In a speech on navigating organisational change given on Wednesday, Mr Moraitis used technology to explain how important it was for the public service to be willing to change quickly.

"So we're no different to the private sector, or any other sector, when you think about it," he said, referring to the department's work with internet companies like Facebook, Google and Microsoft and their attitude to change.

"The idea [for the technology companies] of risk is you don't do anything and change just floods you," he said.

In a speech given as part of the Institute of Public Administration Australia's Secretary series on the imperative of change, Moraitis covered the challenges that the Australian public service are currently facing, as well as his theories for effective organisational change.

The topic of managing policy changes when it comes to big data is a constant topic among departmental secretaries, Mr Moraitis said.

"We are thinking about big data and its role and its place in our world, in the 2020s and 2030s. We need to start thinking very differently right now," he said.

Mr Moraitis also covered the importance of people, culture and mission in encouraging change in the public service. He said the Attorney General's department was currently trialling a "scientific exchange" in the APS, with a scientist placed in his department in order to help with technological challenges.

In a speech that referred to the origins of the Attorney General's department before federation in 1901, Mr Moraitis listed the major projects of the department in the past three years, saying that with such a fast pace it was important to take stock of what the department's mission is throughout rapid change.

"We've been working non-stop on really innovative things, dealing with social media companies on the internet, terrorism, massive challenging new laws in the national security space, dealing with societal challenges like elder abuse," Mr Moraitis said.