Decision-making at the lowest appropriate level
Decision-making at the lowest appropriate level is now a legislated requirement through amendments to the Public Service Act 1999. This change came into effect in December 2024.
Section 19A of the Act requires that Agency Heads implement measures that enable decisions to be made by Australian Public Service employees at the lowest appropriate classification, in line with work-level standards.
To support the introduction of these changes, the Australian Public Service Commission published new guidance in October 2024. This includes information for team members, middle managers, and senior leaders.
Through the APS Agency Survey, agencies report on steps taken to create work environments in which decisions can be made at the lowest appropriate level.
In 2025, the majority of agencies (74%) reported taking steps to do so. This included:
- lowering human resource delegations (48 agencies, 72%)
- updating policies, processes and systems to embed and reflect changes (41 agencies, 61%)
- reviewing governance arrangements (39 agencies, 58%).
Successive reviews have found that the APS tends to make decisions at higher levels than needed to manage risk. The APSC’s new guidance supports APS employees to make decisions at the lowest appropriate level, with the right people and applying the right judgement. This leverages capability at all levels across the public service.
Find out more
Australian Public Service Commission (2024) Ways of Working – Decision making, APSC website, accessed 16 July 2025.