The department’s approach to achieving its purpose in the long-term focuses on four key result areas. The strategy is summarised in Figure 3 and described in detail below.

Figure 3 - Delivery strategy

Capability

The department will be flexible and responsive in supporting the Parliament and its clients by:

• tailoring the department’s services and support to respond to changing requirements as identified by Members while also nurturing the parliamentary institution to enhance the representative, legislative and scrutiny roles of the House;

• providing targeted information to new and continuing Members and their staff;

• identifying and seeking to obtain the resources and technology needed to meet the requirements of the House, committees and the department into the future, including encouraging opportunities for innovation and efficiency by the department’s people, and enhanced monitoring of departmental performance and capability;

• ensuring that the department’s governance, compliance and business continuity strategies are appropriate to its circumstances, and that its finances are managed within a sound framework; and

• continuing to enhance departmental knowledge management practices.

Relationships and collaboration

Robust relationships and good communication are critical to supporting the department’s people and ensuring delivery of high quality services to a diverse group of internal and external stakeholders. The department will continue to strengthen relationships and collaboration by:

• sharing knowledge and ideas across the department on matters of common interest, and passing on to colleagues an understanding of the department’s tradition of professional support to the Parliament;

• extending the department’s formal and informal relationships with the other parliamentary departments to support implementation of a constructive and cooperative approach that ensures optimal delivery of all services including, where appropriate, shared services;

• continuing to develop cross-departmental governance arrangements, supported where relevant by transparent change management processes, to ensure sustainable delivery of services to meet the needs of the Parliament;

• actively engaging with individuals and organisations outside of the Parliament to increase knowledge of parliamentary processes and the opportunities to contribute to these processes in a constructive and collaborative way;

• identifying and promoting opportunities for collaboration with research organisations, non-government bodies and other groups committed to the study and strengthening of parliaments; and

• increasing opportunities to exchange ideas, experiences, skills and capabilities with the department’s parliamentary colleagues in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

Leadership

The department recognises that leadership within the department will be strengthened by promoting its corporate identity and culture. The department will continue to build on its demonstrated leadership capability and the resilience of its staff by:

• sustaining and communicating to the department’s people a clear direction for the department, including enhanced priority setting;

• encouraging staff at all levels and in different situations to demonstrate leadership;

• sharing the department’s experiences to develop leadership in others;

• continuing high quality formal leadership development;

• empowering staff to take the initiative in their relationships with others;

• reinforcing the department’s open and accountable culture by maintaining its commitment to effective communication across all levels; and

• continuing to provide effective performance management through ongoing feedback.

Skills and knowledge sharing

The department will ensure its people have the skills and knowledge to provide high quality service and that it is recognised as a rewarding place to work by:

• supporting training and development opportunities that both anticipate future requirements and are responsive to changing circumstances;

• emphasising in the department’s training and the opportunities provided to staff the development of knowledge and skills in the application of parliamentary law, practice and procedure;

• fostering a culture that encourages the sharing of knowledge and experience;

• adopting strategies that attract and retain capable staff to meet the requirements of the department;

• adopting flexible work practices which nurture a healthy and resilient work environment whilst meeting the operational needs of the department;

• identifying opportunities for shared training across the parliamentary departments which foster greater consistency and quality in service provision; and

• planning for the medium and long-term future of the department in the context of changing workforce demographics and implementing necessary strategies to meet future requirements.