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Last updated: 15 August 2005
Ongoing employment – Recruitment and related issues
Please note: This document is no longer current and is provided for reference purposes only.
Stage 1: Preparatory Work
Step 4. Decide what notification of the employment opportunity is required
Gazettal requirements for each selection outcome are discussed below.
If the opportunity can be filled without notification in the Gazette, the agency can take appropriate staffing action without further delay.
Ongoing assignment of duties within an agency
An Agency Head can assign duties (section 25) on an ongoing basis at a similar or a lower classification (ie not associated with a promotion) to an ongoing employee within the agency without notifying the employment opportunity in the Gazette. However, agency-specific policies may require notification of an employment opportunity within the agency and impose other requirements for these selection exercises.
Ongoing assignment of duties and movement between agencies
An Agency Head may enter into a written agreement with an employee in another agency, to move to the new agency (section 26). If the ongoing move is to duties with a similar or a lower classification (ie not associated with a promotion) then there is no requirement to notify the employment opportunity in the Gazette. However, agency-specific policies may require the notification of an employment opportunity within the agency and impose other requirements for these selection exercises.
Open competitive selection—engagement
An Agency Head may engage a person to fill an ongoing employment opportunity. The employment opportunity must have been notified in the Gazette (Direction 4.2). Agencies can supplement this notification through press or other forms of advertising in order to attract a larger field of appropriate candidates or target particular candidates, eg professional journals. This advertising must be either concurrent with the Gazette notification or occur within 4 weeks of the Gazette notification of the employment opportunity (Direction 4.2(3)). This ensures that the APS Value of reasonable opportunity to apply is met (section 10(1)(m)). There are some circumstances where access to APS employment may be restricted which are discussed further in step 5.
Open competitive selection—promotion
An Agency Head may promote an ongoing employee to fill an employment opportunity. The employment opportunity must have been notified in the Gazette (Direction 4.6A). An agency can supplement this notification through press or other forms of advertising in order to attract a larger field of appropriate candidates or target particular candidates, eg professional journals. This advertising must be either concurrent with the Gazette notification or occur within 4 weeks of the Gazette notification of the employment opportunity (Direction 4.6A(2B)). This ensures that the APS Value of reasonable opportunity to apply is met (section 10(1)(m)). There are some circumstances where access to APS employment may be restricted which are discussed further in step 5.
Engagement or promotion from an existing selection exercise
An employment opportunity can be filled by engagement or promotion without Gazette notification of the opportunity if the same or a similar opportunity was notified in the Gazette during the last 12 months (Directions 4.2 and 4.6A). The employment opportunity must have been notified as open to all eligible members of the community or, if the opportunity had been restricted on the grounds of cost or operational efficiency, open to all APS employees.
An Agency Head is not bound to use an existing selection exercise to fill the same or a similar employment opportunity but may choose to notify the employment opportunity in the Gazette to ensure the best available field of candidates. If an Agency Head does not wish to select the next suitable applicant from an existing selection exercise, despite it being within 12 months of the original notification, the employment opportunity must be notified again in the Gazette as it is not possible to by-pass candidates (except where appropriate secondary selection considerations are relevant—see Appendix A).
Additional advertising to supplement a field of applicants without a further Gazette notification can only take place within 4 weeks after the opportunity was notified in the Gazette (Direction 4.2(4B)).
The issue of notifying the decision to engage or promote from an existing order of merit is discussed under Stage 4 step 9.
The issue of late applications as it refers to existing orders of merit is discussed in Stage 2 step 7.
Temporary assignment of duties
There is no requirement to notify an opportunity for a temporary assignment in the Gazette. However, agency-specific policies may, in some circumstances, require notification of temporary employment opportunities within the agency and impose other requirements for these selection exercises.
