Appendix 4: Supporting statistics to the report
This appendix presents additional data that supports the content included in the main chapters of this report.
Chapter 1: working as one APS
Committed to service
Table A4.1 presents employee responses in the 2020 and 2021 APS Employee Census to questions about their commitment to service.
| Statement | Agree (%) | Neither agree nor disagree (%) | Disagree (%) | |||
2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| The work I do gives me a sense of accomplishment | 78 | 79 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 9 |
| I am happy to go the ‘extra mile’ at work when required | 91 | 92 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| I work beyond what is required in my job to help my agency achieve its objectives | 83 | 83 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 3 |
Source: 2020 and 2021 APS Employee Census
Mobility
Table A4.2 presents employee responses in the 2020 and 2021 APS Employee Census to questions about when and where they last took a temporary move.
Question | Response | % in 2021 | % in 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| When did you last take a temporary move? | In the past 12 months | 20 | 22 |
| 1 to 3 years ago | 13 | 11 | |
| More than 3 years ago | 13 | 12 | |
| I have not taken a temporary move | 53 | 54 | |
| Where have you taken temporary moves? | Within my current agency | 83 | 84 |
| In another APS or Commonwealth government agency | 18 | 17 | |
| In a state or territory government agency | 1 | 1 | |
| In the private, not-for-profit, or academic sectors | 1 | 1 | |
| In a Minister’s Office | 1 | - | |
| Overseas/international outside my current agency | 1 | - | |
| Other | 1 | 1 |
Source: 2020 and 2021 APS Employee Census. As respondents could select more than one location of a temporary move, total percentages may exceed 100%. ‘In a Minister’s Office’ and ‘Overseas/international outside my current agency’ were not included as options in 2020.
Chapter 2: Harnessing momentum for change
Flexible working arrangements
Table A4.3 presents the responses in the 2021 APS Employee Census about the barriers to high performance.
Statement | Not at all (%) | Very little (%) | Somewhat (%) | To a great extent (%) | To a very great extent (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lack of clarity around my role and responsibilities | 28 | 36 | 25 | 8 | 3 |
| Lack of clarity around priorities | 26 | 37 | 24 | 9 | 4 |
| Too many competing priorities | 13 | 24 | 33 | 20 | 11 |
| Administrative processes within my agency | 11 | 23 | 35 | 20 | 12 |
| The technology within my agency | 12 | 25 | 32 | 18 | 13 |
| The internal communication within my agency | 15 | 36 | 31 | 12 | 6 |
| The lack of inclusiveness in my workgroup | 49 | 32 | 12 | 4 | 2 |
| Multiple layers of decision making within my agency | 12 | 26 | 32 | 18 | 12 |
| Authority for decision making is at a higher level than required | 18 | 31 | 27 | 14 | 10 |
| The appetite for risk within my agency | 19 | 34 | 28 | 11 | 7 |
| Resistance to experimentation with new ideas | 20 | 38 | 26 | 10 | 6 |
| Mobility opportunities are not supported | 35 | 34 | 19 | 7 | 5 |
| Flexible work practices are not supported | 42 | 31 | 16 | 6 | 5 |
| Limited instances of working as one APS | 31 | 35 | 23 | 7 | 4 |
Source: 2021 APS Employee Census
Table A4.4 presents the responses in the 2020 and 2021 APS Employee Census for access to flexible working arrangements.
Response | % in 2021 | % in 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Part time | 15 | 15 |
| Flexible hours of work | 28 | 27 |
| Compressed work week | 3 | 3 |
| Job sharing | <0.5 | <0.5 |
| Working away from the office/working from home | 46 | 53 |
| None of the above | 34 | 29 |
Source: 2020 and 2021 APS Employee Census. As respondents could select more than one option, total percentages may exceed 100%.
Resilient workforce
Wellbeing Index trends
Table A4.5 presents the 2020 and 2021 APS Employee Census results for the individual elements of the APS Wellbeing Index.
