Source: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2015C00944/Controls/
Timestamp: 2020-07-08 14:30:42
Document Index: 182202122

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 9', 'art 9', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 9', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 9', 'art 9']

Details: F2015C00944
- F2015C00944
Directions/Other as amended, taking into account amendments up to Australian Public Service Commissioner's Amendment (2015 Measures No. 2) Direction 2015
Australian Public Service Commissioner's Amendment (2015 Measures No. 2) Direction 2015 - F2015L01851
F2015C00944
made under subsections 11(1), 11A(1) and (2) and 15(4) of the
Includes amendments up to: F2015L01851
Registered: 1 December 2015
This is a compilation of the Australian Public Service Commissioner’s Directions 2013 that shows the text of the law as amended and in force on 30 November 2015 (the compilation date).
This compilation was prepared on 30 November 2015.
1.1A...... Overview....................................................................................................................... 2
1.1......... Purpose of Chapter 1..................................................................................................... 2
1.2......... Committed to Service: The APS is professional, objective, innovative and efficient, and works collaboratively to achieve the best results for the Australian community and the Government............................... 2
1.3......... Ethical: The APS demonstrates leadership, is trustworthy, and acts with integrity, in all that it does 3
1.4......... Respectful: The APS respects all people, including their rights and their heritage......... 3
1.5......... Accountable: The APS is open and accountable to the Australian community under the law and within the framework of Ministerial responsibility............................................................................................... 4
1.6......... Impartial: The APS is apolitical and provides the Government with advice that is frank, honest, timely and based on the best available evidence................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 2—Recruitment and selection 5
2.1A...... Overview....................................................................................................................... 5
Part 2.1—Engagement and promotion—standard provisions 5
2.1......... Purpose of Part 2.1........................................................................................................ 5
2.2......... Meaning of promotion.................................................................................................. 6
2.3......... Meaning of vacancy...................................................................................................... 6
2.4......... Meaning of Senior Executive Service (SES) vacancy................................................... 6
2.5......... Meaning of similar vacancy.......................................................................................... 6
2.6......... Meaning of work‑related qualities................................................................................ 7
Division 2—Merit in engagement and promotion—application of APS Employment Principle 10A(1)(c) 8
2.7......... How an Agency Head upholds APS Employment Principle 10A(1)(c)........................ 8
2.8......... Merit‑based selection process for engagement or promotion......................................... 8
2.9......... Notification of vacancy in the Public Service Gazette................................................... 9
2.10....... Additional requirements for SES engagement or promotion decisions........................ 10
Part 2.2—Engagement and promotion—exceptions to standard provisions 11
2.11....... Purpose of Part 2.2...................................................................................................... 11
2.12....... Engagement on a short‑term, irregular or intermittent basis......................................... 11
2.13....... Engagement of non‑ongoing APS employee as ongoing employee in exceptional circumstances 11
2.14....... Engagement of ongoing APS employee as non‑ongoing APS employee.................... 12
2.15....... Affirmative measure—Indigenous employment.......................................................... 12
2.16....... Affirmative measure—intellectual disability................................................................ 13
2.17....... Affirmative measure—engagement of person with disability unable to participate in competitive selection process.................................................................................................................................... 13
2.17A.... Affirmative measure—RecruitAbility Scheme............................................................ 13
2.18....... Engagement of person from state or territory jurisdiction............................................ 14
2.19....... Re‑engagement of election candidates......................................................................... 14
2.20....... Promotion on completion of an appointment to a statutory office................................ 14
2.21....... Engagement of non‑APS employee following a machinery of government change.... 15
2.22....... Engagement of an ongoing Parliamentary Service employee as an ongoing APS employee 15
2.23....... Re‑engagement of a former APS employee................................................................. 15
Part 2.3—Assignment of duties and movement of employees between agencies 17
2.24....... Minimum requirements for decisions relating to assignment of duties at or below classification 17
2.25....... Minimum requirements for decisions relating to the temporary assignment of higher duties 17
2.27....... Moves between agencies............................................................................................. 17
2.27A.... Movement of ongoing APS employee to another Agency during an inquiry into a suspected breach of the Code of Conduct....................................................................................................................... 18
