Federal election 2022: Public service shuffle on the cards

With the Coalition unable to keep control of the reins, the future of some senior public servants is up in the air.

The Labor government is on track to win the government - though perhaps not in their own right - after gaining a more than 2.5 per cent swing on a national basis as of late Saturday evening.

Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Philip Gaetjens, a former chief of staff to Scott Morrison, has the most to lose. With his former boss no longer in charge after Saturday, he'll likely be the first to face the chop.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has already indicated he won't promise to keep all departmental heads, referencing Mr Gaetjens' handling of an inquiry into what the government knew about the Brittany Higgins incident.

With the retirement of long-serving diplomat Frances Adamson from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Morrison parachuted Social Services Department head Kathryn Campbell into the top role.

With Labor senator Penny Wong expected to be Mr Albanese's choice for foreign minister, it's unlikely this appointment will last too long.

The opposition Senate leader took on Ms Campbell in pre-election estimates hearings, querying her views on foreign affairs given her limited experience in diplomacy.

The terms of two secretaries, Defence's Greg Moriarty and Veterans Affairs' Liz Cosson, are due to end within the year following the election so eyes will be peeled on what a Labor government would do with those critical jobs.

The Finance Department is also up for a change with its secretary Rosemary Huxtable looking to soon retire.

But beyond who will be the top mandarins once the dust is settled, there is no longer a fork in the road for the public service post-Saturday.

The Coalition's plan to cut $2.7 billion from departmental expenditure over the forward estimates from the APS in order to repair its budget is dead in the water.

With Labor likely to form government, $3 billion will be taken from the public service's consultant and contracting bottom line to repair the budget, with it being re-invested $500 million in service-delivery agencies.

Public servants will have to dust off the red books they prepared months earlier and ready them for the coming weeks.

The next three years will be a transformative time for the bureaucracy.