier’s Excellence Awards
- managed the contract for the South Australian Government Salary Sacrifice Arrangement (SAGSSA), commencing procurement for a successor contract
- published the 2022 Workforce Information Report – the official record of the size and composition of the public sector workforce.
Agency specific objectives and performance
Indicators | Performance | |
Enhance workforce performance and potential. | Attract the best talent by being the employer of choice. | Led the recruitment processes for five chief executives and assisted with the reappointments of a further five chief executives. Commenced a procurement process for a new provider under the South Australian Government Salary Sacrifice Arrangement, while extending the current contract for 12 months. Worked with public sector chief information officers to develop an employee value proposition to attract and retain information and communications technology workers. Coordinated the South Australian public sector presence at career expos. Coordinated the Premier’s Excellence Awards. |
Set high standards, enhance capability and reporting to uphold the sector’s integrity. | Launched the public sector’s integrity framework – Building Integrity – and established an online integrity library on the OCPSE website. Published the Management of Misconduct Guideline. Commenced a review of recruitment in the public sector. Reviewed the implementation of the Report of the Review of Harassment in the SA Parliament Workplace by the Equal Opportunity Commission. | |
| Build capabilities for strategic workforce planning and resource management. | Implemented a HR system for 14 agencies, to streamline the delivery of HR operations. Contributed towards workforce planning through discussions with agencies to address skills shortages, including strategies to recruit child psychologists. Provided case management services for over 100 excess employees. | |
| Support the public sector to respond to major emergencies. | Assisted the South Australian State Emergency Service to fill critical roles during the 2022-23 River Murray flood. Contributed to the Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA’s emergency planning for potential foot and mouth disease and lumpy skin disease outbreaks. | |
| Capture and measure data to understand the impact of gender pay gap. | Partnered with the federal Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) to assess workforce reporting capability to measure the gender pay gap within the public sector. | |
Advance current and future leaders. | Partner with CEs to enhance performance and capabilities. | Led public service chief executive employment and performance reviews. |
Succession planning and pathways for future leaders. | Coordinated the Manager Essentials program, completed by 387 managers. Reviewed the Next Execs and Executive Excellence programs. | |
| Improve leadership capabilities and opportunities. | Launched the Leadership Excellence Framework to define good leadership in the public sector. Coordinated executive induction with 125 participants by June 2023. Provided opportunities for employees to access Queensland University of Technology’s online modules for leaders, resulting in 2,319 enrolments. | |
Reporting and engagement. | Deliver the State of the Sector and Workforce Information Report annually to enable a data-rich overview of workforce trends within the sector. | Published the 2022 State of the Sector report. Published the 2022 Workforce Information Report. |
| Leverage data to measure the quality of initiatives and programs. | Launched the online community of practice to streamline agency data collection processes and share knowledge. | |
| Facilitate whole-of-sector employee engagement surveys. | Commenced preparations for the next across-government employee survey. | |
| Improve capability of Work Health Safety and Injury Management systems and applications. | Continued to enhance the sector wide GovSAfety (WHS) and SIMS (injury management) systems. | |
Build a confident and culturally capable public sector workforce. | Provide the resources and frameworks required to build culturally safe workplaces to ensure the sector is an employer of choice for Aboriginal people. | Commenced development of an across-government cultural learning framework. Re-designed the Aboriginal Leadership Program, co-delivered by Tauondi Aboriginal College. Developed a proposal for a secondment pilot to place public sector employees in local Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations. |
| Raise Aboriginal representation within the workforce so the public sector’s services and programs reflect and benefit all the state’s Aboriginal people. | Delivered the second Aboriginal Traineeship Program in partnership with Tauondi Aboriginal College, which placed 72 trainees in agencies as of June 2023. Maintained the Aboriginal Employment Register, enabling agencies to recruit from a pool of Aboriginal candidates. | |
Work actively to end racism; supporting, empowering, and amplifying efforts to build a more equitable, diverse and inclusive South Australia. | Developed the anti-racism strategy and action plan in collaboration with Wellbeing SA, which will be launched in 2023-24. | |
