Integrity and fairness

SES engagements

The SES represents the senior leadership and management group of APS employees. To ensure a high level of transparency in the selection processes used to promote or engage people to the SES, agency heads must satisfy some requirements in addition to the usual merit requirements that have to be met in relation to all APS selection procedures. These include that SES employment opportunities must be advertised in both the Gazette and appropriate external media, such as the national press. In addition, each SES selection committee must include a representative of the Australian Public Service Commissioner. The representative will usually be an SES employee from an agency outside the portfolio in which the employment opportunity exists and be substantively at a level above that of the job being filled. Exceptions to these requirements are rare, and must be agreed to by the Australian Public Service Commissioner.

Each Commissioner’s representative must certify that the selection processes followed were appropriate, and the Australian Public Service Commissioner’s endorsement of that certification must be sought and obtained before any engagement or promotion can be finalised. The representative is asked to certify that in their opinion a number of areas have been dealt with appropriately through the selection exercise, including that applicants’ claims were fairly assessed against the core SES selection criteria as relevant at the different stages of the process, and that the selection committee’s considerations and conclusions have been clearly documented. In 2006–07, the Australian Public Service Commissioner provided such endorsement in relation to 226 SES selection processes, and was consulted in relation to a further 43 additional staffing actions arising from processes already endorsed.