Governance and our Executive

Governance

Governance in the public sector is defined as:

…the arrangements and practices which enable a public sector entity to set its direction and manage its operations to achieve expected outcomes and discharge its accountability obligations….Public sector governance encompasses leadership, direction, control and accountability, and assists an entity to achieve its outcomes in such a way as to enhance confidence in the entity, its decisions and its actions.[1]

Effective governance encompasses the important role of leadership in ensuring that sound governance practices are embedded throughout the organisation, and the wider responsibility of all public servants to apply governance practices and procedures in their day-to-day work.


DCS Governance

Strategy and Direction is led by the Executive Group and comprises process and activities which set and monitor the strategic direction of the organisation, shaping and mapping the way forward.

Whilst Strategy and Direction is predominantly at a corporate level and is the domain of the Executive Group, it cascades down throughout the organisation for actioning, ensuring operational alignment with the strategic direction set by the Executive Group.  This includes:

  • Strategic and Business Planning (corporate, divisional, Business Unit level)
  • budget setting and review
  • performance reporting
  • research
  • policy
  • ICT strategy
  • innovation and continuous improvement
  • workforce planning
  • agency performance monitoring
  • oversight of corporate risk and compliance obligations
  • strategic inter and intra government collaboration
  • direction setting for the organisation.

The DCS Executive Group

The Executive team consists of:

    Strategy and direction setting is central to the Framework. Led by DCS’ Executive Group, it comprises processes and activities that set and monitor the strategic direction of the organisation, shaping and mapping the way forward.

    DCS’s Senior Executive team consists of:

  • Chief Executive
  • Deputy Chief Executive – Statewide Operations
  • Executive Director – Community Corrections & Specialist Prisons
  • Executive Director – People and Business Services
  • Executive Director – Offender Development
  • Executive Director – Office for Correctional Services Review
  • Executive Director – Aboriginal Services
  • Executive Director – iSAFE and End to End Case Management
  • Whilst strategy and direction occur predominantly at the executive level, other areas of the Department are responsible for undertaking actions and ensuring operational alignment with the strategic direction. This includes:

  • Strategic and business planning (corporate, divisional, business unit level);
  • Budget setting and review;
  • Performance reporting;
  • Research;
  • Policy;
  • Information and Communications Technology (ICT) strategy;
  • Innovation and continuous improvement;
  • Workforce planning;
  • Agency performance monitoring;
  • Oversight of corporate risk and compliance obligations;
  • Strategic inter- and intra-government collaboration; and
  • Direction-setting for the Department.

In the context of a complex and corrections-oriented environment, good governance, and best practice is underpinned by a set of foundational principles,[2] comprising:

  • Strong Leadership
    DCS achieves a Department-wide commitment to good governance through leadership excellence and visibility, with a focus on ethical behaviour and continuous improvement.
  • Accountability
    DCS is answerable for decisions, to government, stakeholders and the general public and has appropriate decision-making and oversight processes in place.
  • Efficiency and Effectiveness
    DCS optimises performance through planning, engaging with risk, innovation and performance monitoring, evaluation and review.
  • Transparency and Openness
    DCS engages constructively with stakeholders and promotes accountability through clear reporting on performance and operations, adherence to freedom of information requirements, delineation of clear roles and responsibilities, and defined procedures for making decisions and exercising power.
  • Integrity
    All staff act impartially and ethically in accordance with the public sector values and the Code of Ethics.
  • Collaborative Partnerships
    DCS collaborates with government and non-government partners, where appropriate, to more effectively deliver programs and services and undertake strategic priorities.
  • Fit-For-Purpose Governance Systems
    DCS appropriately invests in systems and processes that support effective management and oversight that is tailored to the Department and that are sufficiently flexible to respond to new responsibilities and challenges.

[1] Australian National Audit Office, Public Sector Governance: Strengthening Performance Through Good Governance, Better Practice Guide, Canberra (2014) at p 9, online: https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-494733346/view.

[2] See Public Sector Governance, above, note 1 at p 9; Addink, Henk, Good Governance: Concept and Context (Oxford, 2019; online edn, Oxford Academic, 23 May 2019); Governance Institute of Australia, Governance Foundations (last accessed 22 August 2023) online: https://www.governanceinstitute.com.au/resources/what-is-governance/governance-foundations/.