Statement | Strongly agree (%) | Agree (%) | Neither agree nor disagree (%) | Disagree (%) | Strongly disagree (%) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| I am satisfied with the policies/practices in place to help me manage my health and wellbeing | 16 | 16 | 51 | 56 | 20 | 18 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| My agency does a good job of communicating what it can offer me in terms of health and wellbeing | 16 | 17 | 49 | 54 | 21 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| My agency does a good job of promoting health and wellbeing | 17 | 18 | 46 | 52 | 23 | 20 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 3 |
| I think my agency cares about my health and wellbeing | 16 | 16 | 42 | 46 | 24 | 23 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 5 |
| I believe my immediate supervisor cares about my health and wellbeing | 42 | 39 | 41 | 45 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Source: 2020 and 2021 APS Employee Census
Code of Conduct
Breaches of the APS Code of Conduct
Table A4.6 presents the number of APS employees investigated by agencies for suspected breaches of individual elements of the APS Code of Conduct and the number of breach findings in 2020–21. One employee can be investigated for multiple elements of the Code of Conduct of the Public Service Act 1999.
| Element of Code of Conduct | Investigated | Breached |
|---|---|---|
| Behave honestly and with integrity in connection with APS employment (s. 13(1)) | 254 | 223 |
| Act with care and diligence in connection with APS employment (s. 13(2)) | 134 | 114 |
| When acting in connection with APS employment, treat everyone with respect and courtesy, and without harassment (s. 13(3)) | 127 | 99 |
| When acting in connection with APS employment comply with all applicable Australian laws (s. 13(4)) | 37 | 22 |
| Comply with any lawful and reasonable direction given by someone in the employee's Agency who has authority to give the direction (s. 13(5)) | 137 | 111 |
| Maintain appropriate confidentiality about dealings that the employee has with any Minister or Minister's member of staff (s. 13(6)) | 1 | 1 |
| Take reasonable steps to avoid any conflict of interest (real or apparent), and disclose details of any material personal interest of the employee, in connection with the employee’s APS employment (s. 13(7)) | 64 | 50 |
| Use Commonwealth resources in a proper manner and for a proper purpose (s. 13(8)) | 105 | 93 |
| Not provide false or misleading information in response to a request for information that is made for official purposes in connection with the employee's APS employment (s. 13(9)) | 47 | 40 |
| Not make improper use of: inside information, or the employee's duties, status, power or authority, in order to: a) gain, or seek to gain, a benefit or advantage for the employee or any other person; or b) cause, or seek to cause, a detriment to the employee's Agency, the Commonwealth or any other person (s. 13(10)) | 36 | 17 |
| At all times behave in a way that upholds the APS Values and APS Employment Principles, and the integrity and good reputation of the employee's Agency and the APS (s. 13(11)) | 403 | 364 |
| While on duty overseas, at all times behave in a way that upholds the good reputation of Australia (s. 13(12)) | 1 | 1 |
| Comply with any other conduct requirement that is prescribed by the regulations (s. 13(13)) | 3 | 2 |
Source: 2021 APS Agency Survey
Sources of reports
Table A4.7 presents the number of APS employees investigated for suspected breaches of the APS Code of Conduct during 2020–21 that resulted from each type of report.
Type of report | Number of employees |
|---|---|
| A report generated by a compliance/monitoring system (e.g. audit) | 256 |
| A report made to a central conduct or ethics unit or nominated person in a human resources area | 181 |
| A report made to an email reporting address | 57 |
| A report made to a fraud prevention and control unit or hotline | 44 |
| A Public Interest Disclosure | 12 |
| A report made to an employee advice or counselling unit | 0 |
| A report made to another hotline | 0 |
| Other | 29 |
Source: 2021 APS Agency Survey
Outcomes of reports
Table A4.8 presents the outcomes for APS employees investigated for suspected breaches of the APS Code of Conduct during 2020–21.
Outcome | Number of employees |
|---|---|
| Breach found and sanction applied | 364 |
| Breach found but no sanction applied: employee resigned prior to sanction decision | 85 |
| No breach found (for any element of the Code) | 60 |
| Breach found but no sanction applied: other reason | 37 |
| Investigation discontinued: employee resigned | 16 |
| Investigation discontinued: other reason | 8 |
Source: 2021 APS Agency Survey
Table A4.9 presents the sanctions applied to APS employees found to have breached the APS Code of Conduct during 2020-21.
Sanction | Number of employees |
|---|---|
| Reprimand | 259 |
| Deduction from salary by way of a fine | 101 |
| Reduction in salary | 100 |
| Termination of employment | 57 |
| Reduction in classification | 27 |
| Re-assignment of duties | 12 |
Source: 2021 APS Agency Survey
Harassment and bullying
In the 2021 APS Employee Census, 11.7% of respondents indicated they had been subjected to harassment or bullying in their workplace in the 12 months preceding the APS Employee Census (11.8% in 2020).
