APS reform

The plan to build a stronger Australian Public Service through APS Reform was announced by the Australian Government in October 2022. The reform agenda is underpinned by 4 pillars:

  1. An APS that embodies integrity in everything it does
  2. An APS that puts people and business at the centre of policy and services
  3. An APS that is a model employer
  4. An APS that has the capability to do its job well.

The Government has committed funding of $30.8 million in 2023-24 and 2024-25 to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Australian Public Service Commission to continue the delivery and implementation of this ambitious reform agenda.

Currently, 44 initiatives are being implemented across the service. These were selected for their potential to deliver immediate impact for the APS and the public. They lay the foundations for ongoing improvements to the APS and how it addresses longer-term challenges.
 

Photograph of a group of seven people representing the diverse staff of the Australian Public Service.

Building a stronger Australian Public Service through APS Reform
Image: APS Reform Office

APS Reform aims to further strengthen and empower the public service and increase trust and confidence in Australia’s public sector institutions. It builds on reform efforts to date and positions the APS to be future fit and capable of adapting and evolving to changing and rising expectations.

Specific initiatives will:

  • build the capability and capacity of the APS
  • strengthen a pro-integrity culture and practices in the APS
  • support greater transparency and genuine partnership with the community
  • position the APS to work in collaborative and dynamic ways to support the Government to deliver on its agenda now and into the future.

The outcomes of the agenda are intended to be intergenerational and reach every aspect of the APS.

APS Reform is a service-wide undertaking. A strategic and phased approach to reform is guiding delivery efforts to ensure effective management of delivery risk and responsiveness to emerging priority areas. The first tranche of reforms focus on enabling measures that support the foundations for enduring reform.

The current APS Reform initiatives are being implemented across the service, overseen by Secretaries Board, and led by 12 departments and agencies with coordination driven by the APS Reform Office. The APS Reform Office and Australian Public Service Commission work closely with the Secretaries Board, Attorney-General’s Department, Department of Finance and other agencies to deliver APS reform.

In May 2023, the Minister for the Public Service outlined the 8 outcomes that the APS Reform agenda seeks to achieve. These are backed by metrics to demonstrate the impact that Reform initiatives are having. The 8 outcomes are:

Outcome 1: Public sector employees act with and champion integrity

Outcome 2: Public service employees are stewards of the public service

Outcome 3: The APS delivers human and user-centred policy and service excellence

Outcome 4: The APS has effective relationships and partnerships with First Nations peoples

Outcome 5: The APS’s Employee Value Proposition is attractive

Outcome 6: The APS sets the standard for equity, inclusion and diversity

Outcome 7: The APS sets the standard for First Nations employment and cultural competency

Outcome 8: The APS continuously improves its capabilities.

See also

Australian Government (n.d.)APS Reform, APS Reform website https://www.apsreform.gov.au/, accessed 6 October 2023.

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