After $5 billion in cuts from functional reviews, the $3.8 billion in efficiency dividend and a longstanding hiring freeze, the May federal budget brought some of the first good news in years for Canberra's public service departments and agencies
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A $500 million public service "modernisation fund" was created to splash some much needed cash for capital works and project budgets, prompting more than 160 applications from 63 government entities, worth about $1.5 billion.
New Department of Finance figures show just how the money has been allocated.
The final package of spending includes the amalgamation of a number of applications reviewed by a special committee, with ideas combined to remove duplication and "enhance the transformative nature of projects".
Here's how the money is being spent:
Finance officials told Parliament $350 million is being spent on a transformation and innovation stream of projects, with $150 million going to projects related to sustainability.
Secretary Rosemary Huxtable said the funding decisions were shortlisted by a committee of departmental secretaries, including Ms Huxtable, Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Martin Parkinson, Education Department secretary Michele Bruniges, Australian Public Service Commissioner John Lloyd and Tax Office chief information officer Ramez Katf.
"The initial short listing process occurred, then those projects went through a further development, and then there was a second meeting and the outcome of the secretary's consideration was recommendations to government in respect of projects to be funded," Ms Huxtable told the committee.
Last week Fairfax Media reported the functional and efficiency review process established in May 2014 is set to cut $5 billion from portfolios, including $4.7 billion from health and social services.
