Fit for the future

Improving policy and service delivery approaches for the Australian people and preparing for current and future challenges, are Australian Government priorities.

To support this, the Australian Public Service is investing in APS futures and foresight capabilities. This will mean APS agencies are better able to explore long-term issues and plausible future scenarios to improve policy, strategy, planning and decision-making.

The first Long-term Insights Briefing exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) might affect the trustworthiness of public service delivery was published in October 2023. A second Long-term Insights Briefing started in February 2024 to explore the future of human services, with particular emphasis on how the Australian Government works with communities.

A new Charter of Partnerships and Engagement sets out 6 aspirational principles for the APS to prioritise to achieve quality engagement and partnerships with external stakeholders. The charter aims to improve the way the APS puts people and business at the centre of policy, implementation and delivery.

Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality was released in March 2024. It provides a framework to drive gender equality through government policies and programs. It supports a vision for an Australia where people are safe, treated with respect, have choices and have access to resources and equal outcomes no matter their gender.

Development of Measuring What Matters, Australia’s first national wellbeing framework continues. Changes to the frequency of data, and larger sample sizes, will increase the value of the framework for policy development. They will also ensure the framework is represents all segments of the Australian population.

The Data and Digital Government Strategy was released in December 2023. It outlines the Australian Government’s vision to deliver simple, secure and connected public services through world-class data and digital capabilities by 2030. The government is committed to a modern public service. This is a public service that will make effective use of data and digital technologies so everyone’s experience with the Australian Government is inclusive, accessible, and responsive to their needs.

Extensive work has taken place over the last year to consult widely and prepare for the safe and responsible adoption of AI in Australia. The government is taking a coordinated approach with 5 pillars of action: delivering regulatory clarity and certainty; supporting and promoting best practice; supporting AI capability, government as an exemplar; and engaging internationally.

Responsible choices: a new policy for using AI in the Australian Government came into effect on 1 September 2024.

The Australian Government is lifting the capability of the APS to build climate considerations into business-as-usual practices. This is so the policies, programs and services provided to Australian communities are resilient and adaptable.  A new Climate Risk and Opportunity Management Program is helping APS agencies understand and treat climate-related risks.