Your priorities

Last year, CPSU members had their say on the priority issues for consideration by the committee. Click here to read a full report on members' priorities

You can track progress against CPSU member priorities below.

Tuesday 23 September 2025 - report back from the latest APS Consultative Committee

At this meeting a range of important issues were covered, including: Gov AI with a focus on APS initiatives for building AI capability across the service, the development of new practical guidance for APS leaders to address psychosocial hazards in the workplace, and taking a collaborative approach for getting better work health and safety results.

• AI is coming, ready or not:
  At the 17 June meeting, CPSU tabled draft principles for safe and effective use of AI in the APS. CPSU members have been clear that there needs to be very strong safeguards including on transparency, protection for workers, strong consultation obligations and training for all employees on ethical and safe use. This meeting, DTA and Finance provided the Committee an update on APS initiatives to build capability including development of shared platform including peer to peer collaboration tools and learning and practice resources which integrate ethical principles. CPSU acknowledged the work and reiterated the importance of ensuring accessibility to all workers and more generally the importance of centring workers’ voices for ensuring the efficacy of the technology and risk management.
  
  
• Collaborative approaches in WHS gets better safety results:
  WHS continues to be a high priority for CPSU members, i.e., 21% of respondents to CPSU priorities for the APS CC listed WHS as a top three priority. CPSU members are striving for consistent best practice arrangements with appropriate consultation with workers and their union. CPSU discussed the value of union representation on WHS committees (national, local and sub-committees) in agencies such as ATO, Services Australia and Home Affairs as beneficial to continuous improvement of systems and worker consultation. Similarly, CPSU members have experienced better outcomes where there are agreed consultation arrangements. CPSU recommended development of clear guidance about collaboration and cooperation with worker representatives including negotiating and agreeing consultative arrangements and union representation on WHS committees and expectations on psychosocial risk management including all identified hazards in the Commonwealth Code of Practice and other matters that cause psychological harm such as workplace racism.
  
  
• Guidance on better addressing psychosocial hazards in the workplace:
  The Committee heard from Safe Work Australia about ongoing regulatory reforms of psychosocial risk management. Committee also heard about the APS COO Committee’s psychosocial project which aims to uplift the identification, management and control of psychosocial risks and shifting the focus from compliance to capability. A key deliverable of the project is a psychosocial hazards playbook which is a practical guide to support APS leaders and managers. CPSU acknowledges the playbook as an important tool for improving consistency in identification, management and control of hazards. CPSU recommended the playbook is shared and discussed at the agency level for local implementation in consultation with workers and union representatives.

Progress report

Track the Consultative Committee's progress against CPSU member priorities below or by downloading our progress tracking document  .  

Ensuring newly won enterprise agreement conditions are followed in practice

--  Discussion underway 

Discussions to ensure improvements to conditions are followed in practice by APS agencies are ongoing.

Improvements to recruitment practices in the APS

--  Discussion underway

• Meeting #5, 17 June 2025:
  CPSU members have been saying for some time that changes are needed to ensure recruitment and selection processes across the APS are fair and based on merit. Members have already had a significant win with Services Australia agreeing to bring recruitment and selection processes for APS5 roles and above back in house, with no use of AI, and scrapping psychometric testing and on-way video interviews. The APSC tabled a number of items on this topic, including:
    -  A guide to understanding and applying the merit principle
    -  Principles and practices for managing candidates’ use of AI in recruitment
  The CPSU has provided feedback on these initiatives, in line with the CPSU principles.
  
  
• Meeting #2, 17 September 2024:
  CPSU members have identified improvements to recruitment and selection processes in the APS as a high priority. At the APS Consultative Committee meeting, the CPSU presented CPSU members’ detailed survey feedback on the topic, and outlined areas where change is needed, including: 1. Outsourced recruitment practices; 2. Bulk recruitment; 3. Appropriate selection tools and processes; 4. Merit pools; 5. Use of Artificial Intelligence; 6. Diversity in the APS; 7. Slow processes. There was useful discussion in the Committee, and a number of agencies identified changes they are already making, including examples of improved bulk recruitment rounds and more transparent use of merit pools. The CPSU is seeking members’ support for significant changes to APS recruitment and selection practices to address each of the 7 key issues. This will provide the basis for further CPSU advocacy for change.

Secure jobs in the APS

--  Discussion underway

• Meeting #2, 17 September 2024:
  Secure jobs remain a high priority for CPSU members. have already made significant gains on job security, including large numbers of labour hire converted to APS jobs, bringing outsourced work back into the APS, and holding APS agencies to account on casual conversion. At the APS Consultative Committee meeting, the CPSU focused discussion on four key areas: 1. Ongoing employment as the usual form of employment in the APS, and the processes that are in place to ensure APS agency heads uphold this principle. 2. Non-ongoing and fixed term employment, and the steps agencies are taking to implement recent changes to the Fair Work Act on fixed term employment. 3. Casual conversion. The union movement has won improvements to the Fair Work Act to facilitate casual conversion. The CPSU has won further changes in the APS that now require APS agencies to conduct merit selection processes for eligible casuals. There was discussion on the steps being taken to implement these important changes for APS casuals. 4. Reducing outsourcing. The CPSU has long advocated for the reduction of wasteful and ineffective outsourcing in the APS, and to return core APS work back in house. The Strategic Commissioning Framework requires agencies to set and report on specific target for bringing work back into the APS. Not all APS agencies met those requirements. There was discussion in the meeting about the work the APSC is doing to support agencies to adopt a consistent approach to reporting to meet their requirements. At the agency level, CPSU delegates will continue to raise this issue with agencies at consultative committees.

