Institute of Public Administration Australia (ACT) Limited

The role of the Australian Public Service, as defined in the Public Service Act 1999, is to apolitically, efficiently and effectively serve the Government, the Parliament and the Australian people. With this in mind, what is the role of the APS at Federal election time? What processes and procedures does the APS need to follow to keep the cogs of government turning while continuing to serve key stakeholders during caretaker periods?

In this episode we’re joined by Dr Stein Helgeby the Parliamentary Budget Officer, Peter Rush, Assistant Secretary of Parliamentary and Government at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Rina Bruinsma, First Assistant Commissioner at the Australian Public Service Commission and Katrina di Marco, First Assistant Secretary of Tax Analysis division at The Treasury. Key learnings include:

• An overview of caretaker conventions.
• The role of the Parliamentary Budget Office.
• The relationship between the APS and Ministerial offices.
• Staying apolitical.