The Australian Public Service (APS) Employee Census is an annual survey administered by the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC). The survey is used to collect confidential attitude and opinion information from APS employees on issues in the workplace.

The ANAO recognises the survey provides an opportunity for employees to share their experience of working within our organisation and the public service – and for the ANAO to respond to this feedback. In responding, the ANAO seeks to create strategies to both improve the operations of our organisation and the experience of our people.

As outlined within our Corporate Plan 2023-24, the ANAO is committed to upholding an organisational culture that is driven by our values – integrity, respect and excellence – and focused on providing a positive working experience for our people.

In 2023, the APS Employee Census was conducted from 8 May to 9 June. The ANAO had a response rate of 89 per cent, with 329 of 371 employees responding to the survey. ANAO staff participation in the survey compared favourably with the APS more generally, which reported a response rate of 80 per cent. A high response rate gives the ANAO assurance that the results are representative of how staff feel about their work and the workplace.

Overall, the ANAO results were positive, reflecting a workforce that strongly believes in the purpose and objectives of the ANAO. The ANAO scored strongly against the indices of ‘Employee Engagement’; ‘Communication’; ‘Leadership-SES’; and ‘Leadership-Immediate Supervisor’ – receiving an index score of 75 or above. The results show that not only have we improved or maintained our results in these areas over the last 12 months but in all cases, the ANAO sits above the overall APS scores. In previous years, our SES and leaders have focused on improving communication and engagement. These continue to be areas of strength and will remain a focus in the way we work.

Table 1: ANAO census results – 2023

The ANAO received an index score of 69 for ‘Wellbeing Policies and Support’ and 64 for ‘Enabling Innovation’ – scores which while comparable to the overall APS, are lower than results for other key areas for the ANAO. Based on these results, the ANAO will seek opportunities to improve staff experience in relation to wellbeing and innovation as key focus areas of our ANAO Census Action Plan 2023-24.

Focus area: wellbeing

Auditing is an important profession, and we recognise that our people are our most valuable asset. The demanding and cyclical nature of our work means that our people work in a challenging environment, to deliver quality products in a timely manner, to meet accountability and transparency requirements for the Parliament. Wellbeing is, and will continue to be, a key priority of the ANAO in supporting our people.

Focus area: innovation

Auditing is a specialised discipline based on professional standards. The technical, evidence-based nature of our work means that innovation is tested and assured before being integrated into audit and business practices and processes. The ANAO recognises the innovations we have seen in how we communicate our work through improving the design of our reports, releasing new products such as Insights, developing new audit methodologies (including automation of audit processes), and increasing collaboration through technology and workplace.

Innovation – and enabling our staff to be innovative – is a key priority of the ANAO in supporting the development of our people, and the quality of our audit work.

Two important areas for innovation to focus on in the coming year are the impact of automation and artificial intelligence, and the most productive use of our office workspace.

In 2024, we will engage with our workforce to identify future innovations in these areas – whether large or small.

The ANAO Census Action Plan 2023-24 has been endorsed by the ANAO Executive Board of Management (EBOM). The plan will be monitored by the Chief Operating Officer and reported on to the People and Change Committee and EBOM. Results against this plan will be included in the next census action plan.