We tackled some tough questions this year at the State of the Service Roadshow events in Perth, Canberra, Newcastle and Townsville. We also celebrated great achievements from across the APS.
You can watch back the insights and learnings on the APSC events page.
We thank APS employees for participating in the Q&A sessions.
We’ve answered the questions that weren’t addressed during the sessions, focussing on key themes.
Are there plans to deliver APSC led training in the states on the APS Values to educate based on high rates of bullying in the APS Census in diverse cohorts?
There are a range of existing mechanisms in place for addressing workforce issues, including bullying and harassment:
- The Australian Public Service Commission and agencies analyse APS Employee Census results to understand the experiences of diverse groups, including perceptions of behaviour such as bullying and harassment. This informs activities to ensure APS workplaces are respectful for all employees. From 2023, agencies are required to publish their APS Employee Census results and action plans.
- The APSC offers services, learning resources, guidelines and face-to-face discussions to support agencies on integrity matters. It also assists agencies to understand their obligations under the new Anti-Discrimination and Human Rights Legislation Amendment (Respect at Work) Act 2022.
- The Australian Public Service Commissioner’s Directions 2022 mandate that all employees who are new to the APS need to complete foundational integrity training. New ongoing APS employees are required to complete integrity training within 6 months of being engaged. New non-ongoing APS employees are required to complete integrity training as soon as practicable after being engaged.
- The APSC has made available an integrity e-learning module–Integrity in the APS –for all agencies to use. This training can be accessed via APSLearn or arrangements can be made to load the module onto an agency’s learning management platform.
- The APSC also offers a range of courses, resources and events available to all employees through the APS Academy to support ethical conduct and effective workforce management. Some courses can be delivered specifically to one agency on location.
- The APS Academy’s induction pathway specifically covers APS Values and the Code of Conduct as well as respectful workplace behaviours. These can be accessed via:
- the APS Companion digital magazine
- APS Unlocked facilitated sessions, which are offered free of charge and virtually to all APS employees.
- The APSC’s Ethics Advisory Service provides information, policy advice and guidance to APS employees at all levels on the application of the APS Values and the Code of Conduct to promote ethical decision-making across the public service.
- The APSC is leading the development of the APS Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Employment Strategy to promote cultural capability across the APS and build an organisational culture that values diversity.
- In connection with the CALD Strategy, the APSC is also leading the development of a multicultural capability program–MOSAIC–to support leaders in developing intercultural leadership skills. This will enable them to attract, develop, and retain diverse teams, and create inclusive environments free from any form of racial discrimination, where staff from diverse backgrounds can thrive.
- The APS Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Unit at the APSC has developed the award-winning Compassionate Foundations, an evidence-informed, 6-module capability-building training. The suite supports staff to build their interpersonal and self-care skills to foster positive human-to-human interactions that promote connection and understanding.
How is overloading of work and the psychosocial risks being addressed in workplaces that are short staffed?
There are a number of initiatives in place or under way for promoting psychosocial safety in the workplace:
- It is a key pillar of the APS Reform agenda, to create an APS that is a model employer and a great place to work.
- Recent changes to the Work Health and Safety Regulations give more specific details on how to meet WHS duties and protect employees from psychosocial hazards and risks.
- The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations is working with Comcare to support businesses and workers to meet their obligations for managing psychosocial risks. This includes consideration of a Commonwealth Code of Practice on Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work.
- Safe Work Australia has published the model Code of Practice: Managing the risks of psychosocial hazards in the workplace, with guidance on duty of care in relation to psychosocial hazards.
- The ADDRESS model, launched in March 2024, is an APS initiative for responding to psychosocial hazards in the workplace. It is evidence-informed and developed by the APS Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Unit at the APSC, specifically for APS agencies. ADDRESS and its supporting resources are aligned to the Commonwealth Work Health and Safety Code of Practice and will assist agencies to identify, assess, control and review psychosocial hazards that arise in the workplace.
When will we see full transparency in SES appointments?
There are existing measures in place for ensuring confidence in the integrity of SES recruitment processes.
- Section 10A of the Public Service Act 1999 requires that all engagements and promotions are based on merit.
- For SES recruitment, subdivision B of the Australian Public Service Commissioner’s Directions 2022 requires that the Australian Public Service Commissioner or their representative is a full participant in the selection process. The Commissioner’s role is to ensure the process is consistent with the requirements of the Public Service Act and the Commissioner’s Directions.
- The APSC recently updated its requirements for Commissioner's representatives. Further information is available on the APSC website.
Contractors are brought in and paid higher rates than regular APS staff. How do we reward the knowledge and expertise within the APS?
