SES cohort

The Australian Government has invested in public sector capacity to resource the Australian Public Service to deliver the Government’s agenda and meet the needs of the Australian people. 

Each agency has an approved SES cohort. The size of an agency’s SES cohort is based on positions (not people) and forms part of its average staffing level (ASL).

The APS Commissioner supports the Government to monitor and manage the size of the SES cohort. 

Agencies are expected to continually monitor SES cohort approved and actual numbers, including temporary positions. 

The default approach to resourcing new SES positions is through reprioritisation of existing resources within agencies. Agencies should not create or fill an unapproved SES position if the agency is at or above its approved cohort.

Approval to increase an agency’s SES cohort must be provided by a decision of Government or the Minister for the Public Service before the SES position is created or filled.

Changes to an agency’s SES cohort

The approved size of an agency’s SES cohort will change over time if:

• agency heads agree to transfer a position between agencies in the same portfolio
• a position is transferred between agencies via a Machinery of Government (MoG) change
• a secondment changes reporting arrangements, by agreement between the relevant agencies
• a temporary approval ceases
• an agency evaluates its business needs and determines it is appropriate to reduce the approved size of its SES cohort, or
• an additional position is approved by Government or the Minister for the Public Service.

An agency must report any changes to the approved size of its SES cohort at the next reporting period.

Requesting an increase

An agency can increase its approved SES cohort through three mechanisms:

Transfer SES positions within the same Portfolio

• Reprioritisation of approved current SES positions should be the primary approach to establishing new positions.
• Portfolio Secretaries should have visibility of the approved SES cohorts for agencies in their portfolio and facilitate the transfer of SES positions within the portfolio, when possible.
• This may occur if the portfolio department or agency has excess SES positions or wishes to support secondment opportunities for SES officers, balancing the needs of the requesting agency and portfolio.
• A portfolio Secretary and an agency head may agree to the transfer of an SES position between the portfolio department and a portfolio agency, or agency heads may agree to a transfer of an SES position between portfolio agencies. A transfer can be agreed on a permanent or temporary basis.

Decision of government

• A Minister can request an increase to the size of an agency’s SES cohort via a New Policy Proposal or Cabinet Submission, subject to applicable budget processes and rules.

Approval by the Minister for the Public Service

The Minister for the Public Service may also approve additional SES positions if an agency has existing ASL and funding and is operating within their approved SES cohort size.

Agencies may only request an increase to the Minister for the Public Service in the following exceptional circumstances:

• additional SES are critical for a significant delivery, compliance function or Machinery of Government change and Secretaries/Agency Heads have clearly demonstrated in their request how SES have been reprioritised from within their existing resources, or
• conversion of contractor, consultant or external labour hire roles to SES positions within existing departmental budgets having regard to the Strategic Commissioning Framework.

Additional SES positions will not usually be approved for: 

• longstanding, well-established programs that form part of the business-as-usual workload of the agency (including terminating functions)
• new services and policy functions that align with the business-as-usual workload of the agency, and do not represent a significant variation to its roles and responsibilities, and
• core work and corporate functions, such as drafting legislation, leading policy development, budget officers, communications and campaigns development, human resources and legal officers.

The Minister for the Public Service will not ordinarily consider supporting an agency’s request to increase the size of the SES cohort where approval is sought after the increase has occurred.

To make a request to the Minister for the Public Service, the Secretary or Agency Head should write to the APS Commissioner addressing:

• the proposed position title, classification level and duration (if temporary)
• why the circumstances of the request are exceptional, as set out in paragraph 16 of this policy
• why it would not be appropriate to seek approval through the Budget process, and
• whether any other SES positions have been approved since the last reporting period (either via the Budget process or through approval from the Minister) and if so, the context for approvals.

The letter to the APS Commissioner should also confirm that:

• the proposed position is appropriately classified, taking into consideration the SES work level standards (for further information see SES evaluation methodology guidelines and workbook)
• the agency has sufficient ASL and funding for the duration of the proposed position(s)
• the agency is operating within its approved SES cohort size, i.e. is not operating with unapproved SES positions.
• the agency has obtained the support of the relevant Minister and portfolio Secretary for the proposed position(s), and
• before providing their support, the portfolio Secretary considered options for reprioritisation and redistribution of SES positions within the portfolio.

The letter should include or attach:

• the span of supervision for each SES position within the agency’s organisational structure (covering both existing and proposed positions), and how this aligns with the benchmarks set out in the Optimal Management Structures Guidance 2023.

The APS Commission should be contacted early for advice on preparing a request, including guidance on compiling the necessary supporting information. An agency considering submitting a request to the Minister for the Public Service should contact sescohort@apsc.gov.au.

The APS Commission will consider the information provided and prepare a brief to the Minister for the Public Service for decision.

APS Commissioner exemption to bring forward a Ministerial request in extraordinary circumstances

An agency may request a formal exemption that would permit a request being made to the Minister for the Public Service for decision where:

• the agency is not eligible to make a request to the Minister for the Public Service
• the request is for a position that must be filled to address a critical, urgent and unavoidable issue impacting the delivery of Government priorities, and
• the agency has sufficient ASL and funding to accommodate the position.

Exemptions will only be considered in extraordinary circumstances and must be endorsed by the APS Commissioner to advance to the Minister for the Public Service for decision.

Reporting

Agencies are required to report to the APS Commission on their SES cohort twice a year, as at 30 June and 31 December.

Reporting asks the agency about any changes to the approved size of its SES cohort since the last reporting period and how that aligns to the actual number of SES positions active in the agency. Reporting is based on SES positions (not people) and covers SES officers employed under the Public Service Act 1999.

• Numbers are recorded as Full Time Equivalent. For example, two SES officers job-sharing in one position would count as one position.

In reporting changes to the approved size of its SES cohort, the agency should include details of any increases or decreases to approved positions, including:

• whether they are permanent or temporary (including start and end dates)
• the reason for the change (e.g. awarded through Budget process or approval from the Minister, MoG change, ceased temporary positions, secondments or transfers where the agency has agreed to report the position), and
• the approximate date and any relevant reference numbers for approvals.

In reporting the actual size of its SES cohort, the agency should include:

• Positions active in the agency structure - whether filled by a substantive or acting employee, ongoing or non-ongoing. The duration of an acting arrangement does not need to be included for reporting purposes.
• SES secondees/transfers - if an agency has agreed to report the position as part of its SES Cohort (secondees/transfers are generally reported by the gaining agency. An approach will need to be agreed by both agencies prior to reporting the loss/gain).

It is important for each agency to maintain accurate records throughout the year including tracking approvals, transfers and any other changes to SES cohort size.

SES movements via MoG changes

If a new APS entity is created, the agency head should write to the APS Commissioner to establish the approved size of their SES cohort. Correspondence should include information on why the entity has been established and the composition of its SES cohort, for example, the number of SES positions approved via Budget processes.

If a MoG change results in the movement of SES employees and/or positions between APS agencies, the respective agency heads must agree, in writing, on the number of positions that will be transferred and whether they are permanent or temporary. Each agency head should note how the transfer of SES employees and/or positions would affect the approved size of their respective SES cohorts.

If a MoG change results in the transfer of non-APS employees into an APS SES role, the receiving entity will not automatically receive an equivalent increase to its SES cohort. The receiving entity will be required to seek approval for any to its SES cohort.

For all MoG changes, agencies should advise the APS Commission of the agreed arrangements once the transfer has concluded. SES MoG movements will also need to be reported to the APS Commission as part of the bi-annual reporting process.

Further information

Agencies seeking more information on SES cohort arrangements can contact the APS Commission at sescohort@apsc.gov.au