In a time of rapid geopolitical, technological and social change, this forum is a valuable opportunity to reflect on our shared mission:
To strengthen the foundation of trust, assurance and integrity in the public sector.
Your role as internal auditors is more crucial than ever. You are the experts shaping the future of public service.
Australia’s risk-taking tradition
But first, let us reflect on one fundamental truth. Australia, as a nation, has always embraced risk.
It is in our history, our culture, and our national identity. From forging new paths, to navigating uncharted waters. Risk and innovation has been our constant companion, shaping the Australia we know today.
Consider the story of aviation pioneers Charles Kingsford Smith and his co-pilot Charles Ulm. In 1928, they set out with their American crew members and made the first-ever trans-Pacific flight from the United States to Australia. Their journey started at Oakland airfield outside San Francisco.
The risks seemed insurmountable. Their aircraft, the Southern Cross, a rugged, fabric-covered plane, was far from the comfortable, reliable machines we know today. Their journey faced storms, mechanical failures and the vast, uncharted Pacific Ocean. Forcing Kingsford Smith and Ulm to fly ‘blind’, just using their instruments.
Yet, despite these overwhelming challenges, they navigated through with remarkable precision, determination and adaptability. After 83 hours and 38 minutes, covering 11,585 kilometres, they reached Eagle Farm Aerodrome in Brisbane. Where 15,000 people were waiting to greet them.
This achievement was not just a triumph of aviation. It shows what can be accomplished when we take calculated risks and rely on the tools, training and expertise that we have at our disposal.
Similarly, in public service, internal audit is an integral part of the system in helping us take those same calculated risks. With strong guardrails, the right tools and a watchful eye on accountability, we can assess risks and rely on independent assurance to keep us on course. Even in the face of uncertainty. Internal auditors may not be in the cockpit, but they play a crucial role in keeping us flying true - ensuring the integrity and transparency of our systems.
Taking personal risk
As someone who once dreamed of becoming a pilot, I often reflect on the courage and ingenuity that is needed. I wanted to soar through the skies, piloting my own aircraft. But life has a funny way of pushing us toward new paths.
Having asthma, needing glasses and other small but critical realities reminded me that I would need to change direction. Instead, my interests shifted towards public service, an area where I could see real change happen.
I came to recognise that the real adventure was not about flying planes, it was about navigating the complexities of government and people’s lives. Helping others rise above their challenges. Choosing public service meant embracing a career where every decision matters, much like the calculated risks pilots face every day.
Trust and the role of internal audit
Pilots rely on a huge degree of trust. In their instruments, co-pilots, crew and training. In the same way, passengers place huge amounts of trust in pilots to get them to their destination safely. Before a plane takes off, every system, instrument and tools is checked and crossed checked. Staff and pilots are working together to make the journey safe for passengers.
Just as trust is integral to flying a plane, trust is critical to effective government. It binds us together to work toward shared goals. Every policy, every service, every interaction with the public, each one is an opportunity to build trust. In fact, trust in public institutions is the bedrock of democracy.
Australians must have confidence that the government and public sector are working in their best interest.
Whether it is making the skies safe, a Medicare claim, a tax return, or support in times of crisis. To earn trust, the APS must be transparent, accountable and fair. That is where internal auditors come in.
You make sure we are not flying blind. You support our systems of risk management and internal controls. You provide independent assurance that we are meeting our obligations. You help identify risks before they become problems. You promote continuous improvement and foster a culture of integrity and strengthening the foundation of public trust. Your role promotes continuous improvement and foster a culture of integrity that strengthens the foundation of public trust.
Through reviews, advice and assurance, you help agencies correct course, manage risk and demonstrate that we are serious about doing the right thing. And speaking of auditors, I was fascinated to learn about another trailblazer. Australia’s first Auditor-General, John William Israel.
Israel was born in Launceston in 1850, back when it was still called Van Diemen’s Land.
His story is one of transformation and integrity. His father, John Cashmore Israel, had what you might call a colourful start. He was transported from England as a convict in 1818 for larceny. But he turned things around, swapping petty crime for pastries and pawn broking, and built a respectable life in Launceston as a baker, jeweller, and businessman.
By the 1850s, he was doing well enough to give his son a decent education, and as it turned out, a head start on a very different path in life. Israel went on to become a symbol of accountability and public trust, laying the foundations for the audit profession in Australia. His story shows that integrity is built through a commitment to doing what is right. That legacy lives on in each of you, as stewards of the audit profession who steer the public sector with honesty and precision.
