Federal Labor has agreed to consider further increases to flexible working in the Australian Public Service, get rid of the gender pay gap and safeguard bureaucrats from any misuse of artificial intelligence.
The commitments were voted on at the 50th ALP National Conference in Adelaide on the weekend, when delegates backed updates to the party's national platform to say the APS will "continue to lead on flexible work and working from home conditions, and explore opportunities to further improve work-life balance".
Katy Gallagher says the new Labor national platform reflects the Albanese government's commitments on the APS.
This was in recognition of "its importance to supporting a diverse workforce and jobs across Australia".
Finance and Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher said the flexible working arrangements available in the federal public service were "rated alongside remuneration as the most important conditions when considering a career in the APS".
Flexible work can include working-from-home and leave arrangements along with regular working hours agreements that allow public servants to start and finish early, such as when needed to pick children up from school.
Taking lunch breaks at times that align with exercise classes, cultural and reproductive leave and time in lieu are other arrangements that aim to improve public servants' work-life balance.
The main public sector union is also seeking a four-day work week trial and increased annual leave entitlements as part of its negotiations with the Albanese government for a new APS-wide enterprise bargaining agreement, which the Commonwealth has pledged to consider in "good faith".
The new agreement will replace the 2023 pay deal that is due to expire early next year.
Senator Gallagher has previously said the APS-wide bargaining process will deliver "fair, consistent conditions" for APS employees, describing the bargaining round as an "opportunity to build on the progress already made, continue improving commonality in pay and conditions, and support the APS to be the model employer it should be".
'Human accountability' in APS use of AI
Other amendments passed on the weekend include that Labor "will ensure AI is not misused in the workplace, including in surveillance, recruitment, rostering and performance management".
"As AI is further adopted, identified productivity benefits will be shared with workers," the updated national platform says. "Labor recognises the safe and effective adoption of digital technology, including AI, has the capability to support enhanced and more efficient services.
"Labor will ensure the Commonwealth government is a model employer with the responsible adoption of AI.
This includes a commitment to consulting with its employees, the union, building capability, providing training and ensuring human accountability."
Senator Gallagher said the government was committed to "improving trust and outcomes in service delivery, policy design, and efficiency through the responsible and safe use of AI across government". "Our policies and staff capability initiatives support the safe and effective adoption of AI," she said.
The minister and ACT Labor senator also spoke in support of an amendment committing Labor to "achieving pay equity in the APS," saying the government would continue working towards eliminating the 4.4 per cent public sector gender pay gap.
'Govt must step in' on outsourcing: union
The updated platform also commits Labor to ensuring that APS call centre operations are "predominantly undertaken by public sector workers," as revealed by this masthead on Monday.
Community and Public Sector Union national president Beth Vincent-Pietsch said in a speech at the conference that the Australian Taxation Office's contracting of contact centre roles to labour hire firms needed to end.
"When the Albanese government was elected, it was committed to putting an end to wasteful outsourcing, and to bring public sector work back into the hands of trained and trusted public sector workers," Ms Vincent-Pietsch said.
"Although we have seen some movement, we are still seeing expensive consultants and ineffective labour hire firms profit from taxpayer dollars ... The CPSU is calling on all government agencies and departments to stop outsourcing this core responsibility, and the government must step in and direct them to do just that."
Senator Gallagher said the Albanese government "has rebuilt the Australian public service, including by bringing more than 13,000 outsourced jobs back into the APS".
"Under the strategic commissioning framework we are committed to bringing core work into the APS," she said.
"The framework sets a clear expectation that most roles and functions will be delivered by APS employees and outlines limited circumstances in which external workforces could be appropriate.
"The recently adopted Labor platform reflects this general commitment."
The Labor national conference takes place every three years and sets the party's policy agenda.
First published in The Canberra Times on July 28 2026 as Labor agrees to 'explore opportunities' for public servants to improve work-life balance by Dana Daniel
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