Policy
1.1 Summary
This policy applies to all statutory appointments to the Commission. The policy is summarised as
follows:
1. The Attorney-General will advise incumbents, in writing, at least six months before the expiry
of their appointment, whether the Government intends to reappoint them, not reappoint
them, or to advertise the position to test the field. (The President and Commissioners’ total
term, including reappointment to the position, is a maximum of 7 years).
2. A merit-based and transparent process will apply for filling vacancies, with the following
features:
a. oversight of the advertising process is to be undertaken by the Secretary of the
Attorney-General’s Department (the Secretary), in consultation with the Commission
b. assessment of the applicants’ claims is to be undertaken by the Secretary (or their
representative), Australian Public Service Commissioner (APS Commissioner) (or their
representative), and the President of the Commission (for Commissioner
appointments). The Secretary will consider whether to invite additional individuals with
relevant expertise to participate on the assessment panel.
c. vacancies will be advertised on the Attorney-General Department’s website, the
Commission’s website, the APSjobs website, in major daily newspapers (subject to the
Recruitment Advertising Policy), through civil society stakeholder channels and targeted
online recruitment platforms 2
d. selections will be made against a core set of selection criteria, supplemented by
additional criteria developed in consultation with the Commission
e. a report endorsed by the APS Commissioner will be provided by the Secretary to the
Attorney-General recommending shortlisted candidates.
3. All initial appointments are to be made for a standard term of five years unless special
circumstances justify a different length. Consistent with the Paris Principles, if an appointment
is made for less than five years, the minimum term of appointment is three years. If an
appointment is made for more than five years, the maximum term of appointment is seven
years.
4. All costs associated with filling the vacancy, such as advertising, will be borne by the
Commission, unless otherwise determined by the Secretary. The Attorney-General’s
Department will consult the Commission about the estimated costs of filling the vacancy.
2
Refer to Clause 2.7.2 for further detail on advertising and Recruitment Advertising Policy
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