Thursday 28 June 2007

Training the policy-makers of tomorrow has been the focus of a three-day workshop for Solomon Islanders now working in government.

The Public Policy workshops were presented by RAMSI (Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands) in association with the Ministry of Finance and Treasury and the Central Bank.

Public policy is what provides governments with the guidelines for making decisions, especially on how to manage the country’s resources and use the national income.

Sixteen members of the public service attended the Public Policy workshops

For many it was the first time they had learned about he principles of developing good public policy.

Graham A Felefula, a Policy Analyst working in the Solomon Islands Government’s Economic Reform Unit, said he felt he had learnt two important lessons from the training.

“Good public policy must have clear objectives and be based on consultation with the people and organisations affected”, Mr Felefula said.

“The second thing is to understand the important role of public policy which affects people in many ways”, he said.

Good public policy in Solomon Islands has improved tax compliance and increased government revenue. This means the government has more money to provide government services to the people.

Mr Felefula has been involved in writing Cabinet submissions and presenting them to Cabinet.

“The training was really useful. I wish I had this training from the very start”, he said.

Workshop presenter Robb Preston from the Australian Treasury said the workshop covered how government works, how decisions are made and how the public service can assist the government make the best decisions.

“Once public servants understand their role they can make a contribution to the policy making process. This helps the government make good decisions with all the right information”, he added.
 
“Developing good public policy is a key part of the public service. This training helps bring public servants into the policy-making process, helps them prioritise what is important and make them feel that they have somthing to offer”, Mr Preston said.

Mr Felefula thanked the Regional Assistance Mission’s partnership with the government that enabled them to present the workshop.

“Our jobs are very complex and this assistance is very helpful. Everyone benefits when we can do our jobs better”, he said.

RAMSI is now looking with the government at how such training could be made on-going.