Governance

MODULE 2

The generally accepted principles of public sector governance, as articulated by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO), include:

Accountability-being answerable for decisions and having meaningful mechanisms in place to ensure adherence to all applicable standards;
Transparency-clear roles and responsibilities and clear procedures for decision making and the exercise of power;
Integrity-acting impartially, ethically and in the interests of the agency, and not misusing information acquired through a position of trust;
Stewardship-using every opportunity to enhance the value of the public assets and institutions that have been entrusted to care;
Efficiency-the best use of resources to further the aims of the organisations with a commitment to evidence-based strategies for improvement; and
Leadership-leadership from the top is critical to achieving an agency-wide commitment to good governance.

Source: Australian Public Service Commission, Foundations of Governance in the Australian Public Service, 2005.