If I'm not mistaken, Lloyd's resignation will herald a flurry of articles and opinion pieces on the political impacts of his tenure. We have already seen such contributions from the likes of Labor senator Jenny McAllister and The Canberra Times' Doug Dingwall, among others.

I won't add further to the commentary on the political significance of Lloyd's time in office; I'm not in any way uniquely qualified to do so. However, I can comment on how his time in the role affected industrial relations in the Australian Public Service.

First, some background. The Governor-General appointed Lloyd as commissioner on December 14, 2014, on the advice of then prime minister Tony Abbott. Before that, Lloyd had been Victoria's "red tape commissioner" and, between 2005 and 2010, he was the first Australian building and construction commissioner. Lloyd was a highly credentialed candidate who was undoubtedly qualified to head the Public Service Commission.

However, it's also no secret that Lloyd's appointment was, at least in part, motivated by his anti-union pedigree at a time the Coalition government was firmly pursuing policies of greater workplace "flexibility" in the APS. Around the time of his appointment, University of Sydney academic Michael Rafferty reportedly said it would be hard to find someone with a "longer and stronger track record of anti-union work".

This is because, as well as his previous senior roles in the public service, Lloyd was also closely connected to free-market thinktank the Institute of Public Affairs, where he was formerly director of its work reform and productivity unit. Indeed, some contend that these connections may have subsisted his appointment as Public Service Commissioner.

Unsurprisingly, Lloyd's aspirations coming into the commissioner role appeared to align closely with the IPA's broad positions on industrial matters. During his time as commissioner, Lloyd has said that "on-demand" workers are the way of the future for the public service, that union involvement in the APS's workplace policies will decline, and that the public service would benefit from a greater alignment with private-sector hiring-and-firing practices.

So, putting aside the controversy surrounding his departure, what will Lloyd's legacy be for industrial relations in the public service? And to what extent did he achieved his goals?

Perhaps his most lasting legacy will be the federal Workplace Bargaining Policy 2018. Though substantially similar to the policy's earlier 2015 iteration, it nonetheless continues the Commonwealth's movement towards individual employment agreements in the APS.

Key tenants of this policy are that "enterprise agreements and other workplace arrangements are not to contain restrictive work practices, unduly limit flexibility, or otherwise impede workplace reform" and that "remuneration increases are to be modest and to remain within agencies' existing budgets, reflecting the need for wages restraint in the current economic circumstances". Though they sound innocuous, these positions sent waves through the APS industrial relations landscape.

Lloyd argued these policies are needed to "relax workplace rigidities and empower a modern and effective employer-employee relationship". Unions, however, suggest they "undermine enterprise bargaining and wages and conditions overall" for public servants. In any event, the results of this policy, and the earlier 2015 policy, seem to be more restrained wages growth and an increase in the number of contract workers, to name just two effects.

I won't wade into the merits of this policy. However, if pursued further, it's clear that policies of the kind that Lloyd followed will result in a public service that more closely resembles private-sector workplaces.

Another key legacy of Lloyd's will be the numerous enterprise agreements concluded with various departments and agencies during his tenure. These will govern the relationship that most public servants have with their employer, the Commonwealth, for years to come.

Though these agreements undoubtedly contributed to the public service trends I mentioned above, perhaps Lloyd's most impactful (or at least most visible) influence on the agreements was their protracted, and sometimes tortured, bargaining process. Again, Lloyd argues that the blame for this lies firmly with the unions concerned, while the unions suggest Lloyd's approach prevented "workers from genuinely bargaining for decent wages and conditions". And again, I won't wade further into that debate.

The lasting legacy of Lloyd's tenure on APS industrial relations remains to be seen, and depends in no small measure on the extent to which future governments continue, or unwind, his steps. But we can say that, with the appointment of career diplomat and public servant Woolcott as the next public service commissioner, it's unlikely the role will be as politicised (for better or worse) as it was under Lloyd.

John Wilson is the managing legal director at BAL Lawyers and an accredited specialist in industrial relations and employment law. He thanks his colleague Robert Allen for his help in preparing this article. john.wilson@ballawyers.com.au