The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) welcomes the recently released State of the Service Report, which highlights progress in rebuilding the capacity and capability of the APS, as well as positive movement on employee satisfaction and engagement across the Australian Public Service (APS).
Key highlights from the report include:
- An increase in APS employees of 15,214 since 2023. Agencies with the largest increase in employees were the National Disability Insurance Agency, Defence, Health and Aged Care, Services Australia and the Australian Taxation Office.
- Improvements in job security across the APS, with ongoing employees now making up 91.8% of APS employees in 2024, up from a low of 87.2% in 2021.
- Support for recently secured rights and conditions improvements with 82% of respondents to the APS Employee Census indicated they were satisfied with their non-monetary employment conditions such as leave and flexible work arrangements, up by 8% since 2023. Satisfaction with remuneration has also improved.
- Pay fragmentation across the APS has reduced from 25% to 13%, meaning improved mobility for all APS workers, and vital pay increases for workers at the lowest-paid agencies in the APS (notably those with high levels of First Nations employees).
Increased ongoing staffing, winding back of outsourcing and private contractor arrangements, and consistency of pay and conditions across the service are already starting to deliver improvements to services that Australians rely on. Calls are being answered more quickly and work backlogs are being reduced.
But CPSU members in the APS know there is more work to do. As our population and world changes, the APS must remain strong and capable of delivering the services Australians deserve. To do that, we need an APS workforce with the staffing, skills and experience needed to meet challenges our communities face.
Quotes attributable to Melissa Donnelly, CPSU National Secretary:
"These results are evidence that brick by brick, we are rebuilding the APS.
"While there is still more to do, things are clearly heading in the right direction in the APS. For ordinary Australians this means services are starting to improve, calls are being answered and backlogs are being reduced.
"By contrast the Liberals' APS was one that was plagued with outsourcing, high staff turnover, low morale, and disconnection.
"Public servants saw their work, workplaces and services to the public suffer as a result.
"The CPSU's agenda to restore public service jobs, improve pay and conditions, and rebuild workplaces has been able to turn things around which means employees are feeling more valued, connected and satisfied by their work.
"But just as APS workplaces have turned a corner, Peter Dutton has made it abundantly clear that they will undo this work by cutting jobs and services, and undoubtedly handing public sector work back over to his mates in the private sector.
