Home > The Values and relations with the Public

For most members of the public, the APS is the face of the Australian Government. While the role of the APS in implementing policies and programs has remained essentially the same since Federation, the nature of its relations with the public has been influenced by dramatic changes over the last century as a result of changing policy imperatives, changing expectations of the Australian community and changes in the economic, social and strategic circumstances of the country.

Traditionally, APS employees saw their role as providing citizens with services that were fair, equitable, and correctly and lawfully delivered. Successive changes in public sector reform particularly since the 1970s have seen the APS become more responsive in its dealings with the Australian public. These have included a greater acceptance of citizen rights and increased transparency of decision-making, a new emphasis on the Australian public as customers, greater use of non-government providers of services often competing for the work, an increasing emphasis on the rights of the Australian public to choose from a range of service providers, and new partnerships encouraging the idea of the APS engaging external stakeholders in both policy development and program management.

Increasingly, the focus for service delivery is now on a whole of government approach–with an emphasis on a connected public service that seeks to be more responsive to the needs of the Australian public, providing seamless services and increasing efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery. Rising community expectations for easier access to government in terms of prompt, efficient and effective customer service and the integration of service delivery (accessible and provided at a time and in ways that suit the way citizens live their lives) is a key driver for this new approach.

The nature of the APS’s relations with the public are governed by the APS Values which set out principles for how the APS will deliver services to the public and the behaviour required of its employees. The APS Values, as set out in the PS Act, require APS employees to deliver services to the public fairly, effectively, impartially and courteously, and to be sensitive to the diversity of the Australian public. The APS Values also require APS employees to perform their duties professionally and ethically and to be openly accountable.

It is not feasible for the State of the Service report to assess the overall quality of services provided to the public: each agency is responsible for reporting on its performance in this regard. This chapter instead focuses on the commitment and capacity of the APS to provide high quality service, and effective means of ongoing service delivery. In doing so, it includes some material on the quality of key services, and evidence on the quality of administrative decision making as it affects the public.

The chapter covers the implementation of service charters and how they are being measured, and how agencies are making improvements in service delivery particularly through client feedback mechanisms and employee training. A snapshot is provided of how a sample of agencies are measuring the effectiveness of service delivery and the challenges they face. The chapter reviews changes in service delivery as a result of new technology and the progress the Australian Government has made in implementing its e-government agenda. It also highlights issues of administrative decision making and service delivery raised by independent review agencies, and looks at issues of public consultation more broadly and the extent to which consultation in policy and program development is being used in the APS.

This chapter draws on data from the agency and employee surveys, specific agencies’ own customer surveys, data from AGIMO, from ANAO performance audits, and from published and unpublished material provided by the Ombudsman.