Public Sector Standards Commissioner

The office of the independent Public Sector Standards Commissioner (PSSC) is established under the Public Sector Management Act 1994 (PSM Act). The PSSC is appointed by the Chief Minister under s.142 of the PSM Act.

The PSSC is independent of the ACT Public Service and the ACT Government, meaning the PSSC is empowered to decide when and how to manage complaints, conduct investigations, and inspect or enquire into the operations of any part of the ACT Public Service.

The current PSSC is Mr Ian McPhee AO PSM.

The Professional Standards Unit provides administrative and investigative services to the PSSC and whilst undertaking this role, the PSU operates under the direction of the PSSC.

Roles and Functions

Section 144 of the PSM Act stipulates the functions of the PSSC, including to -

• conduct investigations about a matter declared by the Chief Minister, and/or under an enterprise agreement;
• provide advice to the Chief Minister about matters arising from an investigation conducted by the PSSC; and
• in connection with an investigation to promote, support and encourage ACTPS employees to observe the ACTPS Values of Respect, Integrity, Collaboration and Innovation, the public sector principles of best practice, and merit and equity (s 8 of the PSM Act), and adherence to the ACTPS Code of Conduct.

The PSSC has broad powers outlined in the Public Sector Management Standards 2016 and also has the following additional responsibilities under the ACTPS enterprise agreements, to -

• receive referrals for investigations
• initiate an investigation of alleged misconduct in the absence of a referral if satisfied that the matter warrants investigation
• make arrangements to investigate the alleged misconduct, and
• determine if misconduct has occurred.

In addition to oversighting and conducting investigations into complaints and allegations of misconduct, the PSSC seeks to identify common issues and key messages arising from investigative processes that inform and guide the formulation of preventative steps through education, training and the promotion of better outcomes.

The PSSC writes to the Chief Minister, Head of Service and head of public sector entities (e.g. directors-general) at least annually to advise on these common issues and key messages to promote and provide advice about the public sector values, the public sector principles and the conduct expected under the PSM Act.

The ACT Government is committed to improving the accessibility of web content. If you are experiencing problems accessing the information presented on this page, please email the ACTPublicSectorStandardsCommissioner@act.gov.au inbox and we will endeavour to provide the information in an alternative format.

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as traditional custodians of the ACT and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region.