Australian Public Service

A Centrelink office in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. Centrelink is the largest APS agency.

The Australian Public Service (APS), (originally known as the Commonwealth Public Service (CPS)), is the Australian federal civil service, the group of people employed by federal departments, agencies and courts under the Government of Australia, to administer the working of the public administration of the Commonwealth of Australia. Many more public servants are employed by the various Australian states, territories and local governments.

Profile

The Australian Public Service formally comprises all persons employed under the Public Service Act 1999. This includes all federal government departments, the federal court system and also some government agencies.

In the 2009–10 financial year, there were 164,596 public servants employed under the Public Service Act. This includes 150,871 ongoing (or permanent) employees and 13,725 non-ongoing (or contract) employees. The largest group of public servants are women (57.4%) and work in the Australian Capital Territory (38.8%).

The largest federal government agency is Centrelink with 27,312 employees, followed by the Australian Taxation Office (24,070) and the Department of Defence (21,458).

APS jobs are advertised throughout Australia by various means, including publication in the Government Gazette and various newspapers.

APS Values

"The Australian Public Service:

• is apolitical, performing its functions in an impartial and professional manner;
• is a public service in which employment decisions are based on merit;
• provides a workplace that is free from discrimination and recognises and utilises the diversity of the Australian community it serves;
• has the highest ethical standards;
• is openly accountable for its actions, within the framework of Ministerial responsibility to the Government, the Parliament and the Australian public;
• is responsive to the Government in providing frank, honest, comprehensive, accurate and timely advice and in implementing the Government's policies and programs;
• delivers services fairly, effectively, impartially and courteously to the Australian public and is sensitive to the diversity of the Australian public;
• has leadership of the highest quality;
• establishes workplace relations that value communication, consultation, co-operation and input from employees on matters that affect their workplace;
• provides a fair, flexible, safe and rewarding workplace;
• focuses on achieving results and managing performance;
• promotes equity in employment;
• provides a reasonable opportunity to all eligible members of the community to apply for APS employment;
• is a career-based service to enhance the effectiveness and cohesion of Australia's democratic system of government;
• provides a fair system of review of decisions taken in respect of employees."

Organisational structure

Total employment in public administration in Australia (thousands of people) since 1984. These figures include people employed by the state, territory and local governments as well as the APS

The head of an Australian Government Department is the Secretary - like a CEO in the private sector. Secretaries are the pivotal advisors to Ministers on government policy, and lead the executive of their Departments.

• Deputy Secretaries (Dep Secs) are also part of Departmental executives. Deputy Secretaries hold the Public Service level of Senior Executive Service (SES) Band 3. A Department typically has between four and six Deputy Secretaries.
• Deputy Secretaries directly supervise First Assistant Secretaries (FAS's) (SES Band 2), each of whom oversees a Division of a Department.
• Assistant Secretaries (AS's) (SES Band 1) manage Branches of Divisions.
• Sections of Branches are headed by Directors (APS Executive Level 2), with the assistance of Assistant Directors (APS Executive Level 1).
• Directors manage a group of departmental officers (levels APS 1 (being the lowest) to APS 6).

Leadership

The Government has appointed a "Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service" to whom is responsible the Public Service Commission, led by a Commissioner, which promotes the APS Values, evaluates performance and compliance, and helps to build the capability of the Service. The Commissioner has both statutory powers (under the Public Service Act 1999) and policy responsibilities.

The Government also recognises a role for the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet for certain aspects of leadership of the APS.

Each Department is headed by a Secretary, and each independent authority by an appointed head, whose job description includes the administration of the people in that organisation.

History

The Commonwealth Public Service was established at Federation and administered according to the Commonwealth Public Service Act 1902.

Inaugural Departmental Heads of the Australian Commonwealth Public Service-1901
Standing (l-to-r): Muirhead Collins (Defence); Atlee Hunt (External Affairs); David Miller (Home Affairs).
Seated (l-to-r): Robert Garran (Attorney General's); Harry Wollaston (Trade and Customs); Robert Scott (Post-Master General's); George Allen (Treasury).

One of the Act's sections stated that every female officer was "deemed to have retired from the Commonwealth service upon her marriage". In 1966 Australia became the last democratic country to lift the ban on married women in the public service.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Australian Public Service Commission
• List of Australian Government Departments
• Australian court hierarchy
• Public Service Medal (Australia)
• British civil service

Concepts:

• Bureaucracy
• Public administration
• Public policy
• Public sector
• Public services

References

• also see DPMC link

Further reading

• Verspaandonk,, Rose; Holland, Ian; Horne, Nicholas (2010). "Chronology of changes in the Australian Public Service 1975–2010". Background note. Parliament of Australia, Department of Parliamentary Services. 

External links

• Australian Federal Government
  • APS Jobs
  • Australian Public Service Commission
    • APS Values
  • Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
  • Public Service Gazette