The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has issued a guide to its members on the rules and requirements of Australian Public Service (APS) employees taking part in election campaigns.
Published as advice in the lead-up to the Federal election expected in May, the union quotes the Australian Public Service Commission guidelines which approve APS employees participating in political activities as part of “normal community affairs”.
The guidelines say: “They may also join, or hold office in, political parties”, the only exception being for staff working in the Australian Electoral Commission.
However, “If an APS employee is involved in political campaigning, they should make it clear they are not undertaking these activities as part of their official duties”.
The CPSU statement said that in practice, this meant PS staff should not campaign during work time, use work resources for campaigning, or behave in a way that might infer their political campaigning was part of their official duties.
It said that in their own time, employees were free to take part in community activities such as attending political rallies and displaying campaign posters on their properties. They could attend union meetings and discuss union issues with colleagues.
“Under APSC guidelines APS employees may make public comment in an unofficial capacity on social media so long as it is lawful and the employee makes it clear they are expressing their own views,” the CPSU said.
“The guidelines say that employees must still uphold the APS Values, even when material is posted anonymously, or using an alias or pseudonym.
“As a general rule we advise members to remove any information about where they work or who they work for, from their social media profiles.”
The CPSU said employees wishing to take leave to work on a campaign should obtain approval from their Agency head.
The union’s guidelines can be accessed at this PS News link.
