Message from the Commissioner
This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the creation of the Senior Executive Service—the key leadership group in the Australian Public Service.
The SES—in supporting Secretaries and agency heads— forms the critical interface between the APS and the government and its ministers. When a federal election results in a new government, the transition of power is seamless, largely as a result of the professionalism and expertise of our APS leaders.
We take for granted the role the SES plays in leading the APS to achieve high quality policies and services for the Australian community within a responsive and ethical framework. However, the SES as we know it today has evolved and developed over a long period of time. As its environment, circumstances and the needs of government changed, so has our leadership group.
To commemorate the formal establishment of the SES twenty-five years ago, this document provides an overview of how the APS leadership group came into being, what it looks like today, and where it might be headed.
We work in an exciting period of challenges and change, with possible reforms to the public service in the near future. As a career public servant with a range of experiences across several agencies, I’ve been proud to support successive governments in implementing their policies and programs. I am especially pleased today, to be in a position to participate in the new opportunities ahead.
Carmel McGregor
Acting Public Service Commissioner
