Recruitment practices at Maitland Revenue NSW – December 2018 (PDF version)

The Government Sector Employment Rules allow for agency heads to transfer and second (for a period up to two years) employees between government sector agencies.

Rule 16 in particular, stipulates merit-based principles should apply to secondments and transfers.

For the PSA, this means that where a role becomes vacant a fair and transparent recruitment process needs to be opened up to all employees where their capabilities, experience and knowledge is assessed against all of the other candidates to determine the person best suited to the requirements of the role.

This would be the fairest and most just way that existing management can show respect to its staff.

But apparently this isn’t always being done.

The PSA has had reason to suspect that in recent months Maitland Revenue NSW management has not offered opportunities to all staff when one or more roles have become vacant when they should have.

Accordingly, we wrote to management highlighting our concerns with recent transfers and secondments from other Departments, what recruitment methods had been used, the subsequent employment decision, and how we believe that this process has effectively served to lock out other potential existing employees.

We further requested that Revenue NSW review its recruitment practices to ensure that it apply the merit-based principles of the GSE in good faith and open up all opportunities to existing staff in all further recruitment decisions where there is a vacant role or a long-term secondment – and apply comparative methods of assessment.

Again, this would be the fairest and most just way that existing management can show respect to its staff.

We are still awaiting Maitland management’s response.

By the way, these GSE Rules were written by the State Liberals to favour the bosses – we invite members to bear this in mind at the March 2019 state election.

Not a member? Join the PSA today at www.psa.asn.au/join