Public servants are mostly seen to act professionally and make people feel respected, according to a from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

The DPMC’s annual Trust in Australian Public Services report, based on surveys of about 1,000 people each month between July 2021 and June 2022, found trust and satisfaction in public services increased in 2021 during the pandemic.

The results show 64 per cent of respondents believe public service staff treat them with respect and 59 per cent said staff were knowledgeable and did what they said they would.

The report shows feedback on 12 public services including Centrelink, Medicare and the ATO.

The ATO came out with the highest satisfaction rating, with 82 per cent of respondents reporting they were satisfied with it. The NDIS was the worst performer, with only 44 saying they trusted it.

The survey revealed 61 per cent of people trust Australian public services and 62 per cent believe they’ll meet future needs.

It also found that 73 per cent are satisfied they are getting what they want from public service, and that trust in public services increased once people had used them

People in regional Australia trusted public services less than those in metropolitan areas, and women are “significantly” less trusting than men.

People most commonly used public services during a life event such as forming or dissolving a family and during injury, disability, poor health, employment, travel and migration, the survey shows.

Trust in Australian public services is comparable with trust in New Zealand’s civil service, where 62 per cent of people trust the public service brand, and trust in Australian business which is also at 61 per cent, according to the latest Edelman Trust Barometer.

Trust in Australian public services is also higher than trust in the national government (41 per cent), trust in local government (47 per cent) and trust in civil servants (50 per cent), according to the 2021 OECD Survey Report.

More information is available here.