The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is Australia’s most trusted public service, while Robodebt-battered Centrelink is not surprisingly the least, a survey of public attitudes has revealed.
The 2023 Trust in Australian Public Services report released by the APSC on Tuesday is based on 12,000 responses collected between 2022 and 2023, with data collected from 1,000 people each month.
The report shows feedback on 17 public services.
The AEC was the most trusted service (91 per cent) followed by DFAT, Parks Australia and the ATO. Centerlink l(63 per cent) languished at the bottom of the trust ladder, along with DEWR, Child Support and the NDIS.
However the good news for the NDIS is that trust in it went up by five percentage points from the previous poll.
Trust in the agriculture department increased by 11 percentage points, the biggest increase in trust achieved by any agency.
Overall trust and satisfaction steady
Overall, trust and satisfaction in public services has remained steady with only minor changes since 2022.
General trust in Australian public services is at 61 per cent, while 72 per cent of people who accessed public services said they were satisfied with them.
Drilling down on satisfaction, the survey shows people are satisfied with their experience with public service staff, but not so much with public service processes.
The aspects of public services that recorded the highest rates of satisfaction in 2023 were mainly associated with to the way people were treated by staff, and the quality of information they received.
Respondents weren’t so happy with service processes, such as being kept informed and waiting times.
Levels of trust in the public service were higher in men than women, and people aged 65 and over.
People on higher wages, those living in metropolitan areas and people born in a country other than Australia also trusted public services more.
Ever-rising bar
The report concludes that the bar for satisfaction and trust will continue to rise along with expectations, and admits that while 100 per cent trust and satisfaction would be desirable, it’s probably impossible.
“As long as there are inequalities and imperfections in society, the economy and public institutions generally, then … trust and satisfaction in public services will always be below one hundred,’” it says.
Secondly, it says, “the bar is set by the expectations public services create for themselves. Improvements to public services generate satisfaction temporarily until this becomes the new normal and the standard by which people set their expectations in future.”
The standard is also set by expectations arising from other sectors including the private sector, the report adds.
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