The Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) has released updated guidance for APS employees and Agencies on how to conduct themselves on social media.
In a statement, the APSC said social media was now a fundamental part of how people engaged with one another.
“It has become central to the way we share news, ideas, and interests; how we maintain relationships; and how we express our identities and roles in our communities,” the APSC said.
It said APS employees had a right to participate in online society, just as they had rights as citizens of Australia to engage in community life.
“APS employees are entitled to private lives, personal views, and political opinions,” the Commission said.
However, the unique nature of APS employment meant expressing views could reflect not only on the person as an individual, but on the APS as a whole.
“Our personal behaviour can ultimately affect the confidence of the Australian community and the Government in the integrity of the APS as an institution,” it said.
“On social media, confidence in the APS can be particularly vulnerable to employees’ personal behaviour.”
The APSC said its guidance was aimed at helping APS employees, managers, and Agencies understand and assess the risks that employees’ online behaviour could pose to public confidence in Agencies and the APS, and strike a reasonable balance between employees’ rights as individuals and their obligations as Public Servants.
It noted that all APS employees were bound by the APS Values, Employment Principles, and Code of Conduct set out in the Public Service Act 1999.
“One of our obligations under the Code of Conduct is to behave at all times in a way that upholds the APS Values and Employment Principles, and the integrity and good reputation of our Agency and the APS,” the Commission said.
It said APS employees’ personal behaviour on social media could breach the Code of Conduct.
The higher the risk that a post could undermine trust in the APS, the more likely it was to be inconsistent with the Code, it said.
The APSC guidance can be accessed at this PS News link.
