Government social security and welfare payments are expected to clear $300 billion next year, despite cuts to most welfare departments. Payments to aged pensioners, veterans, people with disabilities, the unemployed, students and other welfare recipients will grow from $297 billion to $309 billion. This is forecast to increase about 8.5%
The Department of Parliamentary Services is sending senators to AusTender to learn more about its contracts with five external legal service providers, worth more than $2.7 million. A response to a question on notice from Senator Jane Hume requested an outline of how disciplinary procedures are run. The same question
Australia missed every National Packaging Target in 2025. The headline figure, 44% average recycled content against a 50% goal, has been attributed to infrastructure gaps, consumer behaviour, and the complexity of packaging supply chains. These explanations are accurate but incomplete. They describe symptoms of a more fundamental problem: the market
My recent opinion piece on generational change in the APS attracted a lot of interest, and I received many comments. Several people asked about the type of graduates that are recruited into the APS and whether they represent a cross-section of society. So I had a look. But first, some
A child’s safety will be the main concern in considering whether to remove them from their family under new laws following the high-profile death of a five-year-old girl. The legal changes come as the NT government announces former NSW Police commissioner Karen Webb will co-lead an inquiry into the conduct
Federal Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, in her budget lockup press conference, said that the government thought the Australian Public Service was “about the right size”. That claim is borne out by the budget numbers. APS total average staffing levels grew by a mere 1,315 between 2025-26 and the budget year,
A message from Finance, Women, the Public Service and Government Services Minister Katy Gallagher in Budget Paper 4 has set the government’s expectations for its workforce. Gallagher included highlights about APS efforts that the government was prioritising in 2026-27, noting that Labor’s first term of government was about restoring a
APS agency resourcing will stall over the next four years, according to the 2026 federal budget. The public service is responsible for administering approximately $833.3 billion in total in the 2026-17 financial year, up from $785.7 billion. Departmental expenses will grow modestly from $165 billion to $167 billion. This is
APS headcount increases will cease in the coming year, according to the 2026 federal budget. Average staffing level (ASL) is expected to move from 215,941 this financial year to 217,256 in 2026-27. Last year’s actual is 2,592 above the 213,349 estimated in the 2025 budget. Once the Australian Defence Force
This year’s federal budget lays out a plan for the government to save more than it spends, implement tax reform, lift economic productivity, ease cost-of-living pressures, and take measures to temper the global crisis. The budget bottom line is stronger than the MYEFO forecast at $44.9 billion, in part achieved
Representatives from the Department of Finance met with PwC Australia eight times during 2025 as part of monitoring the firm’s integrity issues. Seven of those meetings were held in the lead-up to Finance finalising its report, which ultimately recommended that PwC Australia could be allowed back as a service provider
NSW Transport secretary Josh Murray has moved to hose down fears of escalating job cuts at the agency, after the NSW Public Sector Association demanded answers as to why there had been a sharp spike in employees placed on “mobility”. This is a required move used to find displaced employees
Government social security and welfare payments are expected to clear $300 billion next year, despite cuts to most welfare departments. Payments to aged pensioners, veterans, people with disabilities, the unemployed, students and other welfare recipients will grow from $297 billion to $309 billion. This is forecast to increase about 8.5%
The Department of Parliamentary Services is sending senators to AusTender to learn more about its contracts with five external legal service providers, worth more than $2.7 million. A response to a question on notice from Senator Jane Hume requested an outline of how disciplinary procedures are run. The same question
Australia missed every National Packaging Target in 2025. The headline figure, 44% average recycled content against a 50% goal, has been attributed to infrastructure gaps, consumer behaviour, and the complexity of packaging supply chains. These explanations are accurate but incomplete. They describe symptoms of a more fundamental problem: the market
My recent opinion piece on generational change in the APS attracted a lot of interest, and I received many comments. Several people asked about the type of graduates that are recruited into the APS and whether they represent a cross-section of society. So I had a look. But first, some
A child’s safety will be the main concern in considering whether to remove them from their family under new laws following the high-profile death of a five-year-old girl. The legal changes come as the NT government announces former NSW Police commissioner Karen Webb will co-lead an inquiry into the conduct
Federal Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, in her budget lockup press conference, said that the government thought the Australian Public Service was “about the right size”. That claim is borne out by the budget numbers. APS total average staffing levels grew by a mere 1,315 between 2025-26 and the budget year,
A message from Finance, Women, the Public Service and Government Services Minister Katy Gallagher in Budget Paper 4 has set the government’s expectations for its workforce. Gallagher included highlights about APS efforts that the government was prioritising in 2026-27, noting that Labor’s first term of government was about restoring a
APS agency resourcing will stall over the next four years, according to the 2026 federal budget. The public service is responsible for administering approximately $833.3 billion in total in the 2026-17 financial year, up from $785.7 billion. Departmental expenses will grow modestly from $165 billion to $167 billion. This is
APS headcount increases will cease in the coming year, according to the 2026 federal budget. Average staffing level (ASL) is expected to move from 215,941 this financial year to 217,256 in 2026-27. Last year’s actual is 2,592 above the 213,349 estimated in the 2025 budget. Once the Australian Defence Force
This year’s federal budget lays out a plan for the government to save more than it spends, implement tax reform, lift economic productivity, ease cost-of-living pressures, and take measures to temper the global crisis. The budget bottom line is stronger than the MYEFO forecast at $44.9 billion, in part achieved
Representatives from the Department of Finance met with PwC Australia eight times during 2025 as part of monitoring the firm’s integrity issues. Seven of those meetings were held in the lead-up to Finance finalising its report, which ultimately recommended that PwC Australia could be allowed back as a service provider
NSW Transport secretary Josh Murray has moved to hose down fears of escalating job cuts at the agency, after the NSW Public Sector Association demanded answers as to why there had been a sharp spike in employees placed on “mobility”. This is a required move used to find displaced employees
