Whole-of-government: does working together work?

Abstract

The idea of whole-of-government processes as a pathway to more efficient and integrated government has risen in popularity in Australia over the past decade. Despite fairly widespread support for the principles of whole-of-government, a number of issues require serious consideration. The major areas of potential difficulty arise in relation to ensuring accountability for publicly funded activities, overcoming the silos created by departmentalism or vertical styles of management, and balancing inclusion in public policy development with the unwelcome effect of ‘many hands’, namely fragmentation and lack of coordination. In addition, and absent from much of the specific public administration literature on whole-of-government, is a consideration of the role of interpersonal relationships and individual behaviour as they impact on organisational values, ethics and culture. Four operational levels of ‘joining’ in the public sector are also identified, namely interdepartmental, intradepartmental, intergovernmental and intersectoral. Then, current whole-of government mechanisms at work in the Australian Department of Health and Ageing for developing child and youth health policy are identified and described in relation to these levels. Differences are observed and analysed between the child health and the youth health processes. Knowledge and attitudes of public servants to the whole-of-government vision are also seen as critical for the success of whole-of-government. Interviews with a sample of Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) officers with a key role in child and youth health policy development provide some experiential learning about the essence of the barriers and practical ingredients for success.