What is the public service?

The public service in Australia is the professional permanent workforce that implements government policy, delivers public services, advises ministers, and administers federal, state, and territory programmes. It operates impartially across changes of government and is the main interface between Australians and their governments in matters from Centrelink payments to Medicare claims to taxation to passports.

The Australian Public Service (APS) is the federal workforce, established under the Public Service Act 1999. The APS includes about 172,000 staff across more than 100 federal departments and agencies as of 2024. State and territory public services operate under parallel state-based legislation, with the NSW Public Service, Victorian Public Service, Queensland Public Service, and equivalents in other jurisdictions together employing about 500,000 staff delivering schools, hospitals, police, courts, and many other services. Local government employs about another 200,000 staff across the 537 councils.

Public servants operate under specific codes of conduct. The APS Code of Conduct requires honesty, integrity, courtesy, diligence, compliance with the law, lawful obedience to directions, disclosure of conflicts of interest, proper use of resources, and professional behaviour. The APS Values include being impartial (serving the elected government of the day regardless of personal political views), committed to service, accountable, respectful, and ethical. State and territory public services have parallel codes.

Several modern features shape the public service. Departments are led by Secretaries (federal) or Directors-General (state, in various titles) appointed on fixed terms. Most ongoing staff are appointed on merit through competitive selection. Performance is managed through annual reviews. Significant restructuring happens after most changes of government and at major reform moments. Frank-and-fearless advice from public servants to ministers is a long-standing Westminster expectation, reinforced by the 2023 Robodebt Royal Commission's findings about the failures of departmental advice to ministers between 2016 and 2019. The APS Reform agenda from 2022 has aimed to strengthen capability, integrity, and the relationship with ministers, with specific reforms including the Charter of Public Service Engagement.