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Strengthening Integrity in the APS Strategy

The Australian Public Service Commission published the Strengthening Integrity in the APS Strategy in June 2025.

As a custodian of the Australian Public Service Values, Code of Conduct and Employment Principles, the APSC plays a leading role in upholding high standards in the APS by administering the Employment and Integrity Framework under the Public Service Act 1999.

Under the strategy, the APS Commissioner’s functions relating to integrity will be strengthened through the pursuit of 4 objectives:

  • pro-actively using data to develop insights to monitor and evaluate the extent to which agencies incorporate and uphold the APS Values and Employment Principles
  • developing promotional activities to support people to know what integrity means in the APS, and building awareness and understanding of the APS Values, Code of Conduct and Employment Principles to drive ethical behaviour
  • making it easier to find guidance, advice and resources to build capability and support people to act and make decisions that are consistent with the framework
  • increasing the capability of agencies to deliver on workforce management with particular effort on uplifting investigative and recruitment skills as 2 important fundamentals of integrity.

The strategy will be delivered through 3 focus areas: monitoring and evaluation, assurance, and promotion and capability.

Implementation will ensure the APSC is:

  • clearly outlining its approach to administering the APS Employment and Integrity Framework
  • providing accessible guidance on operating in a principles-based framework
  • promoting its role as a framework owner and the components of the framework
  • assessing the extent to which mandatory obligations under the framework are being met.

The Employment and Integrity Framework described in the Public Service Act 1999 ꟷ and supporting regulations, directions and guidance ꟷ set expectations for how the APS behaves and how people are to be treated as APS employees.

See also in this report

Integrity and conduct in the APS – Supporting an APS integrity culture

Find out more

Australian Public Service Commission (2025) Strengthening Integrity in the APS, APSC website, accessed 21 July 2025.

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Acknowledgement of Country

The APSC acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.