Senate Inquiry, Hearing Program 4th Nov 2011

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

Maybe someone can tell us whether that is an offence under the TSI Act

Has he (and others) upheld the values of the Public Sector Act? You might find something in here!

Australian Public Service Commission - APS Values and Code of Conduct
APS Values and Code of Conduct

The principles of good public administration, embodied in the APS Values, lie at the heart of the democratic process and the confidence the public has in the way public servants exercise authority when meeting government objectives. Good public administration is a protection not only against inefficiency and poor performance, but also against fraud, corruption, inequity, inability to conduct business confidently and infringement of human rights.
The APS Values and Code are not simply aspirational statements of intent. They are mandatory. A breach of the Code of Conduct can result in sanctions, ranging from a reprimand to termination of employment. All APS employees are required to uphold the Values and comply with the Code. Failure to do so may attract sanctions. Agency heads (and the Senior Executive Service) are required also to promote the Values. The Public Service Commissioner is empowered to evaluate the extent to which agencies incorporate and uphold the Values and the adequacy of systems and procedures to ensure compliance with the Code.
Legislative framework

The APS Values are set out in section 10(1) of the Public Service Act 1999. A copy of the APS Values are available here.
The Code of Conduct is set out in section 13 of the Public Service Act 1999. A copy of the Code of Conduct is available here.






The Code

Australian Public Service Commission - Code of Conduct

The Code of Conduct requires that an employee must:

• behave honestly and with integrity in the course of APS employment;
• act with care and diligence in the course of APS employment;
• when acting in the course of APS employment, treat everyone with respect and courtesy, and without harassment;
• when acting in the course of APS employment, comply with all applicable Australian laws;
• comply with any lawful and reasonable direction given by someone in the employee's Agency who has authority to give the direction;
• maintain appropriate confidentiality about dealings that the employee has with any Minister or Minister's member of staff;
• disclose, and take reasonable steps to avoid, any conflict of interest (real or apparent) in connection with APS employment;
• use Commonwealth resources in a proper manner;
• not provide false or misleading information in response to a request for information that is made for official purposes in connection with the employee's APS employment;
• not make improper use of:
  1. inside information, or
  2. the employee's duties, status, power or authority,
     in order to gain, or seek to gain, a benefit or advantage for the employee or for any other person;
• at all times behave in a way that upholds the APS Values and the integrity and good reputation of the APS;
• while on duty overseas, at all times behave in a way that upholds the good reputation of Australia; and
• comply with any other conduct requirement that is prescribed by the regulations (regulations available on the ComLaw website)