Professor Glyn Davis AC, Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, delivered the Annual Address to the APS at the National Press Club of Australia this Wednesday.

Prof Davis said that the Australian Public Service should exist in the interest of all Australians and spoke about its important role in our community.

Key takeaways included:

✒️ Public servants have the privilege of addressing some of the most pressing issues of our time. They are driven by the purpose of their work and making a difference.
✒️ The APS should ensure that it stewards its role with a focus on who it serves.
✒️ Public servants play an important role in delivering government initiatives and ensuring their effective execution. APS staff should use their problem-solving skills to ensure effective delivery.
✒️ The total number of APS staff is a politically contentious discussion. When considering philosophical differences on the size of government, we should consider the data and think about how APS had changed more slowly as a proportion of the Australian workforce over time.
✒️ Multi-agency cooperation, aligned with shared goals and clear purpose is a valuable way for the APS to work beyond traditional boundaries and present interesting and challenging work for our people.

The secretary spoke about the many individuals he had met throughout the public service, who joined the APS out of a genuine commitment to serve and create a meaningful impact.

The address was chaired by Katherine Jones PSM FIPAA, IPAA ACT President and Secretary of the Attorney-General’s Department. Gordon de Brouwer, Australian Public Service Commissioner, delivered the closing remarks.

Transcript – a copy of the transcript is here – Annual Address.
Video – a video of the event is below or can be viewed on the IPAA ACT Vimeo channel.
Photos – a selection of photos are available below (Photo credit: contentgroup)