REFLECTION
ESTABLISHING A PUBLIC-SERVICE PROFESSION Having a regulatory profession in the public service has often been talked about. KEITH MANCH reflects on the story of the Government Regulatory Practice Initiative and how it’s moved the public service closer to having a regulatory profession. As of mid-2020, public-service regulators are part of a profession. This has been brought about by the Government Regulatory Practice Initiative (G-REG), but getting to this point has not been easy. It has required sustained effort over more than a dozen years involving many people from central and local government, the country’s industry training organisation, and Victoria University. So what is a profession? While G-REG hasn’t adopted a specific definition, the Australian Council of Professions provides a useful benchmark description: A disciplined group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards. This group positions itself as possessing special knowledge and skills in a widely recognised body of learning derived from research, education, and training at a high level, and is recognised by the public as such. A profession is also prepared to apply this knowledge and exercise these skills in the interest of others.
Reaching across agencies This article outlines G-REG’s progress as we move into the second half of 2020. It’s also intended to provide some insight for central and local government people engaged in other vocations about how they might develop a cohesive approach similar to G-REG, whether that is a profession, a community of practice, or some other endeavour. Of course the reach of G-REG across all agencies isn’t complete, and there will be people employed in regulatory roles who have not yet been engaged in any G-REG activities. Hopefully, this article will assist in changing that. This article builds on two other articles that appeared in Policy Quarterly: “Improving the Implementation of Regulation – Time for a Systemic Approach” and “Watching the Birth of the Regulatory Profession”. The G-REG story is also set out in some detail in the Palgrave Handbook of the Public Servant, which describes the origins of G-REG, what it does, and its benefits. Unfolding the G-REG story
Three pillars of G-REG G-REG has three central pillars: people capability, organisational capability, and the development of a professional community of regulatory professionals. Activities to support these pillars include research and teaching programmes led by the Professor in Regulatory Practice at Victoria University, an active programme of developing publications to support the development of regulatory practice including a number of articles published in Policy Quarterly, and a framework of qualifications managed by the Skills Organisation. There is also a continuing education programme, an annual conference series involving hundreds of participants in different centres, and a variety of peer-learning activities between agencies and regulatory professionals that support the development and application of knowledge to improve regulatory practice.
G-REG by the numbers
In 2008, a number of regulatory practitioners got together and agreed that competency development for regulators wasn’t being addressed effectively. While some regulatory agencies had structured training and certification programmes, most didn’t. The risks of not having a system-wide approach to training and development include inefficiency, inconsistent standards, and regulatory failure. This led to a group of senior regulatory representatives and the government’s Skills Organisation creating a joined-up approach to improving the competency of frontline staff involved in implementing regulation – which became known as the Compliance Common Capability Programme (CCCP). Early in its existence, the CCCP recognised the need to focus on the three pillars outlined above. An important early decision was to include central and local government regulators.
34 state sector
39
local government
5
non-government organisations engaged
6,000+ graduates in
5
8
current continuing education seminars
4
annual conference series
8
articles in Policy Quarterly
5+
peerlearning exercises
2
“Reflections on reviews” articles
qualifications
For more, check out the G-REG website www.g-reg.govt.nz
11 PUBLIC SECTOR September 2020
