Appendix 2: APS Agencies

This appendix covers a range of data about APS agencies.

Table A2.1 lists all APS agencies and employee numbers and reflects data in APSED as at 30 June 2021. 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 A2.1: List of APS agencies by portfolio

This list contains 97 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 on the Department of Finance website.

Agency nameFunctional clusterHeadcount
Agriculture, Water and the EnvironmentLarger operational7 066
Australian Fisheries Management AuthorityRegulatory161
Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines AuthorityRegulatory181
Bureau of MeteorologyLarger operational1 651
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthoritySpecialist244
Murray Darling Basin AuthorityPolicy296
Attorney-General’sPolicy1 998
Administrative Appeals TribunalSmaller operational616
Asbestos Safety and Eradication AgencySpecialist18
Australian Building and Construction CommissionRegulatory168
Australian Commission for Law Enforcement IntegritySpecialist69
Australian Financial Security AuthoritySmaller operational441
Australian Human Rights CommissionSpecialist175
Australian Law Reform CommissionPolicy13
ComcareSmaller operational624
Office of the Commonwealth OmbudsmanSpecialist231
Fair Work CommissionSmaller operational297
Federal Court of AustraliaSpecialist1 266
National Archives of AustraliaSpecialist378
Office of Parliamentary CounselSpecialist111
Office of the Australian Information CommissionerRegulatory135
Office of the Director of Public ProsecutionsSmaller operational418
Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman and Registered Organisations Commission EntityRegulatory948
Office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and SecuritySpecialist37
Safe Work AustraliaPolicy96
DefenceLarger operational17 049
Defence Housing AustraliaSmaller operational535
Education, Skills and EmploymentPolicy3 767
Australian Research CouncilSpecialist142
Australian Skills Quality AuthorityRegulatory191
Tertiary Education Quality and Standards AgencyRegulatory95
FinancePolicy1 746
Australian Electoral CommissionSmaller operational1 503
Future Fund Management AgencySpecialist201
Independent Parliamentary Expenses AuthoritySpecialist62
Foreign Affairs and TradePolicy3 915
Australian Centre for International Agricultural ResearchSpecialist56
Australian Trade and Investment CommissionSpecialist785
HealthPolicy4 752
Aged Care Quality and Safety CommissionRegulatory593
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health CareSpecialist89
Australian Digital Health AgencySmaller operational59
Australian Institute of Health and WelfareSpecialist372
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety AgencySpecialist140
Sport Integrity AustraliaRegulatory359
Cancer AustraliaSpecialist68
Food Standards Australia New ZealandRegulatory109
National Blood AuthoritySpecialist63
National Health and Medical Research CouncilSpecialist209
National Health Funding BodySpecialist23
National Mental Health CommissionSpecialist35
Organ and Tissue AuthoritySpecialist22
Professional Services ReviewRegulatory29
Home AffairsLarger operational13 787
Australian Criminal Intelligence CommissionSpecialist762
Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC)Regulatory437
Industry, Science, Energy and ResourcesPolicy3 097
Clean Energy RegulatorRegulatory333
Climate Change AuthoritySpecialist10
Geoscience AustraliaSpecialist619
IP AustraliaLarger operational1 134
National Offshore Petroleum Safety And Environmental Management AuthorityRegulatory129
QuestaconPolicy230
Infrastructure,Transport,Regional Development and CommunicationsPolicy1 694
Australian Communications and Media AuthorityRegulatory444
Australian National Maritime MuseumSpecialist115
Australian Transport Safety BureauSpecialist114
National Capital AuthoritySpecialist56
National Faster Rail AgencySpecialist10
National Film and Sound ArchiveSpecialist181
National Library of AustraliaSpecialist377
National Museum of AustraliaSpecialist249
National Portrait GallerySpecialist62
North Queensland Water Infrastructure AuthoritySpecialist2
Screen AustraliaSpecialist6
Prime Minister and CabinetPolicy1 110
Aboriginal Hostels Ltd.Smaller operational470
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander StudiesSpecialist134
Australian National Audit OfficeSpecialist312
Australian Public Service CommissionPolicy262
Digital Transformation AgencySmaller operational293
National Indigenous Australians AgencyPolicy1 288
National Recovery and Resilience AgencyPolicy151
Office of National IntelligenceSpecialist281
Old Parliament HouseSpecialist99
Torres Strait Regional AuthoritySpecialist153
Workplace Gender Equality AgencySpecialist32
Social ServicesPolicy2 356
Australian Institute of Family StudiesSpecialist109
National Disability Insurance AgencyLarger operational4 313
NDIS Quality and Safeguards CommissionRegulatory329
Services AustraliaLarger operational34 056
TreasuryPolicy1 362
Australian Bureau of StatisticsSpecialist3 343
Australian Competition and Consumer CommissionRegulatory1 245
Australian Office Of Financial ManagementSpecialist45
Australian Taxation OfficeLarger operational21 179
Commonwealth Grants CommissionSpecialist31
Office of the Inspector-General of TaxationSpecialist28
Productivity CommissionSpecialist161
Royal Australian MintSpecialist240
Veterans’ Affairs (Defence portfolio)Larger operational1 772
Australian War MemorialSpecialist336
Total 153 945

Source: APSED 30 June 2021

Was this page helpful?