The Chair of the Independent Review of the Australian Public Service (APS), David Thodey has described the APS as one of the best in the world.
In an interview during which he spoke about the aim of the review and the broad work of the APS, Mr Thodey said it was not about fixing a specific problem, rather “getting ahead of what the future might hold for us all”.
Mr Thodey said it was easy to underestimate the size and scope of the institution of the Australian Public Service.
“It has more than 150,000 employees; 18 Departments of State, and nearly 100 Agencies and authorities,” Mr Thodey said.
He said these various organisations had a significant presence right across Australia and overseas, with enormous responsibilities and an enormous range of work.
He said they provided world class advice to Government; delivered well over $170 billion in payments; provided advice to 4.4 million users of business.gov.au each year and made more than 700 million digital and telephone transactions that Australians needed every year.
“There really is no other organisation in Australia which is so diverse or has such an impact,” Mr Thodey said.
“Our Public Servants truly have an impact on our lives at home and at work.
“They shape our democracy, economy and society — where we vote, how we operate as a business, how we invest in our country, how we look after people, and how our laws define how to live and operate.”