Part 2.4—Gazettal of employment decisions and date of effect of promotions 20
2.28....... Purpose of Part 2.4...................................................................................................... 20
2.29....... Decisions that must be notified in the Gazette............................................................. 20
2.30....... Cancellation decisions that must be notified in the Gazette.......................................... 22
2.31....... Date of effect of promotions........................................................................................ 22
Chapter 4—Performance management 25
4.1......... Purpose of Chapter 4................................................................................................... 25
4.1A...... Achieving effective performance................................................................................. 25
4.2......... Initiating Code of Conduct proceedings in relation to performance matters................. 27
Chapter 6—Agency Head handling of suspected Code of Conduct breaches 28
6.1......... Purpose of Chapter 6................................................................................................... 28
6.2......... Application to former APS employees........................................................................ 28
Division 2—Basic procedural requirements 29
6.3......... Employee must be informed that a determination is being considered......................... 29
6.4......... Employee must be informed before a sanction is imposed.......................................... 29
6.5......... Person making determination to be independent and unbiased.................................... 29
6.6......... Determination process to be informal.......................................................................... 29
6.7......... Record of determination and sanctions........................................................................ 29
Chapter 7—Other employment matters 31
7.1......... Restrictions on engaging a person who has received a redundancy benefit................. 31
7.4......... Matters relating to leave without pay........................................................................... 32
7.5......... Transitional—Prime Minister’s Public Service Amendment Directions 2005 (No. 1). 32
7.6......... Collection of employment‑related data......................................................................... 33
Chapter 8—Delegation 34
8.1......... Delegation by the Commissioner................................................................................. 34
8.2......... Delegation by Agency Head........................................................................................ 34
Chapter 9—Transitional provisions 36
Part 9.1—Transitional provisions relating to the Australian Public Service Commissioner’s Amendment (Notification of Decisions and Other Measures) Direction 2014 36
9.1......... Decision to terminate employment of ongoing APS employee.................................... 36
9.2......... Decision to cancel termination decision....................................................................... 36
9.3......... Retirement by SES employee with payment of incentive............................................. 36
Part 9.2—Transitional provisions relating to the Australian Public Service Commissioner’s Amendment (2015 Measures No. 1) Direction 2015 38
9.4......... Vacancies notified before 1 July 2015......................................................................... 38
9.5......... Repeal of this Chapter................................................................................................. 38
Schedule 1—Re‑engagement of election candidates 39
1............ Entitlement to return to APS employment................................................................... 39
Schedule 2—Comparison with Parliamentary Service classifications 41
1............ Meaning of comparable classification or lower.......................................................... 41
2............ Meaning of higher classification................................................................................. 41
Application of the APS Values
The APS Values, and these Directions, set out standards and outcomes that are required of APS employees and Agency Heads, taking account of an individual’s duties and responsibilities.
Each of the APS Values is of equal importance. There is no hierarchy of APS Values. There may be particular situations where there is tension between the different APS Values that are to be applied. In such cases, good judgment will need to be exercised to find the appropriate balance between competing demands.
2.1A Overview
Part 2.1 of this Chapter determines the scope or application of APS Employment Principle 10A(1)(c) in circumstances relating to most promotions and most ongoing and long‑term non‑ongoing engagements. It defines the relevant terms and outlines the requirements of a merit‑based competitive selection process, including the additional requirements for a selection process to fill a Senior Executive Service (SES) vacancy.
Part 2.2 of this Chapter provides directions on the minimum requirements Agency Heads must meet in relation to decisions for short‑term engagements or promotions and in other circumstances where APS Employment Principle 10A(1)(c) is modified.
Part 2.3 of this Chapter provides directions relating to the ongoing or temporary assignment of duties under section 25 of the Act (other than as a result of promotion) and ongoing or temporary moves between Agencies under section 26 of the Act.
Part 2.4 of this Chapter provides directions relating to the gazettal of employment decisions and the dates of effect of promotions.
Note 1: Subsection 10A(2) of the Act provides for the circumstances in which a decision relating to engagement or promotion is based on merit.
Note 2: Part 2.2 provides modifications of, and exceptions to, the requirements in this Part for certain kinds of engagement and promotion decisions.
(g) in the case of a decision to engage a person—the engagement would comply with the restrictions on engagement of a person who has received a redundancy benefit, as set out in clause 7.1.
