12-11-2025 
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Digitization is improving public trust in the Australian Public Service (APS) by providing greater transparency and improved service quality, according to a new report from Australia’s Public Service Commission.
This week, the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC), a statutory agency of the Australian Government that oversees the organizational and workforce capability of public services in the country, published its ‘State of the Service Report 2024–25.’
The report revealed that trust in public services had increased by 4 points to 62% over the past year—the first time it has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic—while trust in specific services increased to 73% in 2025, compared with 71% in 2024. According to the APSC research, digitization played a major role in this improvement.
“When asked why their trust had increased, people most often talked about reduced wait times, improved digital services, greater transparency and communication, and improved service quality and staff helpfulness,” said APS Commissioner Dr Gordon de Brouwer, commenting on the report.
He added that “advances in technology over recent decades have transformed what the APS workforce can deliver, and this is accelerating… APS agencies are building and implementing technologies in-house to drive innovation and efficiency gains in public-facing services.”
Specifically, de Brouwer outlined how some agencies are collaborating with research and industry partners “to leverage expertise and technologies that support economic and environmental outcomes,” while other agencies are building platforms to support APS-wide activities or apply new technologies to their specific requirements.
In terms of the technologies in question, he particularly highlighted how the application of artificial intelligence (AI) had enhanced various aspects of public services.
“This year’s report has 12 case studies demonstrating how APS agencies are responding to the opportunities offered by increasing use of AI,” said the APC Commissioner. “These case studies span service delivery, compliance and fraud detection, law enforcement and security, scientific endeavours and corporate and enabling services.”AI comes with a certain amount of baggage when it comes to public perception, such as concerns about data use and misuse, accuracy, and an opaque underlying system. For this reason, as AI is increasingly applied to improve efficiency in public services, it is essential to pair this with a level of transparency to maintain public trust.
This is the approach Australia has taken to the issue, with de Brouwer emphasizing that public trust was maintained by combining the application of the technology with “a policy framework for the safe and responsible adoption of AI.”
According to the APSC report, public service agencies also used AI transparency statements to outline their approaches, enabling the public to understand why and how they are utilizing AI tools to support their work.
Based on the improvement in public trust shown by the APSC’s ‘Trust in Australian public services: 2025 Annual Report’—also quoted in its end-of-year ‘State of the Service’ Report—this careful approach to AI use is paying off.
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