Peak bodies for the communities and subject areas the Commissioner represents, as well as other key civil society stakeholders, should be notified of the vacancy as early as practicable after the vacancy has been advertised and encouraged to disseminate the advertisement to potential candidates. For example, when the position of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner position is advertised, peak bodies for First Nations people should be notified of the vacancy. The Secretary will consult with the Attorney-General and the Commission on the advertising pack for President and Commissioner vacancies. Such advertising must also be made in accordance with the Recruitment Advertising Policy which applies to all officials of all non-corporate Commonwealth Entities (NCEs). The vacancy must be advertised externally, for instance on an appropriate recruitment website or websites. Advice about internet recruitment advertising strategies is available from the Communications Advice Branch at the Department of Finance. The Secretary may wish to engage an executive search firm to ensure the field of applicants is as strong as possible, although the Secretary, APS Commissioner and Attorney-General still retain their responsibilities as outlined in these guidelines. Where search firms are used, all assessment panel members must be kept informed of all aspects of the process. Vacancies should be advertised alongside a copy of the role description and an overview of the appointments process. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 must be met at the medium conformance level to support access for people with disability. Vacancies should be advertised for a minimum of three weeks to ensure sufficient time to reach a variety of interested people from different backgrounds and a range of societal groups. 2.8.3 Assessment panel An assessment panel will consider the claims of all applicants against the selection criteria. At a minimum, the assessment panel will consist of the following: • • • • the Secretary (or their representative) the APS Commissioner (or their representative) the President of the Commission (for all Commissioner appointments) an external non-government representative with recognised experience in and commitment to human rights. The Secretary will consider whether to invite additional individuals with relevant expertise to participate on the assessment panel. The Secretary must consult with the President of the Commission when considering the suitability of potential non-government members of the assessment panel. The panel should reflect a diverse range of views and have knowledge of human rights issues. 13