AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
16 Furzer Street, Phillip ACT 2606, Australia
T: 02 6202 3500 F: 02 6202 3567 E: employmentadvice@apsc.gov.au W: www.apsc.gov.au
MEDIA RELEASE
Issued 26 November 2009
Under embargo until 6pm 26 November 2009
State of the Service Report 2009— Meeting the challenges of the 21st century
This year’s State of the Service report provides valuable insight into the capacity of the
Australian Public Service to meet the challenges facing Australia in the 21st Century. This
assessment is particularly important in light of the APS reform blueprint that is being
developed and will be available by early 2010.
Ms Carmel McGregor, Acting Commissioner of the Australian Public Service Commission,
announced that “this is the twelfth State of the Service report and its findings indicate that the
Australian Public Service is strong and ready to meet the challenges of reform. We know this
because our research shows:
high levels of staff commitment with 87% of staff being highly motivated and
reporting consistently high levels of job satisfaction—around 80% in the past 3 years;
strong motivation and commitment from SES staff in particular—97% of SES staff
said they were highly motivated, and 92% reported positive satisfaction with their
work;
a continuing trend of a more educated workforce with 68.1% of ongoing staff engaged
during 2008–09 having graduate qualifications, up from 61.9% the previous year;
very high levels of awareness and confidence in applying APS Values and Codes of
Conduct—72% of employees agreeing that their agency operates with a high level of
integrity;
a strong desire for staff to work positively across organisational boundaries and
increasing recognition of the value of new technologies to facilitate organisational
collaboration; and
increasing discipline by agencies in the constrained budget environment with a
significant slowing in the growth of APS employment. Total APS employment rose by
1.4% in 2008–09, compared with previous years’ growth of 6.3% in 2006–07 and
2.8% in 2007–08. Growth was concentrated in agencies whose work was directly
linked to addressing economic and other contemporary challenges, such as Centrelink
and the Department of Climate Change.
Despite these positive outcomes, the report also outlines areas where improvement will better
position the APS to meet the policy and service delivery challenges facing the Service over
the next few years”, Ms McGregor said
2
Reflecting on low levels of participation of Indigenous Australians and those with disability in
APS employment, Ms McGregor said that we need to work hard to ensure that the APS is as
diverse as the population it serves. While the representation of Indigenous employees remains
constant at 2.1% in 2009, the proportion of employees with disability fell to 3.0% from 3.2%
last year.
“Other challenges include moving to more proactive workforce strategies in agencies and
across the APS, to better manage talent and succession. Further developing our leaders will
also be important for improving APS performance and employee engagement.”
The complex and strategic challenges facing Australia today also require the removal of
impediments to the APS working effectively across organisational boundaries, and engaging
more strongly with our citizens. “It is promising that 26 APS agencies reported using new
social media tools to support this dialogue during 2009” said Ms McGregor.
“Overall, this year’s State of the Service Report shows that we have a strong and healthy
foundation for future reform of the Australian Public Service” said Ms McGregor.
Copies of the State of the Service Report 2008–09 are available on the Australian Public
Contact Officer: Nicole Pietrucha
Group Manager, Research and Evaluation
Tel: 02 6202 3707 or E-mail: nicole.pietrucha@apsc.gov.au
NEWS 
