Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced a review into the Australian Public Service (APS), seeking mainly to understand whether those staffing Australia's government departments are capable of ushering in the "next wave" of digital.
According to Turnbull, new technology and global developments are transforming the Australian economy and society, and as a result he believes it is timely to examine the capability, culture, and operating model of the APS to "ensure it is equipped to engage with the key policy, service delivery, and regulatory issues of the day".
"The APS has a long history advising successive Australian governments and serving the Australian people well, but a range of global, technological, and public policy developments are transforming our economy and our society, presenting both opportunities and challenges," Turnbull said in a statement on Friday.
"The public sector has a critical role in this context.
"The APS needs to be apolitical and professional, agile, innovative, and efficient -- driving both policy and implementation through coherent, collaborative, whole-of-government approaches. It must have the capability to meet core responsibilities and deliver functions, and to understand and deploy technology and data to drive improvement."
The terms of reference of the review note that the government is determined to ensure Australia capitalises on the opportunities the future presents to drive innovation, increase productivity, create jobs, improve citizens' experience of government, and deliver better services.
"The APS has a critical role in assisting government manage and respond to new and emerging challenges -- both in policy and implementation -- but it must be best placed to harness the opportunities, with the necessary in-house capability to both develop and implement solutions," the government wrote.
Specifically, the review will examine the