Addressing APS capability, including critical skills gaps

----  Discussion underway

• Meeting #6, 23 September 2025:
  AI is coming, ready or not
  At the 17 June meeting, CPSU tabled draft principles for safe and effective use of AI in the APS. CPSU members have been clear that there needs to be very strong safeguards including on transparency, protection for workers, strong consultation obligations and training for all employees on ethical and safe use. This meeting, DTA and Finance provided the Committee an update on APS initiatives to build capability including development of shared platform including peer to peer collaboration tools and learning and practice resources which integrate ethical principles. CPSU acknowledged the work and reiterated the importance of ensuring accessibility to all workers and more generally the importance of centering workers’ voices for ensuring the efficacy of the technology and risk management.
   
• Meeting #5, 17 June 2025:
  Specialists and Professionals - The CPSU has been calling for more detailed discussions on specialists and professionals, including adequate career pathways, measures to attract and retain, and common APS-wide approaches.
  The APSC has established a Specialists’ Reference Group, and the first meeting was held on 12 June. There was a broad-ranging discussion about:
    - Career pathways
    - Remuneration
    - Location of roles
    - APS-wide approaches
  
  Data, Digital and Cyber Workforce Plan - The Plan is in its first year, and the CPSU will be holding discussions with members gather feedback to inform implementation.
  
  AI protections and safeguards in the APS - CPSU members have said clearly that there needs to be very strong safeguards for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the APS, including transparency, the protection of workers’ rights, strong consultation obligations, and more. At the June meeting, the CPSU tabled the following draft principles for safe and effective use of AI in the APS, which is based on member and delegate feedback, including members who are subject matter experts. There will be further discussions on AI in the APS in the coming months, and in the lead up to a second round of service-wide bargaining.
  
  
• Meeting #4, 4 March 2025:
  CPSU representatives outlined the need for:
    - Career pathways for specialists and professionals, with a move towards greater consistency the APS
    - Alternatives to IFAs that are transparent, equitable, and don’t exacerbate the gender pay gap
    - Greater use of flexible work so that skilled employees can work in a broader range of locations
    - Updating the work level standards to better capture specialist and technical leadership, and protect against the undervaluation of service delivery work
    - Greater consistency in Graduate broadbands
  The CPSU and APS representatives will have more detailed discussions in the coming months as we work through these topics in a reference group.
  
  
• Meeting #3, 10 December 2024:
  Chris Fechner, CEO of the Digital Transformation Agency, addressed the APS Consultative Committee on the APS Digital Workforce Plan. CPSU members have expressed a strong interesting in making sure the APS has the capability to deliver for the Australian community, and in particular. The feedback of CPSU members who work in ICT and Digital in particular supported CPSU bargaining claims for a common, APS-wide ICT broadband to provide a clear and visible career pathway for ICT employees. There was a worthwhile discussion about this and other strategies to build digital skills in the APS, and the CPSU will keep engaging in dialogue on this important issue in the lead up to future bargaining.

Diversity in the APS

-- Not yet discussed

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment

--  Discussion underway

• Meeting #1, 25 June 2024:
  The Committee heard CPSU’s feedback from members who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander on: career pathways, cultural competency training (the need for consistency across the service, co-design with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander union members, and in-face training), retention in the APS, and more. The APSC has committed to working with the CPSU on cultural competency training and other measures to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment in the APS.

Respect@Work

-- Discussion underway

• Meeting #1, 25 June 2024:
  The Committee heard from the Sex Discrimination Commissioner about the steps that employers are now required to take by law to prevent and address sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination in the workplace. The CPSU highlighted the need for agencies to work with CPSU delegates and Health and Safety Representatives to develop prevention and response plans, and undertake risk assessments. There was a commitment to share resources amongst agencies in order to speed up progress on this important and necessary work.

A union voice in APS reform

-- Discussion underway

Integrity

• Meeting #2, 17 September 2024:
  The APSC put “Psychological Safety” on the agenda, which is about establishing a “pro-integrity” or “speak up” culture. The APSC outlined the scoping stage of this project, and progress to date. At this stage, the APSC is preparing practical guides to help agencies with implementation. The CPSU provided feedback to the APSC, including the need for adequate systems and processes. The CPSU also highlighted integrity in the APS is a critical issue for CPSU members. Right across the APS, members are looking to see a rigorous approach to addressing and preventing integrity failures, particularly in light of the egregious actions of senior leaders responsible for the Robodebt Scheme. Trust in the APS needs to be rebuilt, and this will take a concerted effort that acknowledges past mistakes. The CPSU recommended that work in this area needs to focused on rebuilding trust and establishing systems and processes that protect employees who raise integrity issues.

Work health and safety

-- Discussion underway

• Meeting #6, 23 September 2025:
  Collaborative approaches in WHS gets better safety results
  The CPSU discussed the value of union representation on WHS committees (national, local and sub-committees) in agencies such as ATO, Services Australia and Home Affairs as beneficial to continuous improvement of systems and worker consultation. CPSU members have experienced better outcomes where there are agreed consultation arrangements.
  The CPSU recommended development of clear guidance about collaboration and cooperation with worker representatives including negotiating and agreeing consultative arrangements and union representation on WHS committees and expectations on psychosocial risk management including all identified hazards in the Commonwealth Code of Practice and other matters that cause psychological harm such as workplace racism.
   
  Guidance on better addressing psychosocial hazards in the workplace
  Safe Work Australia discussed ongoing regulatory reforms of psychosocial risk management.
  The APS Chief Operating Officers Committee psychosocial project aims to uplift the identification, management and control of psychosocial risks and shift the focus from compliance to capability. A key deliverable of the project is a psychosocial hazards playbook which is a practical guide to support APS leaders and managers.
  The CPSU acknowledges the playbook as an important tool for improving consistency in identification, management and control of hazards and recommended the playbook is shared and discussed at the agency level for local implementation in consultation with workers and union representatives.