Eligible Victorian Public Service (VPS) employees can ask their employer to review a decision that directly affects their employment. This request is made through a formal process called a Review of Actions.
If you have an enquiry or complaint that isn’t related to an employment decision, we can help you find the right organisation to speak to.
You can request a review if the decision was unfair or inconsistent with:
You can request a review of decisions that directly affect your employment. This includes decisions about:
A recruitment or promotion decision can only be reviewed if there’s a significant deficiency in the process. For example, if there’s a conflict of interest, a panel member asks inappropriate questions unrelated to the role or seeks feedback from someone who isn’t a nominated referee without the applicant's consent.
Only current VPS employees can apply for a Review of Actions under the Public Administration (Review of Actions) Regulations 2025.
The VPS includes departments, administrative offices, and organisations specified in section 16 of the Public Administration Act 2004.
View our list of Victorian public sector employers. To see if your employer is a Victorian public service body, use the search by attributes option, and select ‘public service’ in the ‘Employer type’ drop down.
Former VPS employees can’t apply for a Review of Actions.
If you cease your employment during a Review of Actions application, the review process will end.
If you’re a former VPS employee, you can raise your concerns with:
For a more detailed list visit our enquiries and complaints page.
In most cases, you’ll apply for an initial Review of Actions (initial review) with the VPS organisation who made the decision. You only do this if the matter cannot be resolved through other means.
This is a Regulation 6 review. In most cases, the purpose is to review why the decision was made and if the correct process was followed. If the decision was a recruitment decision, only the recruitment process can be reviewed, not the outcome.
You must apply for a Regulation 6 review within 28 days of the initial decision, or within 7 days if it was a recruitment or promotion decision.
An initial review must follow the requirements set out in regulations 7, 8 and 9. These requirements set out:
Each VPS organisation has their own Review of Actions policy which outlines how reviews are conducted in the organisation. Refer to the Review of Actions common policy on the Victorian government website if there are any conflicts or inconsistencies with the organisation's policy.
To apply, contact your organisation’s Review Registrar.
If you’re unsure who the Registrar is, contact your organisation’s human resources or people and culture team for help.
Your application must be:
A preliminary assessment will usually be conducted by the Registrar to determine whether the application meets eligibility and threshold requirements.
If your application is accepted, the Registrar will notify you in writing and either:
If your application is refused, the Registrar will notify you in writing and outline the reasons why within a reasonable time after a decision is made, consistent with Regulation 9.
The independent reviewer may be either an employee or a professional contractor. The reviewer must be skilled in conducting reviews and be independent of the decision being reviewed.
After the independent reviewer conducts the review, they may make recommendations to reconsider the decision or change processes within the VPS organisation. Their recommendations are non-binding.
You can contact the Victorian Public Sector Commission (Commission) with any questions about the Regulation 6 review process at [email protected].
The Commission can undertake a Review of Actions in 3 instances:
The Commission can conduct a Regulation 10 review of your Regulation 6 initial review, including cases where you consider there was a significant deficiency in the initial review process, or if your initial review process contravened the:
This includes cases where your initial review application was rejected.
This Regulation 10 review only looks at the process of the employer's review and not the merits of the initial review application.
This means that the Commission can’t review the outcome of the initial review if we determine that the conclusions were reached in a fair way.
You must apply for this review within 28 days of the initial decision, or within 7 days if it was a recruitment or promotion decision. Under limited conditions, late applications may be accepted if the Commission is satisfied the circumstances justify acceptance.
If your employer fails to respond to or start your Regulation 6 review within 30 days of your application, you can apply for a Regulation 11 review with the Commission to find out why.
You must apply this review within 40 days after the initial 30-day review application period has expired. Under limited conditions, late applications may be accepted if the Commission is satisfied the circumstances justify acceptance.
A Regulation 12 review is conducted directly by the Commission.
You can apply for this review if you:
In this case, you won’t need to also apply for an initial Regulation 6 review to your employer.
You must apply for this review within 28 days of the initial decision, or within 7 days if it was a recruitment or promotion decision. Under limited conditions, late applications may be accepted if the Commission is satisfied the circumstances justify acceptance.
Download our application form to apply for a Regulation 10, 11, or 12 review.
The form includes a self-assessment to help you decide whether to proceed with your application.
Submit the application form with any supporting evidence and documentation to the Commission by:
You’ll receive a receipt after you apply. We may request further information from you or your organisation to conduct the review.
The Commission will conduct a preliminary assessment to determine whether the application meets eligibility and threshold requirements. We may request further information from you or your organisation to conduct the review.
If your application is accepted, we’ll:
If your application is refused, we’ll notify you, outline the reasons why, and provide details of your appeal rights.
The VPS organisation or Commission may refuse to conduct a review if:
The guide outlines the roles and responsibilities of the people participating in a review of actions. These are the registrar, reviewer, employee, representative and support person, manager and decision-maker.
The guide answers questions people may have about the initial review of actions in a public service organisation and when a matter may be referred to VPSC.
Apply for a Regulation 10, 11 or 12 Review of Actions with the VPSC by completing the above form.