The Federal Government's in-house consulting service could launch later this year. 

The government's in-house consulting service, which received a funding of $10.9 million in the May Budget, is anticipated to commence operations in the second half of this year, according to discussions during the joint senate estimates meeting of the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) and the APS reform office.

According to Budget paper No. 2, the service aims to provide high-quality strategic consulting services to the APS.

Shane Johnson, First Assistant Secretary of the Policy, Innovation, and Projects Division, explained that while the in-house consulting service is still in the process of recruiting personnel, it is expected to be fully operational later this year. 

The staffing levels are projected to include 19 employees in the first year (2023-24) and approximately 38 employees in the subsequent year (2024-25).

Regarding a planned review of the Maternity Leave Act, Assistant Commissioner James O'Reilly outlined the terms of reference for the review, which focus on reducing administrative burdens, offering adequate support to new parents, promoting gender equality and inclusion, and providing flexibility. 

Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher stated that she is currently reviewing the recommendations, and the timeline for their public release is dependent on the cabinet process.

Minister Gallagher noted that certain aspects of the review's recommendations would intersect with the work of Chief Negotiator Peter Riordan during the bargaining process, as they are subject to the log of claims and pertinent issues that arise at the bargaining table.

In terms of the ongoing enterprise bargaining negotiations, Riordan acknowledged the substantial challenge of achieving commonality across agencies due to the significant disparity in wages and working conditions that have resulted from more than 25 years of agency-specific enterprise bargaining. 

He said common ground should be established without compromising employment conditions or engaging in major cost-cutting measures.

More details are accessible here.