The Australian Public Service Commission has released a new guide for policy partnerships affecting First Nations people. Photo: Dom Northcott.
Public servants now have a new resource guide to help them build partnerships with Indigenous communities and factor in the impacts of policy design and rollout on First Nations peoples.
The Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) has released the First Nations Partnership Playbook, encouraging public servants to build strong and enduring partnerships with First Nations peoples, communities and organisations.
“Partnerships with First Nations peoples are at the heart of priority reforms in the National Agreement to Closing the Gap,” the APSC said in a statement.
“Australian governments have committed to ‘building and strengthening structures that empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to share decision-making authority with governments to accelerate policy and place-based progress against Closing the Gap’.”
The APSC said the playbook was the first step towards consistent partnership skills and practices throughout the Australian Public Service (APS).
“It highlights elements to strong partnerships, the six functions of government as a partner and guides public servants who may be new to the partnership process.
“At its core, it engenders trust, understanding of history, openness and sustainable long-term relationships.”
The six functions of government as a partner are: cultural capability; shared priority setting; shared accountability; shared data; flexible funding; and shared decision making.
The guide provides the APS with practical guidance and best-practice examples on working in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The APSC said building the capability of the APS to effectively and genuinely partner with First Nations peoples and communities would continue to be essential to support the government’s commitment to the Closing the Gap agreement.
The Productivity Commission’s 2024 Review of the national agreement found governments across jurisdictions were still not adequately delivering on their priority reform commitments.
Its suggestions included transforming government processes and systems to become better, more credible partners.
“There is a significant opportunity for the APS to better deliver for First Nations people and communities by embedding relational ways of working into the core business of government as standard practice,” the APSC said.
“The playbook is not prescriptive, as each partnership will be unique, requiring the partners to determine arrangements that best suit their shared objectives.
“While the systems and structures of government can inadvertently create barriers to genuine partnership for public servants and their partners, many of the barriers are cultural and behavioural.”
The APSC said the playbook provided guidance on how to navigate government processes in partnership, including the practices, behaviours and cultures which enabled it.
“The Australian Public Service Commission is working with key government agencies to develop an action plan to address non-legislative barriers to partnership and shared decision making, which have been identified during the development of the playbook.”
Public servants at all levels are encouraged to use the playbook when designing policy, programs or services that affect First Nations peoples.
All public servants are encouraged to be familiar with the playbook and the practices.
It is recommended they use the playbook before starting partnership projects. It can also be used to guide public servants throughout all stages of a partnership process.
The APSC is also working to develop partnership capability through APS Academy course offerings.
“Shared decision making is a central element of working in partnership and essential for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to enact self-determination where people are able to make decisions about matters that affect their lives,” the playbook states.
“In practice this means the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partners hold as much weight as government.
“Decisions are made through consensus between the partners. Government cannot approach decision making with a predetermined decision and an expectation that a partner will agree with the direction set by government.
“Shared decision making recognises First Nations voices are essential agents of change to accelerate policy and place-based progress on Closing the Gap.”
