Appendix 3 - APS agencies

This appendix covers a range of information about Australian Public Service agencies.

Table A3.1 lists all APS agencies and employee numbers and reflects data in the APS Employment Database as at 30 June 2023. These are headcount numbers and include ongoing, non-ongoing and casual (intermittently engaged) employees.

APS agencies are grouped into ‘functional clusters’ to allow comparisons to be made between agencies with similar primary functions. The functional clusters applied to APS agencies are:

  • Policy – agencies involved in the development of public policy.
  • Smaller operational – agencies with fewer than 1,000 employees involved in the implementation of public policy.
  • Larger operational – agencies with 1,000 employees or more involved in the implementation of public policy.
  • Regulatory – agencies involved in regulation and inspection.
  • Specialist – agencies providing specialist support to Government.

Table A3.1: List of APS agencies by portfolio

This list contains 99 agencies and 5 Category E entities (bodies which employ staff under the Public Service Act 1999 and operate with some degree of independence). This list can also be found at APS Agencies – size and function.

Agency name Functional cluster Headcount
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Larger operational 5,474
Australian Fisheries Management Authority Regulatory 174
Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority Regulatory 199
Attorney-General's Policy 2,470
Administrative Appeals Tribunal Smaller operational 710
Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity Specialist 147
Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission Specialist 867
Australian Financial Security Authority Smaller operational 422
Australian Human Rights Commission Specialist 185
Australian Law Reform Commission Policy 13
Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre Regulatory 487
Federal Court of Australia Specialist 1,479
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner Regulatory 183
Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman Specialist 265
Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions Specialist 451
Office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Specialist 42
Office of Parliamentary Counsel Specialist 110
Office of the Special Investigator Regulatory 4
Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Policy 4,511
Bureau of Meteorology Larger operational 1,797
Clean Energy Regulator Regulatory 390
Climate Change Authority Specialist 62
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Specialist 249
Murray–Darling Basin Authority Policy 323
North Queensland Water Infrastructure Authority Specialist 3
Defence Larger operational 18,391
Defence Housing Australia Smaller operational 590
Education Policy 1,502
Australian Research Council Specialist 175
Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Regulatory 104
Employment and Workplace Relations Policy 3,497
Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency Specialist 21
Australian Skills Quality Authority Regulatory 208
Comcare Smaller operational 666
Fair Work Commission Smaller operational 331
Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman Regulatory 1,012
Safe Work Australia Policy 108
Finance Policy 1,925
Australian Electoral Commission Smaller operational 3,037
Digital Transformation Agency Smaller operational 244
Future Fund Management Agency Specialist 271
Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority Specialist 65
Foreign Affairs and Trade Policy 4,785
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research Specialist 55
Australian Trade and Investment Commission Specialist 831
Health and Aged Care Policy 5,984
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Regulatory 1,161
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care Specialist 100
Australian Digital Health Agency Smaller operational 302
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Specialist 581
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency Specialist 159
Cancer Australia Specialist 77
Food Standards Australia New Zealand Regulatory 111
National Blood Authority Specialist 79
National Health and Medical Research Council Specialist 230
National Health Funding Body Specialist 33
National Mental Health Commission Specialist 45
Organ and Tissue Authority Specialist 31
Professional Services Review Regulatory 36
Sport Integrity Australia Regulatory 389
Home Affairs Larger operational 15,223
National Emergency Management Agency Policy 354
Industry, Science and Resources Policy 3,212
Geoscience Australia Specialist 671
IP Australia Larger operational 1,197
National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority Regulatory 158
Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts Policy 2,062
Australian Communications and Media Authority Regulatory 526
Australian National Maritime Museum Specialist 105
Australian Transport Safety Bureau Specialist 115
High Speed Rail Authority Specialist 8
National Archives of Australia Specialist 386
National Capital Authority Specialist 63
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Specialist 200
National Library of Australia Specialist 382
National Museum of Australia Specialist 281
National Portrait Gallery of Australia Specialist 51
Old Parliament House Specialist 118
Screen Australia Specialist 4
Prime Minister and Cabinet Policy 1,306
Aboriginal Hostels Limited Smaller operational 500
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Specialist 159
Australian National Audit Office Specialist 402
Australian Public Service Commission Policy 378
National Indigenous Australians Agency Policy 1,501
Office of National Intelligence Specialist 333
Torres Strait Regional Authority Specialist 135
Workplace Gender Equality Agency Specialist 50
Social Services Policy 2,816
Australian Institute of Family Studies Specialist 97
National Disability Insurance Agency Larger operational 5,649
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission Regulatory 522
Services Australia Larger operational 32,403
Treasury Policy 1,611
Royal Australian Mint Specialist 259
Commonwealth Grants Commission Specialist 44
Australian Office of Financial Management Specialist 49
Australian Bureau of Statistics Specialist 3,021
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Regulatory 1,571
Australian Taxation Office Larger operational 20,628
Inspector-General of Taxation Specialist 29
Productivity Commission Specialist 190
Veterans' Affairs Larger operational 3,082
Australian War Memorial Specialist 328
All   170,332

Source: APSED 30 June 2023

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