(ii) if the Agency Head was satisfied that there were special circumstances and the Agency Head approved a shorter period—the end of that shorter period; and
(d) in the case of a vacancy the notification of which was required to be approved by the Commissioner under subclause (2)—the Agency Head obtained the approval of the Commissioner before the vacancy, or a class of vacancies including the vacancy, was notified.
Commissioner may require notification of vacancy, or class of vacancies, to be approved by Commissioner
(2) The Commissioner may, by notice in writing, require an Agency Head to obtain the approval of the Commissioner before notifying a specified vacancy, or a specified class of vacancies, in the Public Service Gazette.
(3) If the Agency Head decides that, for reasons of cost or operational efficiency, a vacancy at a non‑SES classification should be filled by a person who is already an APS employee, the vacancy may be notified in the Public Service Gazette as open only to persons who are APS employees at the time of the notification.
(5) An Agency participating in a multiple Agency selection process must ensure that there is adequate notification of the vacancy under its own Agency name in the Public Service Gazette.
A selection process that results in a decision to engage or promote a person as an SES employee meets the requirements of this Division only if, in addition to the requirements in clause 2.8, the following apply:
(b) if a representative of the Commissioner participated in the selection process—the representative certified that the selection process complied with the Act and these Directions.
Note: Clause 2.9 requires the decision to be made within 12 months after the notification of the vacancy in the Public Service Gazette on which the selection process was based.
The purpose of this Part is to modify the requirements of Part 2.1 and the scope and application of APS Employment Principle 10A(1)(c) in relation to engagement and promotion decisions in specific circumstances where this is appropriate.
(3) An Agency Head must ensure as far as practicable that a vacancy in the Agency to which this clause applies is brought to the notice of the community in a way that gives eligible members of the community a reasonable opportunity to apply for it, for example by advertising and providing access to non‑ongoing APS employment registers.
(4) A notification must include the employee’s name unless the Agency Head decides that the name should not be included, because of the person’s work‑related or personal circumstances.
(5) The Agency Head may not make a decision under subclause (4), unless he or she has obtained the approval of the Commissioner, who will consult the Merit Protection Commissioner in the case of a non‑SES employee.
(9) If an engagement notified under paragraph (1)(a) was made under clause 2.13 (engagement of non‑ongoing APS employee as ongoing employee in exceptional circumstances), the notification of the decision must include a statement to the following effect:
(1) This Chapter sets out directions in relation to the APS Employment Principle mentioned in paragraph 10A(1)(d) of the Act (the effective performance Employment Principle).
(2) Noting that there is a broad spectrum of management issues associated with managing effective performance across the APS, from encouraging high performance to managing unsatisfactory performance, the purposes of the directions are as follows:
(a) to strengthen the obligations of Agency Heads in relation to the effective performance Employment Principle;
(b) to make provision for certain obligations of supervisors and APS employees in relation to the effective performance Employment Principle;
(c) to encourage APS best or better practice by requiring each Agency Head to ensure that his or her Agency’s performance management policy and associated processes and practices are periodically reviewed and benchmarked against APS best practice.
4.1A Achieving effective performance
(1) For the purpose of upholding and promoting the effective performance Employment Principle, each Agency Head must ensure that:
(a) his or her Agency has a performance management policy and associated processes and practices that:
(i) demonstrably support a culture of high performance; and
(ii) provide for the performance of duties by APS employees in the Agency to be effectively managed; and
(iii) are fair, open and effective; and
(iv) are clearly communicated to all APS employees in the Agency; and
(v) are periodically reviewed and benchmarked against APS best practice; and
(b) his or her Agency builds the organisational capability necessary to achieve the outcomes of the Agency properly expected by the Government; and
(c) each APS employee in his or her Agency is given a clear statement, in a performance agreement, of the performance and behaviour expected of the employee, and an opportunity to discuss his or her duties; and
(d) each APS employee in his or her Agency receives feedback from supervisors about the performance of his or her duties consistent with the performance management policy, processes and practices of the Agency; and
(e) his or her Agency supports supervisors to enable them to effectively manage the performance of duties by APS employees under their supervision, including through appropriate training and coaching in performance management; and
(f) the performance management policy and associated processes and practices of his or her Agency are used to guide salary movement and any performance pay arrangements; and
(g) the processes and practices in his or her Agency for dealing with unsatisfactory performance of duties are fair, open and effective, and that information about those processes and practices is available to supervisors and APS employees in the Agency, including information that clearly sets out:
(ii) the possible outcomes if an APS employee’s performance of duties is considered to be unsatisfactory; and
(iii) that, if the performance of duties by an APS employee is considered to be unsatisfactory, the employee has a responsibility to engage constructively with his or her supervisor and other affected persons (including the Agency’s human resources area) in resolving the performance issues and to act on performance feedback; and
(h) his or her Agency’s processes and practices for dealing with unsatisfactory performance are applied in a timely manner if unsatisfactory performance by an APS employee has been identified.