Table A4.10 presents the types of behaviour perceived by respondents.
| Type of behaviour | % of those who indicated that they had been subjected to harassment or bullying in their workplace in the previous 12 months preceding the 2021 APS Employee Census | % of those who indicated that they had been subjected to harassment or bullying in their workplace in the previous 12 months preceding the 2020 APS Employee Census |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal abuse | 44.8 | 45.4 |
| Interference with work tasks | 40.6 | 43.2 |
| Inappropriate and unfair application of work policies or rules | 35.7 | 38.4 |
| Cyberbullying | 7.9 | 7.7 |
| Interference with your personal property or work equipment | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Physical behaviour | 4.3 | 4.9 |
| Sexual harassment | 3.9 | 3.5 |
| Initiation or pranks | 2.8 | 2.7 |
| Other | 19.7 | 20.0 |
Source: 2020 and 2021 APS Employee Census. Percentages are based on respondents who said they had been subjected to harassment or bullying in their current workplace. As respondents could select more than one option, total percentages may exceed 100%.
Table A4.11 presents the perceived source of the harassment or bullying indicated by respondents in 2021.
Perceived source | % of those who indicated they had been subjected to harassment or bullying in their workplace in the previous 12 months preceding the 2021 APS Employee Census |
|---|---|
| Co-worker | 37.1 |
| Someone more senior (other than your supervisor) | 34.4 |
| A previous supervisor | 26.9 |
| Your current supervisor | 18.0 |
| Someone more junior than you | 9.0 |
| Client, customer or stakeholder | 3.8 |
| Contractor | 3.3 |
| Consultant/service provider | 0.8 |
| Representative of another APS agency | 0.8 |
| Minister or ministerial adviser | <0.5 |
| Unknown | 1.6 |
Source: 2021 APS Employee Census. Percentages are based on respondents who said they had been subjected to harassment or bullying in their current workplace. As respondents could select more than one option, total percentages may exceed 100%.
Table A4.12 presents the reporting behaviour of respondents who had perceived harassment or bullying in their workplace in the 12 months preceding the APS Employee Census (this question was not asked in 2020).
| Reporting behaviour | % who perceived harassment or bullying in their workplace during the 12 months preceding the 2021 APS Employee Census |
| I reported the behaviour in accordance with my agency's policies and procedures | 33.6 |
| It was reported by someone else | 7.4 |
| I did not report the behaviour | 59.0 |
Source: 2021 APS Employee Census
Table A4.13 presents the reasons for not reporting harassment or bullying given by respondents who had perceived harassment or bullying in their workplace in the 12 months preceding the APS Employee Census and who did not report the behaviour.
Reason | % who perceived harassment or bullying in their workplace during the 12 months preceding the 2021 APS Employee Census and did not report the behaviour |
|---|---|
| I did not think action would be taken | 53.0 |
| I did not want to upset relationships in the workplace | 45.3 |
| It could affect my career | 43.4 |
| I did not think it was worth the hassle of going through the reporting process | 36.7 |
| Managers accepted the behaviour | 32.7 |
| I did not have enough evidence | 19.0 |
| I did not think the harassment or bullying was serious enough | 17.5 |
| The matter was resolved informally | 8.9 |
| I did not know how to report it | 5.8 |
| Other | 16.6 |
Source: 2021 APS Employee Census. Percentages are based on respondents who said they had been subjected to harassment or bullying in their current workplace and did not report the behaviour. As respondents could select more than one option, total percentages may exceed 100%.
Table A4.14 presents the number of recorded complaints of harassment and bullying made by APS employees within APS agencies during 2020-21.
Type of harassment or bullying | Number of complaints |
|---|---|
| Verbal abuse (e.g. offensive language, derogatory remarks, shouting or screaming) | 155 |
| Inappropriate and unfair application of work policies or rules (e.g. performance management, access to leave, access to learning and development) | 78 |
| Sexual harassment | 78 |
| Interference with work tasks (e.g. withholding needed information, undermining or sabotage) | 56 |
| Cyberbullying (e.g. harassment via IT, or the spreading of gossip/materials intended to defame/humiliate) | 23 |
| Physical behaviour | 10 |
| Interference with personal property or work equipment | 4 |
| Initiations or pranks | 3 |
| Other | 208 |
| Total number of complaints about bullying/harassment | 588 |
Source: 2021 APS Agency Survey
Corruption
Table A4.15 presents the proportion of respondents who, during the previous 12 months, had witnessed another APS employee within their agency engaging in behaviour they considered may be serious enough to be viewed as corruption.
