Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

As I was saying, when cutting is all you know how to do, the most vulnerable in our community are left behind, and the rest of our country is taken for a ride.

It's clear that we can't function properly if we're all too busy pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. That's why we need a strong Public Service that works on behalf of the Australian people. Whether it's the frontline staff of Services Australia, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the Australian Taxation Office, the department of immigration, the Australian Passport Office or so many other organisations, the Public Service is often on the front line, at the coalface of government decisions. Whether it's those working in our departments, developing and progressing effective policy and advising government—fundamental to the functioning of our government is transparency in its processes. That remains as important a factor today as it has always been.

Most of the amendments in this bill were recommendations that came out of the 2019 Independent Review of the Australian Public Service, the Thodey review, or speak to its intent. The Thodey review was made necessary thanks to the continue desecration of the Public Service over that wasted decade under the previous Liberal government. It was given the task of delivering an ambitious range of recommendations designed to ensure that the APS is fit for purpose for the coming decades as well as to guide and accelerate future reform activities. At its conclusion, the review handed down 40 recommendations. Chief amongst them was the need to build the capability of the APS for the future. The proposed changes were also informed by consultation with employees, representative groups, agencies, experts, the public and the Community and Public Sector Union.

This bill delivers on our promise to clean up the Public Service in a few very important ways. It seeks to:

… strengthen the APS' core purpose and values; build the capability and expertise of the APS; and support good governance, accountability and transparency.

In doing so, this bill will add a new APS value of stewardship. There are currently five existing APS values: committed to service, ethical, respectful, accountable and impartial. In incorporating the new value of stewardship, the bill includes the following statement in support of this change:

… the APS builds its capability and institutional knowledge, and supports the public interest now and into the future, by understanding the long-term impacts of what it does.

The key to future success in the APS looks like the transfer of knowledge and experience amongst the vast and highly qualified workforce, because only by working together can the Public Service achieve the best outcomes for Australians. The addition of stewardship to the core values of the APS helps to articulate the shared ethos this government is aiming to achieve through rebuilding the Public Service and its functions. What's more, the bill adds the requirement for the development of an APS purpose statement, to clearly outline the vision of what the APS collectively strives to work towards. This would be reviewed every five years, in consultation with staff and the public, to hold the APS accountable to itself through developing a shared purpose.

This bill also strengthens the protections that agency heads enjoy, by making it clear that ministers cannot direct agency heads on employment matters. The APS is proudly apolitical and impartial, and it's important that this is strengthened to ensure that at its heart it cultivates greater public trust, free from political interference. We saw too many 'jobs for mates' controversies from those opposite, in the dying days of the former Liberal government, so by stamping this out we send a message that this isn't accepted or acceptable.

The bill also seeks to encourage decision-making at the lowest appropriate level, enabling a work environment that values decision-making and capability-building at all levels. This will help streamline and improve processes, while letting the next generation take the lead on issues that are important to them in the workplace. It will free up efficiencies in the processes our APS uses, enabling greater reliance on each other and tearing down silos that can frustrate good work and great outcomes.

An important amendment is the requirement for regular, independent and transparent capability reviews every five years for each department of state, Services Australia, the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Public Service Commission. Helping to improve organisational capability and identify opportunities, this will mean that agencies will be best placed to continue delivering for Australians. This will help build on the long-term capability of the APS, fostering continuous improvement amongst the workforce.

This will be coupled with a proposed amendment that will establish regular, long-term insights reports, developed through a process of public consultation. The need for long-term thinking is clear. These regular reports will be developed annually, helping departments and agencies to continually evaluate their goals and interests for the future. It's important that this is done, factoring in public engagement and consultation. As we all know, genuine consultation on these issues is the only way we can address concerns on issues affecting Australia and our society.

Another amendment is to expand the definition of an 'outsider' for the purposes of including Australian Defence Force members in the APS. Currently, ADF members are considered outsiders in legislation, meaning that agency heads cannot delegate powers or functions to them without the consent of the commissioner. This red tape gets in the way of the proper functioning of the APS, delivering more bureaucracy where it is not needed. This bill seeks to change that, to make sure that our ADF can continue to work in the best interests of all Australians whenever and wherever they are needed.

Building on our knowledge base of how the APS workforce views themselves and their jobs is one of the main ways to measure success as we continue to rebuild our Public Service. One way we will do this is through publishing the APS employee census results along with an action plan responding to those results. The APS employee census is a survey which collects information about the attitudes and opinions of APS employees, listening to the workers themselves. Being able to analyse, respond and act on that data will leave us better off, and having visibility of the actions taken will help to drive up accountability and transparency.

Many of the proposed changes align with recommendations from the 2019 Thodey review into the Australian Public Service. These changes were released for public consultation on the key amendments proposed in this bill in May this year to ensure they were informed by the views and values of our community more broadly.

By working hard to develop these meaningful amendments, this bill will go a long way to providing greater integrity and transparency in our APS. It will enshrine stewardship as a key value, develop a shared purpose for the APS, better protect agency heads from undue influence and ensure decision-making functions are shared amongst all levels of the APS wherever appropriate. It does these things and so much more, because our Public Service is worth cultivating and investing in for the good of our community.

When we have the best people, they deliver the best work. It just makes sense. Having a forward-thinking team focused on the issues at hand as well as those of the future is integral to furthering our national interest. We are very fortunate to be able rely on some of the best up here, with a Public Service that is dedicated, talented and ready to do the necessary hard work when asked.

It is for those hard-working public servants that the Albanese government is delivering on its promise to restore and rebuild our Public Service. It is also for the Australian people that we make these changes. They deserve to have an APS that best achieves the outcomes that make our lives better and easier.

We can't take a strong and trusted Public Service for granted. Our democracy relies on it, and we have seen the risks the Liberals pose to it. It is for all of these reasons amongst others that I commend the bill to the House.

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