Prime Minister’s direction under subsection 21(1) – 2020 (No. 1) (Cth)

Public Service Act 1999

Prime Minister's direction under subsection 21(1) – 2020 (No. 1)

Direction under subsection 21(1) of the Public Service Act 1999 – COVID 19 – movement of APS employees to functions critical to the continued delivery of services to the Australian public

I, Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia, issue the following direction to Agency Heads in relation to the management of APS employees.

1. The object of this direction is to facilitate the most efficient and effective deployment of APS employees and expertise to meet the exceptional challenge posed by COVID 19 to Australian society – a task which has become the principal focus of APS endeavour.

2. Each Agency Head is required to identify, as a matter of urgency, those functions performed in the agency that, taking into account the consequences of the COVID 19 pandemic, are currently critical to:

(a) the continued delivery of services to the Australian public; or

(b) the operation of the APS as a whole.

3. Each Agency Head is also required to identify those employees in their agency whose duties do not involve the performance of those functions referred to in either 2(a) or 2(b), and who are capable of undertaking work, as an employee of the agency:

(a) on a temporary basis for other APS agencies that are critical to the continued delivery of services to the Australian public, or are critical to the operation of the APS as a whole; or

(b) on a temporary basis to assist State or Territory government agencies to address the consequences of COVID 19, including to assist them to maintain the continued delivery of services to the Australian public; or

(c) on a temporary basis to assist community organisations to address the consequences of COVID 19, including to assist a community organisation to maintain the continued delivery of services to the Australian public.