Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister representing the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, upon notice , on 29 August 2011:

(1) How many Code of Conduct investigations have there been within the Minister's portfolio for the financial years: (a) 2010-11; and (b) 2011-to date.

(2) How many investigations established: (a) a breach; or (b) no breach, of the Code of Conduct.

(3) In each case, what provisions of the Code of Conduct were thought to have been breached.

(4) What penalties were applied where the Code of Conduct was broken.

(5) How many investigations are ongoing.

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs has provided the following answer to the honourable senator ' s question:

(1)(a) As at 29 August 2011, the total number of APS Code of Conduct investigations completed within the Minister's portfolio for the financial year 2010-11 was ten.

  (b) As at 29 August 2011, there had been no APS Code of Conduct investigation completed within the Minister's portfolio for the financial year 2011-12.

(2)(a) As at 29 August 2011, of the ten investigations completed in the 2010-11 financial year there were five investigations that established a breach of the APS Code of Conduct by employees of the Minister's portfolio.

  (b) As at 29 August 2011, of the ten investigations completed in the 2010-11 financial year there were five investigations that established no breach of the APS Code of Conduct by employees within the Minister's portfolio.

(3) As at 29 August 2011, the provisions of the APS Code of Conduct that were alleged to have been breached by employees within the Minister's portfolio in the ten investigations completed during the 2010-11 financial year are listed below. Note that some of these elements of the Code were relevant to more than one of the ten investigations:

The Code of Conduct requires that an employee must when acting in the course of APS employment, treat everyone with respect and courtesy, and without harassment.

The Code of Conduct requires that an employee must at all times behave in a way that upholds the APS Values and the integrity and good reputation of the APS.

The Code of Conduct requires that an employee must behave honestly and with integrity in the course of APS employment.

The Code of Conduct requires that an employee must act with care and diligence in the course of APS employment.

The Code of Conduct requires that an employee must comply with any lawful and reasonable direction given by someone in the employee ' s Agency who has authority to give that direction.

As at 29 August 2011, there had been no APS Code of Conduct investigations completed within the Minister's portfolio for the 2011-12 financial year.

(4) As at 29 August 2011, the penalties that were applied to employees within the Minister's portfolio who were found to have breached the APS Code of Conduct in the 2010-11 financial year were two terminations, two fines and one sanction of a reprimand. As at 29 August 2011, no penalties had been imposed on employees within the Minister's portfolio for breaches of the APS Code of Conduct in the 2011-12 financial year.

(5) As at 29 August 2011, one investigation from the 2010-11 financial year is ongoing within the Minister's portfolio. As at 29 August 2011, one investigation from the 2011-12 financial year is ongoing within the Minister's portfolio.