| Inclusive, safe and ethical public sector. | Continuously improve Work Health, Safety and Injury Management to lead policy and compliance. | Launched the Safety, Wellbeing and Injury Management Strategy 2023-2032. Established a new role of Healthy Workplaces Adviser, a consultancy service to help agencies promote employee wellbeing. |
| Build mentally healthy and culturally safe workplaces. | Drafted new guidelines for the prevention and management of bullying and harassment in the workplace for release in 2023-24. Reviewed and refreshed the Mentally Healthy Workplaces Framework for release in 2023-24. | |
| Promote the South Australian Public Sector Values and the Code of Ethics in everything we do. | Reviewed the Commissioner’s determinations and guidelines to set the standard of behaviour expected in line with the Code of Ethics and Public Sector Values. | |
| Effectively engage all stakeholders to deliver the sector’s diversity and inclusion outcomes. | Commenced development of a new diversity, equity and inclusion strategy for release in 2023-24. Continued to facilitate a sector-wide community of practice to share learnings and best practice. | |
| Continue to embed integrity into public sector decision-making. | Launched the public sector integrity framework Building Integrity. Developed a dedicated section on OCPSE’s website to provide guidance and resources relating to integrity. |
Corporate performance summary
Corporate services are provided to OCPSE by the Attorney-General’s Department (AGD).
Employment opportunity programs
OCPSE is inclusive and reflects the diversity of the South Australian community. As of June 2023, the OCPSE workforce comprised of:
- 66.7 per cent women
- 100 per cent female executives
- 10.5 per cent of employees identifying as Aboriginal
- 5.3 per cent of employees with a declared a disability.
| Program name | Performance |
|---|---|
| Aboriginal Traineeship Program | One trainee commenced through the program. |
| Disability Inclusion | OCPSE promoted the implementation of its Disability Access and Inclusion Plan to improve access and inclusion for people with disability. Disability inclusion training for OCPSE staff was provided in June 2023. |
Agency performance management and development systems
| Performance and development system | Performance management |
Performance plans are facilitated and documented through the AGD myHUB learning management system. The formal performance discussion process occurs twice-yearly. | 52% of staff have had a performance and development discussion in the past 6 months. New employees have been included in total staffing figures, contributing to the lower proportion of employees without a performance plan, however this will improve as new staff schedule their performance discussions. Compliance rates were impacted by the transition of OCPSE to the AGD learning management system in 2022-23 as a result of machinery of government transition. OCPSE will re-engage employee and managers on the need for regular performance discussions in 2023-24. |
Work health, safety and return to work programs
| Program name | Performance |
OCPSE Wellbeing Plan | The OCPSE wellbeing and engagement group meets regularly to monitor and implement actions within OCPSE’s wellbeing plan. OCPSE piloted the Head4Work online training tool aimed at helping employees and managers reduce workplace mental health risks and support themselves and their co-workers when concerns about mental health arise. OCPSE also continues to promote AGD’s wellbeing program and services to staff. |
| Workplace injury claims | Current year 2022-23 | Past year 2021-22 | % Change (+ / -) |
| Total new workplace injury claims | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fatalities | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seriously injured workers* | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Significant injuries (where lost time exceeds a working week, expressed as frequency rate per 1000 FTE) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*number of claimants assessed during the reporting period as having a whole person impairment of 30% or more under the Return to Work Act 2014 (Part 2 Division 5)
| Work health and safety regulations | Current year 2022-23 | Past year 2021-22 | % Change (+ / -) |
| Number of notifiable incidents (Work Health and Safety Act 2012, Part 3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of provisional improvement, improvement and prohibition notices (Work Health and Safety Act 2012 Sections 90, 191 and 195) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Return to work costs** | Current year 2022-23 | Past year 2021-22 | % Change (+ / -) |
| Total gross workers compensation expenditure ($) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Income support payments – gross ($) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
**before third party recovery
Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/work-health-and-safety-and-return-to-work-performance-ocpse
Executive employment in the agency
| Executive classification | Number of executives |
| Chief Executive | 1 |
| SAES2 (Position abolished in November 2022) | 1 |
| SAES1 | 2 |
Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/executives-in-the-office-of-the-commissioner-for-public-sector-employment
The Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment has a workforce information page that provides further information on the breakdown of executive gender, salary and tenure by agency.
