Fact Sheet
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Listening to a witness statement |
The Public Administration sector includes institutions, usually referred to as departments that engage in central, state or local government legislative, executive and judicial activities. They administer, oversee, and manage public programs and activities that are not provided by private companies. They collect revenue and distribute public funds to individuals, organisations and other countries in some cases, according to the policy priorities established by elected governments.
At the Commonwealth level, the Public Administration sector consists of a Prime Minister, Ministers, Parliament, departments and numerous statutory authorities, boards, commissions, etc. The judicial system includes the High Court, Federal Court, Family Law Court and other judicial bodies.
State governments are similar. They have a Premier, Ministers and Parliaments and departments, which are responsible for financial and economic management of their state/territory, the operation of their parliaments, and administration of all state/territory government responsibilities.
Local governments are elected to represent their local communities and to provide a focus for community identity and civic spirit; to provide appropriate services to meet community needs; and to facilitate and coordinate local efforts and resources in pursuit of community goals.
Public Administration is the 6th largest subdivisional employer as identified by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 2006, with 400,467 employed in the sector. Of these, 295,156 were full-time and 78,193 part-time. In the 2006/07 financial year, the Public Administration and Safety Industry combined contributed $36.556 billion to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).