Further strengthening the Australian Public Service

In October 2022, Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher, Minister for the Public Service, announced the Australian Government’s plan for APS Reform to further strengthen the public service.

The Minister outlined 4 priority reform areas:

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

Community needs and expectations change over time. The government’s reform priorities are intended to strengthen the ability of the APS to deliver the high quality advice and services necessary to respond to these changes. APS Reform initiatives promote high standards of integrity, drive development of quality workforce management policy, build capability and leadership for the future, and foster engagement and partnership with people, communities and businesses.

Together, this reinforces the APS as a reliable and contemporary service that delivers for all Australians. It also helps build trust in government and public administration. People trust public institutions when they do their job well and are open and fair in how they go about it.

The Australian Public Service Commission works with agencies and departments leading and implementing reforms across the service, supporting improvements in over 100 agencies and government entities. The APSC uses its broad perspective to target areas that most benefit from reform. Substantial progress has been made with 19 of the 59 initiatives completed.

Significant milestones include:

  • amending the Public Service Act 1999 to include stewardship as an APS Value and further clarifying the responsibilities of Ministers and Agency Heads
  • progressing the program of capability reviews for all large departments and agencies, assessing their ability to meet future objectives and challenges
  • establishing an ongoing series of Long-Term Insights Briefings on topics that matter to the Australian community
  • establishing an in-house consulting model, Australian Government Consulting, which has begun delivering projects for APS clients as well as building APS capabilities
  • establishing the Australian Centre for Evaluation to help put evaluation evidence at the heart of policy design and decision-making
  • improving and embedding governance processes to support senior consideration of whole-of-service challenges as well as to drive implementation and risk management of reform initiatives
  • implementing the Strategic Commissioning Framework to support agencies to bring their core public service work back in-house
  • developing the APS Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Employment Strategy and Action Plan to ensure the APS reflects the community it serves
  • pursuing the SES100 Initiative, which reflects the Government’s commitment to boost First Nations employment by increasing First Nations leadership representation at the SES level to 100 by 2024-25.

See also in this report

APS profile – Boosting First Nations employment

APS profile – CALD Employment Strategy and Action Plan

Working in the APS – Stewardship as a new APS Value

Capability and leadership – Strategic Commissioning Framework

Capability and leadership – Australian Government Consulting

Capability and leadership – Australian Centre for Evaluation

Capability and leadership – Capability reviews

Fit for the future – Long-Term Insights Briefings

Find out more

Australian Government (n.d.) Australian Public Service Reform: Annual progress report 2023, APS Reform website, accessed 31 July 2024.

Prime Minister and Cabinet (2023) Annual Statement of APS Reform, PM&C website, accessed 31 July 2024.

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