New Public Sector Act

From 1 March 2023 the Public Sector Act 2022 (the Act) will commence. This will replace the Public Service Act 2008.

Why do we need a new Public Sector Act?

In 2019, the Review of public sector employment laws—A fair and responsive public service for all was the first major review of public sector laws since the late 1980s. The review provided 99 recommendations and outlined how the laws should be changed to meet the objectives of:

• fairness in the employment relationship
• responsiveness of employees to the community and to government
• inclusiveness of public sector employment.

In 2022, the Review of culture and accountability in the Queensland public sector provided 14 recommendations to ensure a culture and accountability framework that:

• is contemporary, fit-for-purpose and future-focused
• is effective in supporting an ethical public sector culture
• is underpinned by robust systems
• maintains the public’s trust in the decisions the Queensland Government and its public sector agencies.

The Act responds to both reviews.

What’s changing?

The new Act provides a modern, employee-focused legislative framework to ensure Queensland’s public sector is fair, responsive, inclusive and a leader in public administration.

It applies to public service departments and, more broadly, to public sector entities. This increases the scope to include additional entities that were not covered under the Public Service Act 2008.

Learn more

Visit the Queensland Public Sector Act on For Government for more details on the benefits and application of the Public Sector Act 2022.