Financial performance at a glance
The following is a brief summary of the overall financial position of the agency. The information is unaudited. Full audited financial statements for 2022-2023 are attached to this report.
| Statement of Comprehensive Income | 2022-23 Budget $000s | 2022-23 Actual $000s | Variation $000s | 2021-22 Actual $000s |
| Total Income | 8 135 | 13 680 | 5 545 | 16 463 |
| Total Expenses | 11 153 | 15 633 | (4 480) | 15 570 |
| Net Result | (3 018) | (1 953) | 1 065 | 893 |
| Total Comprehensive Result | (3 018) | (1 953) | 1 065 | 893 |
| Statement of Financial Position | 2022-23 Budget $000s | 2022-23 Actual $000s | Variation $000s | 2021-22 Actual $000s |
| Current assets | 1 079 | 1 845 | 766 | 4 556 |
| Non-current assets | 1 | 0 | (1) | 1 |
| Total assets | 1 080 | 1 845 | 765 | 4 557 |
| Current liabilities | 1 519 | 1 080 | 439 | 1 665 |
| Non-current liabilities | 1 125 | 1 164 | (39) | 1 338 |
| Total liabilities | 2 644 | 2 244 | 400 | 3 003 |
| Net assets | (1 564) | (399) | 1 165 | 1 554 |
| Equity | (1 564) | (399) | 1 165 | 1 554 |
Consultants disclosure
The following is a summary of external consultants that have been engaged by the agency, the nature of work undertaken, and the actual payments made for the work undertaken during the financial year.
Consultancies with a contract value below $10,000 each
| Consultancies | Purpose | $ Actual payment |
| All consultancies below $10,000 each - combined | Various | Nil |
Consultancies with a contract value above $10,000 each
| Consultancies | Purpose | $ Actual payment |
| CyberCX Pty Ltd | ICT Security Risk Assessment and Penetration testing of myCareer system | $ 49,335 |
| Mercer Consulting (Aust) P/L | Service provided to create a SAES Technical Specialist Contract Band | $ 20,000 |
| PricewaterhouseCoopers | Whole of government actuarial review of workers compensation liabilities | $ 201,273 |
| PricewaterhouseCoopers | Actuarial modelling of COVID-19 impact | $45,000 |
| PricewaterhouseCoopers | Analysis of proposed pricing of respondents to the SAGSSA Invitation to Supply | $23,750 |
| PricewaterhouseCoopers | Advice on a sustainable support model for SIMS/Gov Safety systems | $35,750 |
| PricewaterhouseCoopers | Review workers compensation data | $ 90,909 |
| Total | $ 466,017 |
Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/consultants-engaged-by-the-office-of-the-commissioner-for-public-sector-employment
See also the Consolidated Financial Report of the Department of Treasury and Finance for total value of consultancy contracts across the South Australian Public Sector.
Contractors disclosure
The following is a summary of external contractors that have been engaged by the agency, the nature of work undertaken, and the actual payments made for work undertaken during the financial year.
