AUSTRALIA NORTHERN-TERRITORY PERSPECTIVES OF PUBLIC-SECTOR REFORM

This article analyses the forces driving reform of the Northern Territ ory Public Sector over the past 20 years. It spans an era in which the NT, a 'small State' moved from colonial-style dependency on external governments to self-government, with corresponding shifts in the publi c service. Included is an analysis of the demise of old civil service traditions and their replacement with modern methods of policy develop ment and implementation. It scrutinizes the impact of politicians and politics on the public sector. It examines new legislation currently g overning the public sector and the role played by the Public Service C ommissioner in leading the reform movement through all its stages-from the analysis of weaknesses in earlier legislation to the passage of n ew legislation which encapsulates the philosophy behind a modern and e ffective public sector. It looks at what subordinate legislation is ne eded by a public service to add substance to a primary Public Sector E mployment & Management Act. It analyses the main functions of the Act and highlights the roles and relationships of politicians with the Pub lic Service Commissioner and the Chief Executive Officers of various g overnment departments. Finally, it attempts to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Act after three years of operation. ((C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)