WHAT DOES SENATE ESTIMATES MEAN FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE?

During the next sitting week, the Senate will undertake Additional Estimates which will pre-occupy the Senate as well as many senior officials from the Australian Public Service (APS).

Following on from our story last year that provides a comprehensive overview of what Senate Estimates are, which can be accessed here, here are our thoughts on how business can effectively engage with the public service during Senate Estimates to meet key organisational outcomes.

Senate Estimate Preparation

Senate Estimates cover issues and policy matters across the entire Federal Government some of which may potentially impact on the operations of your organisation.  With Senate Estimates taking place next week (w/c 2 March), stakeholders should be prepared for a unique opportunity to engage with Government and the Public Service.

During Senate Estimates, senior public servants from across the Government’s key departments and agencies, take turns appearing in front of Senate Committee hearings to answer questions about their respective areas of responsibility.  This can be quite a demanding time for those appearing before the Committee, as they are required to balance providing accurate responses to questions, while trying not to be drawn into the sometimes-inevitable political point scoring exercise that Senate Estimates can become.

The process of appearing before a Senate Committee can be a challenge for many public servants to ensure they each have a firm grasp of key details and relevant facts with respect to their departmental responsibilities and actions.

In the weeks prior to appearing before the Senate, senior officials will gather relevant information with respect to what they might be asked by Senators.

Many stakeholders carefully monitor this process, and some will also carefully engage with Senate Estimates.

Engagement Opportunities for Stakeholders

To aid public servants with their preparation for Senate Estimates, your organisation should be responsive to requests for information from the public service, and could possibly even consider proactively providing relevant information for inclusion in briefing packs for senior bureaucrats.

Engagement to provide materials should occur well in advance of a department’s scheduled appearance before the Senate. While all government departments and agencies are scheduled to appear next week, you can find a specific schedule of when departments will appear before the Senate Click here.

With the wide variety of questions that will be posed by Senators to departmental officials, many senior officials will take Senators Questions on Notice. Respective Departments are required to provide follow-up to these questions on a later date. If the Question is relevant to the operations of your organisation, businesses may want to consider assisting with providing relevant information to any Questions on Notice.

Risks & Red Flags

Despite the opportunity that Senate Estimates presents to stakeholder to engage with the Public Service, this should only be done with some caution.

In the week leading up to Senate Estimates, senior public servants will be fully immersed in preparing to appear before the Senate and are unlikely to welcome meeting requests or outreach that will distract from such preparation. Generally, stakeholders should proceed with caution when attempting to engage in this period.

A red flag that stakeholders should be aware of the politics around key areas that may be at the centre of questioning by the Opposition and the Crossbench. Excessive focus on one issue may indicate a policy area that Opposition will attack the Government for failing to manage, and stakeholders should be wary of getting caught up in the politics of these areas.

Keeping this in mind, it may be wise to offer support to senior public servants with questions taken on notice if your organisation can provide relevant information.

Should you or your organisation need assistance in formulating an approach to Senate Estimates, or require any other services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Nexus team.