Contractors with a contract value below $10,000
| Contractors | Purpose | $ Actual payment |
| All contractors below $10,000 each - combined | Various | $ 136,306 |
Contractors with a contract value above $10,000 each
| Contractors | Purpose | $ Actual payment |
| ASG Group Limited | Engagement of HCM and WHSIM test lead | $ 169,000 |
| BDO Service | Probity advisory services for SAGSSA | $ 22,012 |
| Collective Courage Trust | Facilitation of Next Execs and Executive Excellence programs | $ 15,517 |
| Cornerstone OnDemand | Implementation, support and maintenance of the myCareer human resource management system | $ 33,729 |
| Dana Born | Keynote for Executive Excellence and Next Execs programs, and facilitation of Executive Excellence program | $ 17,717 |
| Emotous | Facilitation of Modules 1 and 2 of the Manager Essentials program | $ 91,930 |
| EnHansen Performance | Keynote speaker for Manager Essentials program open and close events | $ 11,000 |
| Innergise | Facilitation of Executive Excellence program | $ 24,371 |
| IPAA SA | Logistical and event management of Manager Essentials program | $ 20,906 |
| ISC Consulting Group | Facilitation of Manager Essentials Module 4 | $ 13,200 |
| K Ashcroft Consulting | Facilitation of Next Execs program and coaching of Executive Excellence participants | $ 39,470 |
| Kathleen Milne | Executive Excellence participant coaching | $ 16,800 |
| Kindling Solutions | Review of Parliament’s People and Culture services | $ 62,500 |
| Lynda Calnan | Delivery of revised content for Mentally Healthy Workplaces Toolkit | $ 18,600 |
| Merlin Post Production | Production and livestreaming of Manager Essentials opening and closing events | $ 21,800 |
| Nayda Associate Consulting | Facilitation of South Australian Executive Service induction program | $ 32,756 |
| PeopleVision | Pilot an injury management education program | $ 20,085 |
| Peter Berry Consulting | Facilitation of Next Execs program | $ 28,841 |
| Pinpoint | Implementation support services for the myCareer human resource management system | $ 49,875 |
| Qld University of Technology | Delivery of Graduate Certificate of Business | $ 441,000 |
| Sarre Consulting Trust | Facilitation of Leadership Series – Performance management essentials program | $ 10,875 |
| SBC IT Pty | Project management for HR system implementation and enhancement to the SIMS Injury Management System | $ 74,811 |
| Tauondi Aboriginal Corporation | Delivery of Aboriginal Traineeship and Leadership Programs | $ 132,239 |
| Wunder Training | Facilitation of Manager Essentials Module 3 | $ 16,000 |
| Total | $ 1,385,034 |
Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/contractors-engaged-by-the-office-of-the-commissioner-for-public-sector-employment
The details of South Australian Government-awarded contracts for goods, services, and works are displayed on the SA Tenders and Contracts website. View the agency list of contracts.
The website also provides details of across government contracts.
Risk and audit at a glance
OCPSE follows AGD’s risk management policies and practices and no longer has its own Risk and Performance Committee.
The AGD Audit and Risk Management Committee (ARMC) provides independent advice and assistance on AGD’s risk, control and compliance framework, business ethics, policies and practices and its internal and external accountability responsibilities. The ARMC met five times during 2022-23 (2022-23 Annual Report for the Attorney-General’s Department).
AGD currently has an independent, internal audit provider in Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (Deloitte) that undertakes audit and risk management functions. A total of three internal audit reviews were undertaken in 2022-23.
Fraud detected in the agency
In 2022-23, there were no instances of fraud reported.
Strategies implemented to control and prevent fraud
OCPSE is committed to the prevention, detection and control of fraud, corruption, maladministration and misconduct in connection with its activities.
As an attached office to AGD, OCPSE has adopted AGD’s Fraud and Corruption Prevention Policy and Control Framework.
The Control Framework comprises of five key controls as provided for in the Australian Standard AS 8001-2021 Fraud and Corruption Control:
- Governance and Ethics
- Awareness and Training
- Fraud Prevention
- Detection and Investigation
- Monitoring and Reporting
OCPSE is also responsible for administering the South Australian public sector’s Fraud and Corruption Control Policy. This policy applies to all agencies and employees in the public sector employed in agencies covered by Treasurer’s Instructions (and may be adopted by agencies not covered by Treasurer’s Instructions).
The policy provides the minimum standard that agency-specific policies must be at least equivalent to, tailored to the relative size and risk profile of the agency. It sets out the roles of key individuals and groups in the control of fraud, corruption and other criminal conduct, misconduct and maladministration within public sector agencies.
Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/fraud-detected-in-the-office-of-the-commissioner-for-public-sector-employment
Public interest disclosure
Number of occasions on which public interest information has been disclosed to a responsible officer of the agency under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018:
Nil to report
Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/whistleblower-disclosures-in-the-office-of-the-commissioner-for-public-sector-employment
Note: Disclosure of public interest information was previously reported under the Whistleblowers Protection Act 1993 and repealed by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018 on 1/7/2019.
| Act or Regulation | Requirement |
| Public Sector Act 2009 | OCPSE supports the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment to prepare an annual report, as required by section 21 of the Public Sector Act 2009. Section 21 requires the Commissioner’s annual report to describe the extent of observance of the public sector principles in so far as they relate to public sector employment and measures taken by the Commissioner to promote observance of those principles. The Public Sector Regulations 2010 further requires the Commissioner to report annually on:
The Commissioner’s annual report – known as the State of the Sector – is provided to the Minister by 30 September each year for tabling in Parliament within 12 sitting dates of receipt by the Minister. The State of the Sector report can be found at: https://www.publicsector.sa.gov.au/about/Our-Work/Reporting/State-of-the-Sector * repealed by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018 on 1/7/2019. |
Reporting required under the Carers’ Recognition Act 2005
Nil to report.
Number of public complaints reported
| Complaint categories | Sub-categories | Example | Number of Complaints 2021-22 |
| Professional behaviour | Staff attitude | Failure to demonstrate values such as empathy, respect, fairness, courtesy, extra mile; cultural competency | 0 |
| Professional behaviour | Staff competency | Failure to action service request; poorly informed decisions; incorrect or incomplete service provided | 0 |
| Professional behaviour | Staff knowledge | Lack of service specific knowledge; incomplete or out-of-date knowledge | 0 |
| Communication | Communication quality | Inadequate, delayed or absent communication with customer | 0 |
| Communication | Confidentiality | Customer’s confidentiality or privacy not respected; information shared incorrectly | 0 |
| Service delivery | Systems/technology | System offline; inaccessible to customer; incorrect result/information provided; poor system design | 0 |
| Service delivery | Access to services | Service difficult to find; location poor; facilities/ environment poor standard; not accessible to customers with disabilities | 0 |
| Service delivery | Process | Processing error; incorrect process used; delay in processing application; process not customer responsive | 0 |
| Policy | Policy application | Incorrect policy interpretation; incorrect policy applied; conflicting policy advice given | 0 |
| Policy | Policy content | Policy content difficult to understand; policy unreasonable or disadvantages customer | 0 |
| Service quality | Information | Incorrect, incomplete, outdated or inadequate information; not fit for purpose | 0 |
| Service quality | Access to information | Information difficult to understand, hard to find or difficult to use; not plain English | 0 |
| Service quality | Timeliness | Lack of staff punctuality; excessive waiting times (outside of service standard); timelines not met | 0 |
| Service quality | Safety | Maintenance; personal or family safety; duty of care not shown; poor security service/ premises; poor cleanliness | 0 |
| Service quality | Service responsiveness | Service design doesn’t meet customer needs; poor service fit with customer expectations | 0 |
| No case to answer | No case to answer | Third party; customer misunderstanding; redirected to another agency; insufficient information to investigate | 0 |
| Total | 0 |
| Additional Metrics | Total |
| Number of positive feedback comments | 0 |
| Number of negative feedback comments | 0 |
| Total number of feedback comments | 0 |
| % complaints resolved within policy timeframes | N/A |
Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/public-complaints-received-by-the-office-of-the-commissioner-for-public-sector-employment
Service Improvements
In April 2023, OCPSE updated its feedback and complaints form to:
A confidentiality statement and acknowledgement section was included to assist in obtaining consent to disclose complaints when referrals are required. |
Compliance Statement
| OCPSE is compliant with Premier and Cabinet Circular 039 – complaint management in the South Australian public sector | Yes |
| OCPSE has communicated the content of PC 039 and the agency’s related complaints policies and procedures to employees. | Yes |