Trust in the Australian Public Service is increasing due to improved digital services, greater transparency and improved service quality, Australia’s public service commissioner has said.
In his message in the State of the Service Report 2024–25, Gordon de Brouwer set out that trust in the Australian Public Service (APS) had increased by 4 points to 62% in the past year – while trust in specific services increased to 73% in 2025, compared with 71% in 2024.
de Brouwer highlighted that this is the first time trust levels have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, and that they match the peak level reported in 2021.
The increase in trust is being driven by factors including improved digital services. “When asked why their trust had increased, people most often talked about reduced wait times, improved digital services, greater transparency and communication, and improved service quality and staff helpfulness,” de Brouwer commented.
He said that government decisions on public service resourcing and “a sustained focus on effectiveness, capability and integrity” had made a big difference to the service experience of the Australian people.
“Advances in technology over recent decades have transformed what the APS workforce can deliver, and this is accelerating”, driven by “the safe and responsible adoption of AI”, he said.
“Agencies use AI transparency statements to set out their approaches so that the public can understand why and how they are using AI tools to support their work.”
The State of the Service Report also includes 12 case studies that demonstrate how APS agencies are responding to the opportunities offered by increasing use of AI.
These include the launch of the GovAI platform that provides APS staff with secure access to AI tools, enabling learning and experimentation; projects that are using ‘nudge messaging’ and real-time analytics to improve tax returns; and the expansion of a digital assistant suite of tools at Services Australia to align online services with growing customer expectations.
Global Government Summit a ‘valuable opportunity’ for the APS
In his message, de Brouwer also said that he and the leadership of the APS “take an interest in where Australian public administration sits in a global context – where we are performing well, and what we can continue to improve”.
In particular, de Brouwer highlighted that “roundtable discussions like [Global Government Forum’s] Global Government Summit”, hosted with the Government of Singapore in January 2025, “provide valuable opportunities to meet with international counterparts to discuss matters of common interest”.
de Brouwer said these included the pillars of modern, effective civil services, set out in Global Government Forum’s Making Government Work. The five pillars are:
- Strong leadership with mutual respect and alignment between ministers and senior officials.
- Building a highly skilled, inclusive and thriving public sector workforce.
- Fostering an agile, digital, and risk-taking culture focused on delivery.
- Implementing working structures that transcend organisational silos.
- Cultivating a service trusted by its users and the public.
APS headcount increases
According to the State of the Service report, the APS workforce stood at 198,529 employees working in 102 agencies as of 30 June 2025, up from 185,343 employees the previous year. The report shows that the number of APS employees based in Australia’s capital Canberra has fallen in the past year, with only around one third (35.4%) of the APS workforce located in Canberra. The proportion grew to 51.3% in other Australian state capital cities, and 12.6% in regional areas.
The report also sets out the progress being made by the Australian Public Service in meeting its legislative requirements “to build and support a workforce that reflects the community it serves”.
As of June 2025, 111 First Nations leaders were in Senior Executive Service roles – a more than 100% increase over the last two years and the greatest number the APS has ever seen.
This milestone follows the implementation of the SES100 programme that aims for First Nations employees to make up 5% of the APS workforce by 2030. It provides structured support for First Nations appointees during their first 12 months in role, ensuring their success and strengthening cultural capability in the APS.
The programme has drawn strong attention from the private sector and state governments, which are now seeking to adapt the model to increase representation of First Nations leaders in their own senior executive ranks.
The APS has also introduced other initiatives to help improve the diversity of its workforce. These include a culturally and linguistically diverse employment strategy and action plan, which aims to improve multicultural awareness, cultural safety and recruitment processes.
de Brouwer said that the action plan “will make our work better and enable us to deliver more effectively for the government, the parliament and the Australian people, to fulfil our duty of service”.
Australian Public Service Commission employment data shows that the proportion of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) employees across the APS is similar to the broader Australian population, with 26.8% of APS employees reporting that their first language is not exclusively English. However, this representation drops significantly at the senior executive levels, with CALD employees making up only 11% of senior executives.
According to a consultation of over 1,000 CALD and non-CALD employees across all levels of the APS, there are still significant limitations on career advancement in the APS for CALD employees and a gap between the workplace experience of CALD and non-CALD employees. CALD employees said they faced challenges such as discrimination and racism, preferences for working styles that do not reflect Australia’s multicultural society, and a lack of cultural literacy that inhibits them from contributing their knowledge.
Katy Gallagher, Australia’s minister for the public service, said: “The APS is fortunate in having rich cultural, linguistic and racial diversity. Yet this diversity is not mirrored in senior ranks. The APS needs to ensure its senior leadership also reflects the broader Australian population.”
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Anna Owen
Dieser Artikel ist neu veröffentlicht von / This article is republished from: Global Ggovernment Forum, 03.12.2025
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