Commissioner's Directions
The Australian Public Service Commissioner's Directions 2016 support APS agencies to incorporate and uphold the APS Values, conduct recruitment activities and undertaken performance management. They were last amended in July 2019.
- July 2019 amendments to the Directions
- Read the Directions
- Circular 2019/3: Amendments to the Australian Public Service Commissioner’s Directions 2016
- Circular 2016/1: Commencement of the Australian Public Service Commissioner's Directions 2016
- Performance Management in the Australian Public Service (a guide)
Video Transcript
[Peter Woolcott AO, Australian Public Service Commissioner]
The commissioner has the authority under the Public Service Act to issue directions which essentially relate to employment guidelines.
And they're for the purpose of ensuring that we incorporate and uphold the Australian Public Service Values which are set out in that Act.
We've issued today new directions on performance management and guidelines that go with that.
Essentially what we're trying to do is three things.
It's really about ensuring that we have best practice in the Australian Public Service about managing our talent and how we retain our high-performing employees.
Secondly, it's about ensuring we're not just focused on managing under performance, which is an important part of our job,
but it's also about managing those people who are performing well and ensuring that we get them to work to the best of their capabilities,
that we nurture, we develop and we train them.
And thirdly, it's about ensuring that responsibility for performance management doesn't just rest with agency heads, it actually rests with all supervisors and employees.
So we're in an interesting time in the Australian Public Service.
Change is afoot.
And fundamental to managing that change is going to be leadership, capability and culture.
And so the performance management guidelines need to support and reinforce that.
Because if we're going to serve the Australian people and we're going to serve the Australian government to the best that we can getting the performance management culture right is fundamental to that and managing our talent is fundamental to that.
Need help?
We have an advice line for APS HR teams. Call us for help with the 2016 Directions on 02 6202 3857 or email us at staffingpolicy@apsc.gov.au.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions and answers on:
- General recruitment and selection
- Merit lists
- Non-ongoing employment
- Public Service Gazette
- Affirmative measures
- Assigning duties
- Delegations
For further information about the new Directions, HR practitioners can contact Staffing Policy on staffingpolicy@apsc.gov.au