New Special Report: AI and the Australian Public Service

Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept for government, it is fast becoming a practical tool to improve how public servants work and how services are delivered.

The Mandarin has just published a major special report, AI in the Australian Public Service, created in collaboration with Liquid. This 12-part series explores the opportunities, challenges and pathways for AI in government, drawing on insights from Australia’s first national survey of public sector attitudes to AI.

The survey revealed a striking finding: public servants are more optimistic about AI than the general public, with 84 per cent saying they feel personally ready to use it in their work. The challenge is that organisational readiness lags behind, with fewer than half believing their agency is equipped to support adoption. This “readiness gap” is one of the key issues explored throughout the report.

Alongside eight articles from The Mandarin’s journalists and expert contributors, the Liquid team contributed four articles that ground the survey results in practical insights for government leaders:

Mind the gap – Fiona Armstrong explores why enthusiasm for AI among public servants is not yet matched by organisational readiness, and the leadership behaviours needed to close that gap.

How AI can help with top administration burdens – Steve Marrinan shows how AI can tackle one of the biggest frustrations in government, reducing paperwork and workflow blockages to give staff more time for higher-value work.

Designing AI for better futures – Sam Daley examines how AI can move beyond efficiency to deliver real public value, turning citizen pain points like delays and complexity into opportunities for empowerment and trust.

Together, these articles make the case for moving beyond AI hype to practical action. They show where AI can safely start, what barriers need to be addressed, and how government leaders can build the confidence and capability to scale adoption responsibly.

This collaboration reflects our commitment to advancing a more grounded, practical and human-centred conversation about AI in government. The enthusiasm is already there. Now is the time to enable it.

Read the full special report on The Mandarin

Special Report: AI and the Australian Public Service

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