Think of bold initiatives like the NDIS, Medicare expansion, or renewable energy investment. These high-risk ventures required steady navigators. People to ensure we stayed true to our course. Bold decisions and strong governance require oversight and accountability to ensure our performance and decisions serve the public interest. To uphold integrity and transparency in practice.
Internal audit plays a powerful role in the stewardship of the APS. Ensuring that the public service remains focused on delivering for the long term. In a complex and fast-moving environment, you act as a vital safeguard. Ensuring transparency and accountability, strengthening capability, promoting ethical practice, and helping agencies meet the high standards Australians expect.
As the ANAO Auditor General, Dr Caralee McLiesh, recently said:
“A lack of transparency means it is harder for people to understand government activity, to obtain information to make important decisions, and to participate in improving public life.”
You help us understand our risks, and where caution is needed. Your conversations shape those decisions. Internal audit is a powerful tool, tuning the instrument to ensure harmony. The truth is not always pretty, but it is what we need to navigate risk effectively. You test the system, so Australians can trust it works.
Ensuring integrity and transparency in government
Trust in public institutions in Australia has improved in recent years. The OECD identifies reliability, responsiveness, integrity, openness and fairness as key drivers of public trust in government institutions.
These are not lofty ideals; they are measurable benchmarks. The most recent OECD study from 2023 shows 46% of Australians reported high or moderately high trust in the federal government. Up 8 percentage points from 2021 and above the OECD average of 39%. Over the same timeframe, trust in the federal public service also rose, from 46% to 50%. Similarly, the Survey of Trust in Australian Public Services tells us that 58% of Australians currently trust the public service. That is holding steady. Satisfaction with the specific services sits even higher at 71%.
The signs are promising. They indicate services are keeping pace with rising expectations. But there is always room for improvement. Trust and integrity intertwine. Integrity means doing the right thing, putting Australian’s best interests at heart. It is about decision making and behaviours, not just delivery. It is having open data, public reporting and transparency.
We are building the tools and instruments to help guide us to stay on course and demonstrate integrity in everything we do. We cannot afford to sit back and assume that these tools alone are enough. Systems, policies, and frameworks only deliver value when they are tested, challenged, and refined.
You as auditors are here to guide us, challenge us, and hold us accountable to the highest standards. You bring an independent lens that keeps focused and aligned with our purpose. Your work strengthens decision-making, safeguards integrity, and ultimately ensures that the Australian public can have confidence in how government works.
The APS has already made significant progress to strengthen integrity across the service and for Australians. The Public Service Act 1999, has been strengthened with a new APS Value of Stewardship. As well as updates to ensure Ministers cannot direct Agency Heads on employment matters.The APS is also modernising the way workplace decisions are reviewed under the Public Service Regulations 2023.
This will ensure agencies are meeting their obligations to uphold the merit principle in promotion processes. In addition, the APS has progressed over 40 actions through the 'Louder than Words: an APS Integrity Action Plan' to support and promote a pro-integrity culture.
This includes building a speak-up culture to empower employees, managers, and leaders to raise concerns and challenge the status quo without fear of reprisal. Building on our efforts, the APS has introduced a suite of integrity training through the APS Academy to ensure public servants have the skills to uphold high standards. Transparency has been key.
The APS is committed to being transparent through a range of work programs. The Capability Review program and APS Census data are made public, along with action plans by agencies to address results. Government agencies are making customer feedback public.
There is more to do, but I am really pleased with the progress that has been made on integrity over the last few years.
Conclusion
As we look to the future, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the crucial role you and your colleagues play. You provide the stewardship, leadership and reassurance government needs to stay on course.
In times of bold decisions, rapid change and uncertainty, your oversight helps us in that process of decision-making. Making decisions that are effective, ethical and aligned with the trust placed in us by the Australian public. You ensure that we stay true to our values, doing what is right, even when it is not easy, and protecting the public’s trust.
As we embrace opportunities through AI and other technologies, let us remember: risk-managers and auditors are partners in progress. We need each other.
Together, we will continue building a public sector Australians can trust. One that is transparent, ethical and accountable to the people we serve. Your work helps us build a robust foundation of trust. Together, we can ensure that we not only earn public trust but also sustain it through the highest standards of ethical governance. Thank you.