The APS is rebalancing its workforce to reduce reliance on external contractors and consultants, including through the APS Strategic Commissioning Framework and Australian Government Consulting.
The Highly Capable, Future-Ready: APS Learning and Development Strategy highlights the need for a one-APS approach to lifting the skills and capability of our workforce to ensure a high performing, driven and trusted APS.
This work is supported by:
- Development of an APS Employee Value Proposition to help attract, retain and develop the workforce by communicating the benefits of APS employment.
- Enhancements to employment conditions through the recent enterprise agreement changes.
The APS invests in a wide-range of capability development opportunities targeted at APS staff. These reward employees through professional development while continuing to build the skills and capabilities of the APS as a whole.
Given the evolution of work practices, are there any plans for other events to connect APS who work outside Canberra?
The Australian Government Leadership Networks (AGLN) were developed as a way for APS leaders to connect within their states and territories, to exchange ideas, share knowledge and contribute to the development of APS initiatives.
The State of the Service Roadshow is an annual event connecting APS employees across Australia. It is open to employees at all levels and we encourage you to get involved.
How is the APS supporting secondments and mobility opportunities in regional offices and states outside the ACT?
There are a number of opportunities for APS employees to participate in secondment and mobility opportunities:
- Delivering for Tomorrow: the APS Workforce Strategy 2025 identifies employee mobility as a key strategic workforce management tool.
- In 2022, a new page was added to the APSJobs website to make it easier for current APS employees to apply for short-term roles. In 2022–23, 84 agencies listed 1,037 temporary job opportunities.
- In 2023, the APS Surge Reserve was added to the page, enabling employees to indicate their availability for a temporary move at short notice to deliver critical services in times of crisis. At 30 June 2023, 1,138 APS employees had registered.
- Work is underway on an APS Location Strategy to help agencies fill critical skill gaps by utilising talent from a broader range of locations including regional areas. The Location Strategy will be published in the second half of 2024.
- The APS Professions advertise mobility, mentoring and other opportunities for Digital and Data specialists on the APS Professions Member Community Platform (MCP). Today 10,857 digital professionals and 8,222 data professionals across the service have user profiles (including skills) listed, enabling cross agency collaboration and support.
Will there be a permanent Cadetship program to support the training and recruitment of First Nations people across entry level roles?
The Commonwealth Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Workforce Strategy 2020–2024 provides an important framework to increase Indigenous employment outcomes across the Commonwealth public sector.
The APSC’s First Nations Unit, established in May 2023, focuses on increasing the number of First Nations people in the APS to 5% by 2030. Actions focus on creating new employment opportunities and tackling known barriers to engagement, retention and advancement for First Nations peoples.
How is the SES100 initiative tracking and how will we ensure that diverse leaders recruited into the APS want to stay?
The APS First Nations cultural capability and boosting First Nations employment initiative is making changes to key aspects of recruitment and the cultural capability of the APS to better employ and retain First Nations employees.
The SES100 recruitment initiative, co-sponsored by the APSC and National Indigenous Australians Agency, aims to increase the number of First Nations SES leaders across the APS from 54 to 100.
The first round of advertising in November 2023 resulted in 209 applications, with 90 candidates interviewed in February 2024. The APSC’s First Nations Unit will work with APS agencies and departments to fill SES Band 1 vacancies using the resulting merit pool.
What plans are there to make public service work more accessible for people with disability?
There are many initiatives working towards making the public service more accessible for people with disability:
- The APS Disability Employment Strategy 2020-25 is guiding APS agency efforts to attract, recruit and retain more people with disability and to create accessible and inclusive workplace cultures and environments. This includes making it psychologically safe for individuals to share their disability status and request support with their managers and human resources. The APS aims to increase employment of people with disability to 7% by 2025.
- In partnership with the BETA team in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the APSC will shortly finalise a disability identification project. This includes a behavioural insights report and related artefacts, to support agencies improve their data collection processes relating to diversity identities.
- The Department of Finance recently released their report into Action 10 of the APS Disability Employment Strategy 2020-25. Action 10 considered the perspective of people living with disability to help identify the barriers to dignified access. A sample of APS tenancies were audited by participating entities, with reports provided to Finance for analysis of the accessibility barriers experienced across the APS. The Final Report focuses on how Commonwealth entities can provide dignified access in an APS office environment for people with disability as a means of creating inclusive workplaces. The report highlights accessibility barriers faced by current staff, potential new staff and visitors.
- The APSC has recently commenced and is leading a Discovery Project relating to the 5 Disability Royal Commission recommendations allocated for implementation in the APS. We have advertised on APSJobs for secondees to support the project. The project includes investigating a number of initiatives including support for an APS-wide solution for workplace adjustments and disability passports.
