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Last updated: 15 August 2005
Conditions of engagement
Foreword
Note: This document has not been updated to reflect changes that may flow from the WorkChoices legislation enacted on 27 March 2006
This booklet provides agency heads, and agency staff more generally, with advice on matters that should be considered in relation to employment decisions that affect APS employees. It sets out the basic obligations that arise primarily out of the Public Service Act 1999 (the Act) which agencies must observe, and around which they should establish appropriate agency-specific arrangements. The booklet covers the conditions of engagement that may be imposed, excluding probation, when engaging APS employees.
The booklet is part of a series of guides issued by the Australian Public Service Commission to complement the Act.
Under the Act, responsibility for employment decisions has generally been devolved to agency heads, giving them greater flexibility to manage their own workplaces, within the framework of the Act and subordinate legislation. These guides should therefore be regarded as providing assistance to agency heads and their senior managers in exercising their authority under the Act. This booklet also provides general guidance to human resources practitioners and line managers on their obligations under the Act in regard to recruitment and related issues.
Agencies can access the latest information through the Commission's web site. For further information on conditions of engagement you may contact the Commission's Employment Policy Advice Line by telephone (02 6202 3859) or by email (employmentadvice@apsc.gov.au). It may be appropriate for more complex or sensitive queries to be dealt with in writing.
