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Selection of staff
About selection of staff:
The legislative provisions of the Public Service Act 1999 operate to create a framework aimed at ensuring that the merit principle is upheld in respect of all APS staffing decisions.
Current directive publications, circulars & advices:
- Ongoing employment - Recruitment and related issues (as amended by 2006/4, 2006/5, 2008/1)
- Circular No 2007/4: APSjobs website and the Australian Public Service Gazette(as amended by 2008/2)
- Circular No 2006/7: Planning for influenza pandemic issues - APS employment issues
- Circular No 2006/2: Citizenship requirements for engagement in the Australian Public Service (as amended by Citizenship in the Australian Public Service)
- Advice No 22: Discrimination in APS Employment
- Advice No 15: Independent Selection Advisory Committees
- Advice No. 7: Staffing actions: Non-ongoing employees (non-SES) (as amended by 2000/6, 2003/5, 2004/3, Conditions of Engagement, 2006/4)
- Advice No 3: Special Employment Measures (as amended by 2000/7, 2006/1, 2006/6)
- Circular No 2003/4: New Apprenticeships
Current good practice advice
- Better, Faster: streamlining recruitment in the APS
- Cracking the Code: how to apply for jobs in the Australian Public Service
- Get it right - a recruitment kit for managers
- Integrated Leadership System
- Managing succession within the APS
Reference archive
- The Essentials: Recruitment and Selection (1996)
- Circular No 1989/12: Intellectual Disability Program (IDAP)
Frequently asked questions
- How do I apply for a job in the Australian Public Service?
- Do I need to sit the Public Service Board test to gain employment in the APS?
- What is the basis for selecting a person for temporary higher duties?
- What is the best selection process for a non-ongoing employment opportunity that may become ongoing?
- What guidelines must be followed in a staff selection exercise?
- Must a selection decision be based on advertising and competitive processes?
- What are the administrative law principles relevant to recruitment and selection?
- Can an employment decision be cancelled?
- What are the rules about providing feedback and releasing selection documentation?
- Can a work area use one selection exercise to select for employment opportunities at different classifications?
- Can an agency use generic selection criteria for individual selection exercises or for bulk recruitment exercises across different work areas?
- Are there any limitations on who can be included on a selection committee?
- How long does an agency need to keep selection records?
- What limitations are there on assigning different duties to an employee?
- If an applicant declines an offer of employment do they stay on the order of merit?
