In November 2025, the Department of Finance, Digital Transformation Agency, and the Australian Public Service Commission released a new plan for the adoption of AI in the APS. Below are the FAQs.
How was the plan developed? Unsurprisingly, a collaborative approach was used involving various entities and individuals. Key contributors were officers from across the APS, and participants from the Technology in Government Roundtable. The plan’s implementation is a joint responsibility led by Finance, DTA, and APSC.
Is the plan binding? The plan lays the foundations for government action. It mandates updates to the Policy for the responsible use of AI in government. That policy will then introduce mandatory requirements for APS agencies and staff. The plan drives overall strategy but ultimately agencies are responsible for their own adoption and use of AI.
Does the plan apply only to federal government? Yes. But it may have trickle down effects for state government.
Why did the government make this plan public? Primarily to maintain and build trust and confidence with the Australian people. (The Robodebt incident, for example, significantly decreased public trust.) The government wants to ensure the introduction of AI across the APS is transparent, inclusive and well managed.
What is the key purpose of the plan? The key purpose is to improve government service delivery, policy outcomes, efficiency, and productivity, through substantially increasing the use of AI in government. The plan aims to achieve this by positioning the government to increase the safe and responsible use of AI within government.
How will the government make it happen? The government will implement a coordinated program of projects and investments structured around 3 mutually reinforcing pillars: trust, people, and tools.
Trust: The government will update policies and guidance (including the policy for responsible use of AI in government), establish an AI review committee, and add clauses to the Commonwealth Contracting Suite.
People: The government will uplift AI literacy by providing training to all staff, appoint a Chief AI Officer for every agency, and establish a central function called AI delivery and enablement (AIDE).
Tools: The government will expand access to AI technologies e.g. GovAI Chat, and provide guidance in relation to the use of public tools.
What will happen next? There should be a rapid rollout of foundational policies and the establishment of new government bodies and tools later in 2025 and 2026. Specifically:
We await amendments to the Commonwealth Contracting Suite.
We anticipate the new whole of government cloud policy will be released in December 2025, and a key part of this should be to drive cloud adoption to unlock AI potential.
Guidance on AI procurement in government is set to be published by the end of 2025.
The updated policy for the responsible use of AI in government will be published later in 2025.
The plan can be found here: https://www.digital.gov.au/policy/ai/australian-public-service-ai-plan-2025