Obviously, the Public Service Commissioner and the Secretary of the Department of PM&C have more direct responsibilities for building the capability of the APS as a whole than other agency heads, but even their contribution varies with the personalities of the individuals involved. Max Moore-Wilton was less active, for example, than Michael Keating as chair of the MAC (or its predecessor, the Management Advisory Board); Peter Shergold’s appointment led to some reinvigoration of the MAC.

The contribution of other secretaries and agency heads varies considerably according to personal interests and styles. The majority in my time were genuinely interested and committed, but the time they could devote to MAC or APS Commission activities was often limited. Some invested a great deal of time and energy. A few were less interested, viewing the commission and even the MAC as costly overheads that did not add much value to their particular businesses. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) at times seemed to see themselves as an elite, even a separate foreign service (reflecting a long history), demonstrated by the explicit view of the then secretary Ashton Calvert that, while they had many top candidates for departmental secretary jobs in the APS, no non-DFAT person could ever be a candidate for head of DFAT (or even a senior diplomatic post) unless forced on them via ‘political’ appointments (even Allan Hawke’s appointment as High Commissioner to New Zealand was described by Calvert as ‘political’ and his capabilities were undervalued). One or two others simply did not value the institution of the Public Service sufficiently to invest time or effort in cross-service activities (other than policy work that enhanced their exposure to ministers and the Prime Minister).

Interestingly, some agency heads outside Public Service Act coverage were important contributors and allies. These included, for example, Mick Keelty from the Australian Federal Police and Dennis Richardson from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).