Do:
- demonstrate the public sector values in how you work
- adhere to the Code of Conduct
- be prepared to speak up and support others to speak up too
- if you’re in doubt, speak with your manager or peers
- plan projects and tasks early and document your plan
- refer to your plan often and build in opportunities to report and advise on progress
- if something doesn’t feel right ask questions
- consult as appropriate with your relevant legal team to ensure your brief and attachments comply with any legal requirements for the relevant decision
- engage with the minister’s office in line with your organisation’s protocols and as appropriate for your level of responsibility
- seek opportunities where possible to work with the minister’s office and to understand how it operates
- provide opportunities for the people you lead to learn about and be exposed to how the minister’s office operates. These opportunities should match their position level
- consider the example you set as a leader about what constitutes meaningful engagement and what’s acceptable when you engage the minister’s office
- consider the departmental liaison officer (DLO) as a valuable first point of contact in the minister’s office.
Don’t:
- hesitate to raise concerns with your manager
- allow personal concerns or biases to influence your duty to provide full and frank advice
- circumvent your line of management unless you have serious concerns about their integrity. If you have integrity concerns, consider formal processes for reporting them.
- withhold information that is required for the minister to make a fully informed decision
- provide advice to the minister’s office without authorisation or without following pre-established communication protocols.
- rely solely on oral briefs for any matter of significance.