Senior Executive Service cultural and linguistic diversity
The Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Employment (CALD) Strategy and Action Plan introduced a reportable benchmark of 24% for CALD representation in the Senior Executive Service (SES). This will lead to an Australian Public Service leadership cohort that reflects the Australian population and wider APS. While the strategy acknowledges that CALD is multi-dimensional in nature, the single metric of ‘First language not exclusively English’ has been selected for tracking against the reportable benchmark.
APS agencies collect information on first language from SES employees in their human resources information systems, which they then report to the Australian Public Service Commission’s centralised APS Employment Database (APSED).
Figure AB 3 and Table AB 3 show members of the SES with a first language not exclusively English in selected agencies as at 30 June 2025.
Figure AB 3: SES cultural and linguistic diversity, by agency
Source: APSED
Table AB 3: SES cultural and linguistic diversity, by agency
| Agency | CALD SES (% of APS SES employees) |
|---|---|
| Total SES | 11.8 |
| Federal Court of Australia | 28.6 |
| Australian Public Service Commission | 18.8 |
| Foreign Affairs and Trade | 18.5 |
| Finance | 18.2 |
| National Disability Insurance Agency | 18.0 |
| Australian Trade and Investment Commission | 17.0 |
| Education | 16.2 |
| Services Australia | 16.1 |
| Australian Taxation Office | 15.3 |
| Bureau of Meteorology | 12.5 |
| Veterans' Affairs | 12.2 |
| Prime Minister and Cabinet | 12.0 |
| Home Affairs | 11.3 |
| Health, Disability and Ageing | 10.1 |
| Attorney-General's | 9.8 |
| Employment and Workplace Relations | 9.5 |
| Defence | 9.0 |
| Australian Competition and Consumer Commission | 8.6 |
| Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | 8.5 |
| Australian Bureau of Statistics | 8.3 |
| Treasury | 8.3 |
| Industry, Science and Resources | 8.2 |
| Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry | 7.1 |
| Social Services | 6.8 |
| Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission | 5.9 |
| Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts |
5.7 |
| National Indigenous Australians Agency | 1.7 |
Source: APSED