Acknowledgement
I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Dharawal Country and recognise their continued connection to the land we meet on today.
I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region and extend my recognition to their descendants who continue to live on Country.
I proudly endorse the Albanese Government’s commitment to First Nations reconciliation and the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
I warmly welcome any First Nations Australians present with us today.
I would like to thank the Governance Institute of Australia for organising and hosting this forum, for your vigilance of governance and your ongoing support for the reform process.
I would also like to acknowledge my colleague the Hon Patrick Gorman, the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, who will be addressing the forum later this morning.
Budget agenda
A few weeks ago, we handed down the first Albanese Government budget.
It was measured and disciplined.
It focused on efficiencies.
Australia’s workforce had suffered under the Coalition.
- wages stagnated, then went backwards
- enterprise bargaining flatlined
- we had one the highest rates of casualisation in the developed world – 25 per cent of the workforce casually employed by 2019.
The Albanese Government is taking action to change that.
To improve wages, job security and workforce participation:
- cheaper childcare
- greater access to education with fee-free TAFE for priority industries
- better pay and conditions for the care economy workforce
- extending paid parental leave for greater flexibility for both parents.
We are removing wasteful spending and rorts – with $22 billion in savings identified.
There’s also a new approach – focussing on collaboration. Bringing people together.
In September we held the first Jobs and Skills summit.
It brought business, government and unions together to find ways to safeguard high economic growth and support Australians facing increasing living costs.
The Government is implementing the majority of its commitments with legislative amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009, currently before the Parliament in the Secure Jobs Better Pay Bill 2022.
It was a very different story just a few months ago.
Cleaning up a decade of mess
In the 2015–16 Budget, the Coalition capped APS staffing levels at below 2006–07 levels, despite population numbers consistently rising.
Over the decade, the demand for staff grew with the increasing and complex needs of the nation.
The outcome?
- Exceptional levels of outsourcing, labour-hire and contracting across the service – in order to meet their arbitrary cap on paper.
- This model is flawed. Inefficient. Expensive. Unsustainable.
It was public policy, and services to the public paid the price.
- Good people leave to find more secure work, while we lose critical institutional knowledge.
- For the public, it means longer wait times, less reliable support, and it’s costly to taxpayers.
Case study: Department of Veteran’s Affairs
One important example stands out in the danger of the previous government’s approach to the public service – the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
- This department plays a crucial role, supporting those who serve or have served in defence of our nation, and their families.
- This agency services and supports some of the most vulnerable - often coping with severe mental health and in need of tailored support.
- Yet more than 60 per cent of the workforce was either outsourced or non-ongoing.
The result was a serious backlog of claims.
Veterans were not getting the support they needed and deserved.
We are acting to change that.
Recruiting 412 additional staff to tackle the current claims backlog and support he Government Response to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide Interim Report.
It will cut wait times, reduce the backlog of compensation claims and the departmental staffing cap has also been abolished.
A world-class public service
In the October Budget we delivered 7,500 new public sector jobs – a 4.4 per cent increase.
We are committed to building policy capacity, while saving taxpayer dollars.
- ATO’s ability to crack down on multi-national tax avoidance will be boosted with 1,248 staff.
At the Jobs and Skills Summit, we announced $36.1 million in additional funding to accelerate visa processing.
This funding will allow the Department of Home Affairs to recruit an additional 500 staff to boost processing capacity and resolve the visa backlog.
In October, my colleague, Minister for Finance and Minister for the Public Service Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher, announced the Government will pilot an in-house consulting model.
It aims to strengthen core APS capabilities and functions, to better connect expertise across the service.
Our focus is on rebuilding capability, achieving value for money, and increasing flexibility.
Yes, we want to retain the workers that are behind the big solutions to the big challenges we face.
But we want more than that.
We want the APS to be a desirable place to work.
The resolve of the world’s great democracies – including our own – has been challenged many times this century.
We have been questioned over our response to climate change, the rise of new technologies, the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chains and trade issues, the war in Ukraine and now painful price rises.
In Australia - devastating and costly natural disasters.
We have stood firm. We have responded.
And none of that would have been possible without our public servants.
We have asked a lot of them in recent years.
We want a public service that can deliver for the public good and develop policy solutions for the challenges we face, at home and abroad.
This requires:
- good governance standards and accountability in decision making
- workplace conditions that attract and retain the brains and skills we need.
Conclusion
The APS is a big part of the Albanese Government’s vision for Australia.
We want the APS to continue delivering on its purpose – to serve the Australian people.
A strong public service, that is accountable and transparent, and appropriately resourced.
We are committed to that transformation so Australians can access services that are designed around their needs, simply and reliably.
We are committed to delivering on strong governance.
Entrenching accountability.
Building capacity.
We intend to be a model employer for the public service.
Dynamic. Flexible. Responsive.
An employer of choice.
Thank you.