Despite the ever-increasing demands and complexity of APS work, it's Groundhog Day again with APS services and jobs shaping up to be front and centre of the upcoming election contest.

While the Albanese government has spent the last two years repairing and rebuilding the APS after a decade of damage and disrespect, the Coalition have already said they will cut 36,000 jobs - almost 20 per cent of the entire public service - if they win government again.

A new report released today shows the progress the Australian Public Service (APS) is making to bring core work back in-house and reducing the reliance on external contractors and consultants.

For more than a decade, the Liberal’s supressed the true size of the public service by outsourcing core public service work to more expensive contractors and maintaining an artificial and arbitrary cap on public service numbers.

In 2023, as part of the Albanese Government’s efforts to rebuild the APS, the Strategic Commissioning Framework was released.

Thank you to the Youth Mill Performing Arts Company for the wonderful Welcome to Country.

And thank you Professor Cass for the warm introduction and the invitation to speak today.

As a Saltwater woman from the Yanyuwa Garrawa people, I pay my respects to the Larrakia people.

It was just 3 months ago that I was sworn in as the Minister for Indigenous Australians - an incredible honour.

My priority, as part of the Albanese Labor Government, is on Closing the Gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and our fellow Australians.

LARISSA BEHRENDT, HOST: This is Speaking Out, I'm Larissa Behrendt. It's been more than 12 months since the failed referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. In the time since, many Australians have been looking for clarity as to what the national agenda will be for Indigenous affairs moving forward. Malarndirri McCarthy has been working in politics for more than two decades. In 2016, she was elected as a Senator for the Northern Territory. Before entering politics, she was a successful journalist and broadcaster.

This year marks 50 years since Labor established the Office for Women to advance the rights of women and girls in Australia and drive transformational social reforms.

Since its establishment as the Women’s Affairs Section within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in 1974, the Office for Women has been pivotal to advancing gender equality in Australia.

This year marks 50 years since Labor established the Office for Women to advance the rights of women and girls in Australia and drive transformational social reforms.

Since its establishment as the Women’s Affairs Section within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in 1974, the Office for Women has been pivotal to advancing gender equality in Australia.

GREG JENNETT, HOST: The Minister for Indigenous Australians is in Melbourne today announcing a national expansion of the successful Indigenous Rangers Program. We covered some issues of the week with her, starting with some of those findings of the broad-ranging COVID-19 response report that came out earlier this week.

Malarndirri McCarthy, always good to have you on the program with us. Welcome back for another week. Look, I've been trying to do my best --

MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY, MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS: Lovely to join you.

NARELDA JACOBS, HOST: The hugely successful Indigenous Ranger Program is being expanded. More than a thousand new jobs will be offered and over 100 programs will be funded. For more, I'm joined by Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy. Minister, welcome to Lunchtime. This is your first time speaking with me as Minister. This is a $355 million investment for the Ranger Program expansion. What's the return?

BILL NICHOLSON, WURUNDJERI WOI-WURRUNG ELDER: [Speaks in language.] Welcome and greetings in the local language here, the language of the Wurundjeri people. We are the traditional custodians of this land that we’re on today and we are here to celebrate a great success of our community, what we call our Narrap Team, which is our land management team, which incorporates Wurundjeri culture and cultural practices within modern-day land management.

More than 1,000 new Indigenous ranger jobs will be created across the country, with the Albanese Labor Government investing $355 million over four years to expand the Indigenous Rangers Program.

First Nations women will make up the vast majority of the new full-time, part-time and casual roles, with up to 770 Indigenous ranger positions.

115 projects will receive funding including 35 in Queensland, 23 in Western Australia, 21 in New South Wales, 12 in Northern Territory, 11 in South Australia, 9 in Victoria and 4 in Tasmania.