| Recommendation: 25 | Strengthen the APS by recruiting, developing and promoting more people with diverse views and backgrounds | Overall status: Underway |
| Thodey guidance | Status | Delivery on Thodey |
|---|---|---|
| Secretaries Board to set a 2030 diversity goal: the APS to reflect and understand the people and communities it serves. | Underway | The Government has committed to the development of an APS strategy to improve the cultural and linguistic diversity of the APS and strengthen employment outcomes for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) employees. The APSC is developing a strategy to strengthen inclusion and diversity in the APS, including measures to address barriers to representation and progression of CALD employees. In addition, work is currently underway on developing a strong Employee Value Proposition to support flexible and remote work across the APS. |
| Secretaries Board to set ambitious diversity and inclusion targets, with milestones and reporting schedule, in an APS Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. | Underway | The APS CALD strategy will complement other diversity and inclusion strategies endorsed by the Secretaries Board which include ambitious employment targets including:
Reporting is conducted biannually through the APS Employment data release and annually through the State of the Service Report. Each workforce strategy includes reporting and evaluation timelines and commitments. |
| APS 200 to be collectively and individually responsible for helping achieve targets, supported by relevant training and other initiatives. | Underway | Senior leaders have clear accountabilities for driving delivery of APS workforce strategies and this will be further enhanced through expectations for modelling and improving personal cultural capability set out in the new SES performance framework that has been launched. |
| Secretaries Board to instigate regular merit-based special-measures recruitment rounds and mid-career development for diverse groups, coordinated by the APSC — starting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people with a disability. | Underway | The Government has committed to boosting First Nations employment in the APS, including a commitment to increase the number of First Nations SES from 44 to 100 by 2024‐25. $3.4 million was committed to this work in the May 2023 Budget. |