Assistant minister to the Prime Minister and cabinet Ben Morton said he also wanted to prevent public resentment building against the Australian Public Service over its job security amid the economic downturn.

COVID-19 was a moment for the APS to demonstrate its skill and responsiveness to the Australian people, he said.

"This is an opportunity for the Australian people to better understand and respect the importance of a strong Australian Public Service," Mr Morton said.

The public service can expect the government to rely on it in the longer term to implement and advise on measures stemming the economic shocks of the pandemic.

"When the Prime Minister talks about Team Australia, the APS is a key member of that team," Mr Morton said.

"We're going to see a significant number of challenges as a country as we deal with coming out of COVID-19. We continue to rely on that high quality advice. We need to make sure that we're focused on getting our economy as strong as it can be.

"A strong economy allows us to have a strong APS. That's very important, it allows us to deliver the services that Australians rely on, and that's essential. And there will be additional calls on the APS as we respond to that. What they may be in the future will depend on the obstacles that we need to overcome."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison asked Mr Morton, his assistant minister, to take the reins of the public service last month while the minister overseeing the APS, Greg Hunt, focused on the government's response to COVID-19 as health minister.

Mr Morton is now charged with making sure the public service supports the government's response to COVID-19, including by monitoring the staffing needs of Services Australia and the Tax Office in delivering welfare payments and wage subsidies.

The new responsibilities don't come with a new title, as Mr Hunt remains the sworn minister assisting the Prime Minister for the public service.

Mr Morton takes responsibility for the public service amid broad commendation for its response to the pandemic, including processing more than 800,000 JobSeeker claims, helping businesses sign up to JobKeeper packages, and redeploying thousands of bureaucrats to areas of need in Services Australia.

He has been focused on the mobilisation of APS staff in its response to COVID-19, and the public service commission is looking at how agencies can help the Australian Taxation Office with an increased workload rolling out wage subsidies to businesses.

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The assistant minister said he had enormous respect and pride for members of the APS, noting that Mr Morrison had used a talkback radio interview on Wednesday to voice similar comments.

"That's a demonstration of the fact that the government has that pride and it's an opportunity for us to continue to communicate that to those people that are on the front line working for us," Mr Morton said.

"We're seeing the strength of the APS on display as the government responds to COVID-19."

However Mr Morton said the level of job permanency and security that came with APS employment would attract resentment from some in the wider community.

"I want to work really hard against seeing that resentment grow in the wider community by making sure that we enhance the reputation of those people that work for us, by demonstrating to them the importance of the work and the successes of the APS over this critical time. That's going to be critical," he said.

The public service would have to be as responsive to the needs of people, businesses and communities during the economic recovery as it had during the health crisis, Mr Morton said.

"COVID-19 is going to present challenges in areas that just cannot be foreseen. And that's going to continue for some time."

Mr Morton said his early decision to freeze wage rises for members of the APS was not taken lightly but would protect the reputation of the public service.

"What made it easier to make this decision based on the exceptional circumstances that we're facing was that I knew I couldn't defend a pay increase occurring this week or next week for permanent members of the Australian Public Service," he said.

"The byproduct of this decision is I strongly believe that it will help us maintain rather than diminish the reputation of the APS in the community. And that is genuine."

Wage rises for bureaucrats due in the 12 months from April 14 are being deferred for six months, a freeze affecting staff at 74 Commonwealth departments and agencies.

Mr Morton has also asked public service commissioner Peter Woolcott to ensure new wage proposals approved over the next 12 months are consistent with the pay freeze, a stance that could affect staff at another 26 Commonwealth departments and agencies.

In announcing the freeze shortly after taking charge of the APS, Mr Morton in April said public servants must share the economic burden of the coronavirus.

The decision drew swift condemnation from public sector unions, but the assistant minister said there had otherwise been little backlash.

"That says a lot. That actually helps enhance my already positive view of the APS by the way in which there has been a generally positive response to this," he said.

"If there's anyone in the community that doesn't understand that this country's facing exceptional circumstances, I'd be shocked.

"Because a member of the Australian Public Service that wants to go home and tell a family member who's just applied for JobSeeker they got a pay rise, I'd be shocked about that too."

He was "personally disappointed" with the response of the Community and Public Sector Union, which attacked the freeze and called on the government to reverse it.

Mr Morton said he had hoped the union would understand the freeze would protect the reputation of the APS.

"I made what I thought was a very reasonable decision, a decision that didn't see a cut, it didn't see pay increases not happen, a decision that would treat the APS fairly," he said.

The CPSU had "gone fairly quiet" since the announcement, Mr Morton said.

"I think that says they're not too far off understanding why I've done what I've done on this point."

Thousands of Commonwealth public servants - including 11,000 at the ATO - have started working from home at the direction of their agency or department heads.

Asked when APS staff could expect to return in large numbers to their office buildings, Mr Morton said the public service commission would rely on health advice.

"We will make sure that we are creating COVID safe working environments that will allow people to return back to the workplace when those environments are prepared and safe and where that's appropriate," he said.

"But this is a time for government to deliver and government is delivering and there are many members of the public service who are working from home, there are many who are working from work, there are many that are doing a combination of both."

While COVID-19 has slowed public service leaders in pursuing the APS reform agenda outlined by the Coalition government last year, it is believed to have accelerated changes inside agencies and departments that might have taken years.

Mr Morton said he was keeping in mind the public service reforms announced by Mr Morrison in December.

"We're learning a lot of practical lessons at the moment and those lessons need to be recorded and need to be responded to," he said.

The Australian Public Service should make permanent the flexibility it has adopted in responding to COVID-19, Mr Morton said.

He has asked public service commissioner Woolcott to "focus very closely" on the APS' successes during the crisis, to implement the lessons in the longer term.

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