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Promotions

A promotion is the ongoing movement of an ongoing APS employee to a job at a higher classification level than their current classification. An ongoing employee can be promoted within their existing agency, or they can be promoted to another agency.

Not all moves to higher classifications are promotions. For example, although they can involve moves to higher classifications, the following actions are not promotions:

movement of an employee already employed in a broadband to a higher classification within that broadband (this is an assignment of duties)
temporary assignment of duties at a higher classification (usually referred to as higher duties)
the allocation of an operational classification to a person who satisfactorily finishes each training requirement in a training classification.

A competitive merit selection process (following gazettal of an employment opportunity) must be conducted before an APS employee can be promoted. In accordance with subsection 10(2) of the Act, this requires that:

an assessment is made of the relative suitability of the candidates for the duties, using a competitive selection process; and
the assessment is based on the relationship between the candidates' work-related qualities and the work-related qualities genuinely required for the duties; and
the assessment focuses on the relative capacity of the candidates to achieve outcomes related to the duties; and
the assessment is the primary consideration in making the decision.

Clause 4.6A of the Public Service Commissioner’s Directions 1999 (the Commissioner’s Directions) requires that the employment opportunity (or similar employment opportunity in the agency) must have been notified in the APS Employment Gazette during the period of 12 months before the decision to promote the person is made. Subject to considerations of cost and operational efficiency, the employment opportunity must have been open to all eligible members of the community, whether or not they were APS employees.

If, because of considerations of cost or operational efficiency, the agency head decides not to provide the opportunity to all eligible members of the community, as a minimum the opportunity must have been notified as open to all APS employees.

Clause 2.3 of the Commissioner’s Directions requires the agency head to put in place measures ensuring that the selection process is transparent and applied fairly in relation to each eligible applicant and that information about the process is readily available to applicants.

In the case of SES promotions, the opportunity must have been advertised externally as well as in the APS Employment Gazette as open to all eligible members of the community. A representative of the Commissioner must participate in and certify that the selection process complied with the legislative framework, and the Commissioner must endorse the representative’s certification.

Review of promotion

In accordance with Regulation 5.6, promotion decisions can be subject to review by a Promotion Review Committee in the following circumstances:

the promotion is to a position within APS Level 2 to APS Level 6 (or equivalent classifications included in Groups 2 to 6 of the Public Service Classification Rules 2000), and
the promotion decision was not made in accordance with either the recommendation of an Independent Selection Advisory Committee or a decision of a Promotion Review Committee.

Date of effect

In accordance with Regulation 3.8, a promotion generally takes effect four weeks after notification in the APS Employment Gazette, unless another date of effect is agreed between the gaining and losing agency heads. A promotion cannot take effect before gazettal and, if subject to review, it cannot take effect during the review period.

Independent Selection Advisory Committee

An Independent Selection Advisory Committee (ISAC) is a committee that makes recommendations to agencies about the suitability of candidates in staff recruitment exercises. An ISAC may be used to fill vacancies at the job classification levels of APS 2 to APS 6.