- The APSC released policy guidance encouraging agencies to establish Disability Contact Officers, to support employees and managers navigate barriers often experienced by people with disability in the workplace.
- Agencies have access to the Affirmative Measures – Disability Recruitment Hub to support better recruitment outcomes. Used by more than 70 agencies, the Hub provides guidance, tools and resources for improving attraction and recruitment of people with disability.
- The APS Academy has created an Accessibility and Inclusive Design page on their website that provides resources to guide and support accessible and inclusive design.
There’s an unwritten policy all APS Academy courses are restricted to EL1 and above for staff at my agency, can we please make the courses free so I too can learn?
Each agency is responsible for managing their learning and development offerings to employees.
The APS Academy’s capability offerings assist APS1 to Senior Executive Service level employees to meet their learning and development requirements.
APS employees can register for Academy courses through APSLearn at any time, and are encouraged to speak to their manager about their individual professional development needs. Agency enterprise agreements may also highlight what professional development and training opportunities are available to staff.
All APS employees are able to access a significant range of resources, toolkits, networks and events that are freely available through the APS Academy website.
Portfolio agencies also have a dedicated Relationship Manager at the Academy who can assist with coordination of specific agency requirements. Please contact the APS Academy for more information.
How is the APS prioritising the implementation of change management practices to APS Reform? We should consider supporting staff when designing such large changes.
APS Reform is a service-wide undertaking, and is intended to improve the working environment for all public servants.
In the APS Reform Office, a change management strategy is guiding how we approach implementing APS Reform with agencies. We are also working with the Portfolio Change Stewardship Office in the Department of Home Affairs and other agency change management teams to look at how we can build a suite of change management tools and guidance that agencies can use when implementing reform.
We aim to connect with change management professionals in each agency to help guide and deliver reform initiatives, so that we can achieve the full potential of reform.
APS Reform will be implemented in a stepped and phased approach, and teams will be supported with information and guidance along the way.
The APSC also uses a range of communications channels to help inform staff on what changes are coming and what the changes mean for them.
You can stay up to date at apsreform.gov.au.
When will agencies have consistent IT systems? It is difficult to work together when agencies use different conferencing systems, some of which are blocked.
The Data and Digital Government Strategy mission – Simple and Seamless Services – addresses the APS data and digital ecosystem, recognising that it is constrained by outdated systems, bespoke technologies and architecture solutions designed to solve common issues rather than address whole-of-government needs.
The government is committed to:
- ensuring technology is scalable, secure, resilient and interoperable, with new systems and infrastructure that supports data access and discoverability
- adopting existing and developing new data and digital standards to improve interoperability and encourage innovation.
The government supports digital transformation through the Australian Government Architecture (AGA). It brings together guidance materials to help entities deliver capabilities faster and in a way that is consistent, interoperable, promotes reuse, reduces risk, and maximises value for money.
At SOSR 2022, the APSC Secretary was asked "How is APSC leading engagement with the public & promoting the APS", answer "we're not". Has this been addressed yet?
The APS is promoted to prospective employees by the APSC and APS agencies, including through initiatives like the APS Employee Value Proposition.
The Serving the Community section of the 2022-23 State of the Service Report includes APS case studies, contributed by agencies. These highlight the diverse work undertaken by the APS, and the range of ways agencies and their employees serve the community. There is a particular focus on how the service collaborates to get things done across APS agencies and, importantly, across sectors.
The new EA means a lot of work updating policy, procedures and delegations. Could APSC develop common policy templates for adoption by small agencies?
The APSC has recently finalised the approvals for 103 APS enterprise agreements.
It will now be able to provide more robust support for agencies who need to change policy, procedures and delegations. More information will be available soon.
How does the panel see stewardship integrating with APS values?
The Australian Government introduced the Public Service Amendment Bill 2023 to Parliament in June 2023 to amend the Public Service Act 1999. It includes a proposal to add stewardship as an APS Value. That is, the APS builds its capability and institutional knowledge and supports the public interest now and into the future, by understanding the long-term impacts of what it does.
Early in 2023, all APS employees were encouraged to submit their views on what stewardship means to them and their role. Around 90% of approximately 1,500 respondents said that they saw themselves as stewards in their workplace. Further consultations with agencies on how the Value could operate in practice have also taken place.
These insights have informed how stewardship would be embedded as an APS Value on passage of the Bill, including through updates to the APS Commissioner’s Directions, and proposed guidance and communications materials.
These changes are part of the APS Reform plan to strengthen the APS including its core values.
You can read more at apsreform.gov.au.