More than 550 APS breaches revealed in State of the Service report
By Miriam Webber November 27 2024
Public servants need to be clear about "where the boundaries lie" a senior bureaucrat has said in his annual report, which sets out integrity as a headline issue for the service.
Public Service Commissioner Gordon de Brouwerissued the message after a year of scandal for the upper echelons of the public service, including findings of code of conduct breaches against three former secretaries - Mike Pezzullo, Renée Leon and Kathryn Campbell.
"We are here to do things, but we are also clear about where the boundaries lie," Dr de Brouwer's message in the 2024 State of the Service report reads.
"The vast majority of public servants perform their jobs capably and with integrity. Reflecting on our recent lessons learnt in the APS will make us firmer in our resolve to do this."
The report is released annually and sets out an overview of the public service. It is published the same time as service-wide staff survey results, which provide insight into how effectively government agencies are performing.
It reveals that 555 public servants were found to have breached their code of conduct in the 2023-24 financial year, following 647 investigations.
Public Service Commissioner Gordon de Brouwer at Senate estimates in 2024. Picture by Elesa Kurtz
This figure has increased from the 2022-23 financial year, when 526 public servants breached their obligations.
The APS Code of Conduct sets out a broad range of expected values and behaviours for public servants, including displaying honesty and integrity, maintaining appropriate confidentiality, avoiding conflicts of interest, and treating others with respect.
Breaches attract sanctions based on severity, with less serious cases receiving reprimands, while in more extreme situations public servants can be sacked, fined or demoted.
Of the 555 public servants who breached their obligations in 2023-24, only 356 received any sanction, though some received multiple.
The majority of sanctions were reprimands (264), while on the other end of the spectrum nine people had their classification reduced.
Commenting on trends in the annual public service scorecard, Dr de Brouwer said it showed capability and integrity as enduring and linked themes.
"We want the public to trust government and to trust us," he said.
"The two ways you develop trust and maintain trust [are] that people think you do your job well and that they think you do your job honestly and fairly.
"Doing your job well is capability, being honest and fair is integrity. So that's why those two themes are [at the centre of how] we ensure that the public can trust us in a world where we need trust."
The agency is currently developing an integrity strategy for the whole sector, in partnership with the Attorney-General's Department, in order to improve visibility of the issue, bolster coordination and data sharing.
Dr de Brouwer said he was proud to have overseen an amendment to the Public Service Act, which inserted the value of stewardship.
"Every public servant has responsibility in the workplace to be a steward, and that means how you conduct yourself, how you operate and do your job, how you think about what that means for the future, how you put it in the context and how you strengthen your institutions, is your responsibility, and that personalises it," he said.
"It not only gives public servants that responsibility, but it gives them agency to exercise that facility."
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Assistant Minister for the Public Service Patrick Gorman said the report and attached census results reflected the valuable job public servants do each day.
"Despite a challenging few years, including the impact from robodebt, it is encouraging to see high engagement levels among APS employees," Mr Gorman said.
"After a decade of neglect, investment in the public service is improving the delivery of vital services for the Australian people."
"The report shares how Australians are benefitting from investment in their public service."
The main public sector union was also optimistic about the latest census results, saying investments in the public service were improving culture.
"While there is still more to do, things are clearly heading in the right direction in the APS," said Community and Public Sector Union national secretary, Melissa Donnelly.
"For ordinary Australians this means services are starting to improve, calls are being answered and backlogs are being reduced."