Potential corruption witnessed | % in 2021 | % in 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 3.8 | 3.5 |
| No | 89.5 | 89.8 |
| Not sure | 4.4 | 4.3 |
| Would prefer not to answer | 2.3 | 2.3 |
Source: 2020 and 2021 APS Employee Census
Of those who had witnessed potential corruption, the types of corruption are presented in Table A4.16.
| Type of potential corruption witnessed | % who has witnessed potential corruption in 2021 | % who had witnessed potential corruption in 2020 |
| Cronyism—preferential treatment of friends, such as appointing them to positions without proper regard to merit | 69.6 | 67.2 |
| Nepotism—preferential treatment of family members, such as appointing them to positions without proper regard to merit | 28.0 | 28.3 |
| Acting (or failing to act) in the presence of an undisclosed conflict of interest | 18.7 | 23.4 |
| Fraud, forgery or embezzlement | 11.8 | 14.5 |
| Green-lighting | 9.9 | 8.4 |
| Theft or misappropriation of official assets | 4.9 | 7.0 |
| Unlawful disclosure of government information | 4.7 | 4.6 |
| Perverting the course of justice | 2.6 | 2.9 |
| Bribery, domestic and foreign—obtaining, offering or soliciting secret commissions, kickbacks or gratuities | 1.8 | 2.8 |
| Blackmail | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Insider trading | 1.6 | 1.5 |
| Colluding, conspiring with or harbouring, criminals | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| Other | 9.6 | 14.2 |
Source: 2020 and 2021 APS Employee Census. Percentages are based on respondents who said they witnessed potential corruption. As respondents could select more than one option, total percentages may exceed 100%.
Discrimination
In the 2021 APS Employee Census, 11.5% of respondents indicated they had been subjected to discrimination during the 12 months preceding the APS Employee Census and in the course of their employment (11.7% in 2020).
Table A4.17 presents the types of the discrimination perceived by respondents during the 12 months preceding the APS Employee Census and in the course of their employment.
| Category | % of those who indicated they had been subjected to discrimination during the 12 months preceding the 2021 APS Employee Census and in the course of their employment | % of those who indicated they had been subjected to discrimination during the 12 months preceding the 2020 APS Employee Census and in the course of their employment |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | 32.3 | 31.9 |
| Age | 27.2 | 27.5 |
| Caring responsibilities | 22.7 | 22.5 |
| Race | 20.8 | 19.9 |
| Disability | 14.9 | 14.6 |
| LGBTI+/LGBTIQA+ (e.g. sexual orientation) | 4.6 | 4.0 |
| Religion | 4.6 | 4.0 |
| Identification as an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person | 3.6 | 4.2 |
| Other | 18.3 | 18.1 |
Source: 2020 and 2021 APS Employee Census. Percentages are based on respondents who said they had perceived discrimination during the 12 months preceding the APS Employee Census and in the course of their employment. As respondents could select more than one option, total percentages may exceed 100%.
Machinery of Government changes
Machinery of Government (MoG) changes involve the movement of functions, resources and people from one agency to another and are executed by Government decisions; predominantly through Administrative Arrangement Orders (AAOs), the engagement of employees under the Public Service Act 1999 or the compulsory movement of employees outside of the APS.
In total, there were 8 MoGs executed over the 2020-21 financial year. The most significant changes were:
- Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority functions (296 employees) transferring to the newly established agency Sport Integrity Australia.
- Industry, Science, Energy and Resources functions (84 employees) transferring to the Department of Treasury.
- Prime Minister and Cabinet function (77 employees) transferring to the National Drought and North
- Queensland Flood Response and Recovery Agency.
Date | AAO |
|---|---|
| 1 July 2020 | The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) was abolished. The Sport Integrity Australia agency was established and 296 employees were moved from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority. The Department of Health moved 12 employees to Sport Integrity Australia. |
| 9 July 2020 | The Department of Education, Skills and Employment moved 6 employees to the Department of Attorney-General’s. |
| 1 January 2021 | The Department of Health moved one employee to Sport Integrity Australia. The Infrastructure and Project Financing Agency moved 24 employees to the Department of Treasury. |
| 15 April 2021 | Two hundred and twenty employees were moved under the employment coverage of the Public Service Act 1999 in the Australian Taxation Office from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. |
| 5 May 2021 | The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet moved 77 employees to the National Drought and North Queensland Flood Response and Recovery Agency. |
| 6 May 2021 | The Infrastructure and Project Financing Agency was abolished and its functions transferred to the Department of Treasury on 1 May 2021. |
| 9 June 2021 | The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources moved 84 employees to the Department of Treasury. |