​At the ACT Labor conference last year, Labor members voted to endorse a motion to strengthen hiring processes for executives in the ACT public service. The motion proposed that Executive positions go before a Joint Selection Committee with a union representative, which would be the same process as other public servant positions.
Over the past ten years, there have been damning reviews into the culture of many of the ACT Public Service agencies, including ACT Health, ACT Corrective Services and more recently, in 2023, ACT Emergency Services Agency.
It's urgent and essential that a similar process, such as the Joint Selection Committee, be implemented for all senior roles within the ACT Public Service. This provision would allow for open transparency, integrity, and accountability. However, it's disheartening that some areas of the ACT Public Service are less committed to these aspects than others. Leadership in these critical areas must come from the top.