History of the Australian Public Service Benevolent Society

The Australian Public Service Benevolent Society.

Celebrating over 100 years of Family Support.

In 2005, APS Benefits celebrated its centenary. Our history is a long and proud one, beginning in September 1905

The Society was formed when a small group of postal workers decided to put in sixpence a pay to form a funeral fund for the widows when any of the society members died.

The postal network spread the word and APS Benefits - starting as the Victorian and Tasmanian Public Service Provident Fund (commonly known as “Vic & Tas”) became one of the larger of many "funeral funds" in the 1920s and 1930s in Australia.  It later became the Australian Public Service Benevolent Society but is more commonly known as APS Benefits.

In 1938, the Government perceived a need to assist Public Servants to obtain financial help as they usually received a slightly smaller salary, but greater security, than those in the private sector.  This lack of cash drove the public servants into the hands of backyard financiers and pawn brokers who charged exorbitant interest.  The Government asked Societies such as "Vic & Tas" to provide loans of up to 100 pounds at a reasonable interest rate in return for the rare privilege of salary deductions. "Vic & Tas" then started the "Members Loans" service which is a feature of the Society today.

Today, APS Benefits offers a wide range of not-for-profit financial services and is open to all people from the public service and public sector and their families.