(2) For the purpose of upholding the effective performance Employment Principle, each supervisor in an Agency must, in relation to APS employees under his or her supervision:
(a) promote and foster high performance of duties by the employees; and
(b) ensure that each employee has a performance agreement that is consistent with the Agency’s corporate plan and the work level standards for the employee’s classification; and
(c) provide each employee with clear, honest, timely feedback about the employee’s performance of his or her duties; and
(d) manage and assess the performance of duties by each employee in accordance with the performance management policy of the Agency; and
(e) work to improve his or her capability in effectively managing the performance of duties by the employees, including through appropriate training or coaching in performance management; and
(f) promptly and actively manage cases of unsatisfactory performance of duties by an employee in accordance with the Agency’s performance management processes and practices, including by:
(ii) engaging with the relevant employee and other affected persons (including the Agency’s human resources area and the supervisor’s manager) to discuss the unsatisfactory performance, and facilitate a collective understanding about the nature of the unsatisfactory performance; and
(iii) maintaining appropriate records of the case.
(3) For the purpose of upholding the effective performance Employment Principle, each APS employee in an Agency must:
(a) strive to perform his or her duties to the best of his or her ability, and at a level consistent with the work level standards for the employee’s classification and the employee’s performance agreement; and
(b) engage constructively with his or her supervisor in clarifying work expectations and what is needed to effectively perform his or her duties; and
(c) participate constructively in the Agency’s performance management processes; and
(d) be open to receiving feedback, and act on such feedback in a timely manner; and
(e) seek opportunities to improve individual and team performance of duties; and
(f) if he or she is informed that the performance of his or her duties is unsatisfactory—engage constructively to deal with the unsatisfactory performance, including by:
(i) cooperating with his or her supervisor and other affected persons (including the Agency’s human resources area) to resolve the issues relating to the unsatisfactory performance in a timely manner; and
(ii) undertaking any necessary training, or remedial or corrective measures as directed.
performance agreement, for an APS employee, means a documentary record (including any additions to, or variations of, that record) that sets out the performance expectations in relation to the duties that have been assigned to the employee.
Part 9.2—Transitional provisions relating to the Australian Public Service Commissioner’s Amendment (2015 Measures No. 1) Direction 2015
9.4 Vacancies notified before 1 July 2015
The amendments made by items 1 to 8 and 10 to 12 of Schedule 1 to the Australian Public Service Commissioner’s Amendment (2015 Measures No. 1) Direction 2015 do not apply in relation to the notification of a vacancy in an Agency if:
(a) the notification occurred before 1 July 2015; and
(b) the notification was in accordance with clause 2.9A of these Directions, as in force immediately before 1 July 2015; and
(c) the Agency Head is satisfied that, in the circumstances, it is not appropriate to require the vacancy to be re‑notified in accordance with clause 2.9 of these Directions.
9.5 Repeal of this Chapter
This Chapter is repealed on 1 July 2016.
broadband has the same meaning as in subrule 9(4) of the Classification Rules.
effective performance Employment Principle—see subclause 4.1(1).
(c) a determination under subsection 24 (1) or (3) of the Act;
supervisor, in relation to an APS employee, means a person who is allocated responsibility by the employee’s Agency Head for managing the employee in relation to the performance of the employee’s duties.
work level standards, for a classification, means the work level standards for the classification, as referred to in subrule 9(2A) of the Classification Rules or rule 10 of those Rules (as the case requires).
Australian Public Service Commisioner’s Amendment (Performance Management) Direction 2014
3 Nov 2014 (F2014L01769)
Australian Public Service Commissioner’s Amendment (2015 Measures No. 1) Direction 2015
30 June 2015 (F2015L01015)
27 Nov 2015 (F2015L01851)
30 Nov 2015 (s 2)
Chapter 1A heading..............
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c 3.1.....................................
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