During August 2020, the Coalition government's "Trust in Australian Public Services" survey recorded trust levels substantially higher than claimed: 54% of Australians trusted the Australian Public Service (APS), and 80% agreed government was generally trustworthy [1].
The survey data from 2020 showed trust actually **increased** during the pandemic in response to government COVID-19 response measures, with The Conversation reporting "trust in government soars in Australia and New Zealand during pandemic" [1].
Regarding suppression claims: While some detailed survey results were not published immediately as comprehensive annual reports, the "Trust in Australian Public Services" survey was conducted openly and regularly (every four months from March 2019 onwards) [2].
The claim omits critical context about what the actual data showed and how survey results were handled:
1. **Survey transparency:** The Trust in Australian Public Services survey was not a secret project—it was an ongoing, regularly-conducted survey administered by the Australian Public Service Commission throughout the Coalition period [2].
2. **Positive findings, not negative:** The August 2020 data showed trust surging to 54% for the APS and 80% for general government during the pandemic [1].
This is the opposite of damaging findings that would justify suppression.
3. **No "mislead and confuse" justification found:** Despite extensive searches, no evidence exists of the government explicitly stating it suppressed the report because the findings "would mislead and confuse people" [3].
4. **Publishing practices evolved under both parties:** Under the Coalition, survey data was collected regularly but detailed annual reports were not published immediately.
After Labor's 2022 election victory, Minister Gallagher announced in October 2022 "increased transparency of survey results," suggesting the Coalition was less transparent in public reporting of results, but this was about publication practices rather than evidence of a "secret" report [2].
5. **Different trust incident conflated:** The major trust-related suppression during Coalition years involved Morrison's secret ministerial appointments (five portfolios held in secret), not a suppressed research report [4].
The original source provided is The Guardian Australia, a mainstream news outlet with established credibility and generally accurate reporting on Australian politics [5].
The Guardian piece may have conflated:
- Delayed publication of comprehensive survey results with intentional suppression
- General concerns about the coalition government's transparency practices with a specific secret report incident
- The broader context of Morrison's secret ministries issue with public service trust surveys
**Did Labor do something similar?**
Extensive searches found no evidence of Labor government suppressing public service trust reports or comparable incidents involving secret or misleadingly-justified withholding of research reports about public sector confidence [3][6].
The OECD's 2024 "Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions in Australia" report shows ongoing measurement and publication of trust metrics without evidence of similar suppression practices under Labor [6].
**What the claim gets partially right:**
The Coalition government did not publish detailed annual reports of "Trust in Australian Public Services" survey results with the same frequency or transparency as occurred after the Labor election win [2].
This represents a real difference in transparency practices, though not the dramatic "secret report" scenario the claim describes.
**What the claim gets fundamentally wrong:**
The specific findings attributed to the report—"less than 1 in 3 Australians trust our public service sector"—directly contradicts the actual August 2020 data showing 54% trust in the APS [1][2].
The government would have had no logical reason to suppress data showing rising public confidence in government institutions during the pandemic.
**The bigger picture:**
Public service trust measurement is standard practice across democracies.
The Coalition's less frequent public reporting of survey results represents a transparency practice difference, but the specific claim about a suppressed "less than 1 in 3" report appears to be factually inaccurate regarding what the actual data showed.
**Key context:** The Coalition government's actual trust-related scandal involved Morrison's undisclosed ministerial appointments (the Bell Inquiry concluded this was "corrosive of trust in government"), not a suppressed research report [4].
Rather than revealing that "less than 1 in 3 Australians trust our public service," the actual survey data from August 2020 showed 54% trust in the APS and 80% general government trust—figures that had increased during the pandemic [1][2].
While the Coalition government did delay comprehensive public reporting of survey results (a transparency practice difference compared to Labor), there is no credible evidence of intentional suppression with the stated justification of preventing public confusion about data showing low trust, because the data did not show low trust [2][3].
The claim appears to conflate legitimate transparency concerns about publishing practices with a factually inaccurate characterization of what was supposedly suppressed.
Rather than revealing that "less than 1 in 3 Australians trust our public service," the actual survey data from August 2020 showed 54% trust in the APS and 80% general government trust—figures that had increased during the pandemic [1][2].
While the Coalition government did delay comprehensive public reporting of survey results (a transparency practice difference compared to Labor), there is no credible evidence of intentional suppression with the stated justification of preventing public confusion about data showing low trust, because the data did not show low trust [2][3].
The claim appears to conflate legitimate transparency concerns about publishing practices with a factually inaccurate characterization of what was supposedly suppressed.