Bureau Social Justice Strategy

Social Justice Information

This information details the Bureau’s participation in the Australian Public Service Social Justice Program.

Overview

Social Justice Principles are important components of the Bureau's people management strategy and are implemented for the benefit of staff through a range of HRM activities.

The major elements of the Bureau's Social Justice Program are:

Workplace Diversity, incorporating Equal Employment Opportunity;
Participative Work Practices and Consultation;
Work Health and Safety;
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment and Career Development Program;
Human Resource Development; and
Staff Rehabilitation/Redeployment, including the Employee Assistance Program.

These essential principles are inherent in existing legislation providing for fair conduct in the workplace.

Bureau of Meteorology Workplace Diversity Program

Policy Statement

The Bureau is committed to the promotion of employment equity. It seeks to accommodate and maximise differences within the organisation, in the spirit of the APS Values and APS Employment Principles, to achieve corporate goals. It seeks to respect and value the diversity in the workplace by helping to prevent and eliminate unlawful discrimination and to assist staff to balance their work and personal life responsibilities.

Overall Workplace Diversity Program Objectives

Through the ongoing development and implementation of the Program, expected results include:

Staff experience a work environment in which they feel valued and treated with respect;
Individual efforts of staff in the achievement of Bureau goals are appreciated and recognised;
The workplace culture is supportive, free of harassment and other inappropriate forms of discrimination;
Staff are encouraged to, and supported in, balancing their work and personal life responsibilities; and,
Structures are in place for supporting the ongoing development, reporting, implementation and review of workplace diversity.

Bureau of Meteorology Participative Work Practices and Consultation Strategy

The APS Employment Principles require Agencies to provide "flexible, safe and rewarding workplaces where communication, consultation, cooperation and input from employees on matters that affect their workplaces are valued".

The Bureau has embraced the APS Employment Principles as integral elements of good management practice and is committed to establishing and maintaining workplace relations that provide appropriate consultative and participative mechanisms in relation to Bureau activities.

Overall Objectives

Consistent with these values and the Government’s Workplace Relations policy, the Bureau has instituted consultative mechanisms through its agreement-making process, directed at ensuring that:

APS employees are aware of Bureau goals and responsibilities and the way in which their work contributes to the achievement of those goals and responsibilities;
APS employees have appropriate opportunities to contribute their views on issues affecting their workplace; and
Consultative arrangements and processes in the workplace appropriately recognise the decision-making responsibilities of management.

Bureau of Meteorology Work Health & Safety Plan

The Bureau of Meteorology Work Health & Safety (WHS) Strategic Plan is designed to assist the Bureau in delivering a first class system that, in addition to meeting legislative requirements, will help to ensure the health and safety of our people.

Work Health & Safety Objective

To provide a working environment for all workers that is as safe and healthy as is reasonably practicable.

Essential Elements of the WHS Plan

To develop appropriate organisational arrangements to facilitate implementation of the WHS Act 2011:

To provide suitable learning programs in respect of WHS;
To provide up to date information and advice on WHS issues;
To promote and monitor safety and health in the workplace;
To provide adequate facilities for the welfare of workers at work; and
To provide detailed WHS policy, procedures and guidelines.

Bureau of Meteorology Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment and Career Development Program

The Bureau has a program to increase employment and subsequent career development opportunities for Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) people.

Overall Objective

To increase access by Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) people to ongoing employment through a targeted recruitment, training, career development and retention program.

Specific Objectives

To encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander secondary students to participate in programs such as the Bureau's Work Experience Program.
To participate in the APS Indigenous Pathways to Employment programs i.e. the Indigenous APS Graduate Program, and the Indigenous APS Cadetship Program
To liaise with Indigenous-related organisations and Centres for Indigenous Education, or their equivalents, in Australian universities
To continue to participate in appropriate Australian Public Service Commission networks and forums on Indigenous employment
To continue to schedule Strategic Indigenous Awareness sessions for employees
To advertise selected vacancies through Indigenous media
To invite local Elders to address Bureau employees on weather and climate during National Aborigines' and Islanders' Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) celebrations held in July and/or at other suitable times
further develop the Bureau's Indigenous Weather Knowledge website
To invite students and teachers to visit Bureau offices during Science Week held in August each year

Australian Public Service Values, Employment Principles and Code of Conduct which apply to Bureau of Meteorology employess

All APS employees, including Bureau of Meteorology employees, are required to uphold the APS Values, APS Employment Principles and APS Code of Conduct. These may be found at www.apsc.gov.au and are provided here for your information.

APS Values

Impartial

The APS is apolitical and provides the Government with advice that is frank, honest, timely and based on the best available evidence.

Committed to service

The APS is professional, objective, innovative and efficient, and works collaboratively to achieve the best results for the Australian community and the Government.

Accountable

The APS is open and accountable to the Australian community under the law and within the framework of Ministerial responsibility.

Respectful

The APS respects all people, including their rights and their heritage.

Ethical

The APS demonstrates leadership, is trustworthy, and acts with integrity, in all that it does.

APS Employment Principles

The APS is a career based public service that:
1. makes fair employment decisions with a fair system of review; and
2. recognises that the usual basis for engagement is as an ongoing APS employee; and
3. makes decisions relating to engagement and promotion that are based on merit; and
4. requires effective performance from each employee; and
5. provides flexible, safe and rewarding workplaces where communication, consultation, cooperation and input from employees on matters that affect their workplaces are valued; and
6. provides workplaces that are free from discrimination, patronage and favouritism; and
7. recognises the diversity of the Australian community and fosters diversity in the workplace.
Decisions based on merit
For the purposes of paragraph (1)(c), a decision relating to engagement or promotion is based on merit if:
1. all eligible members of the community were given a reasonable opportunity to apply to perform the relevant duties; and
2. an assessment is made of the relative suitability of the candidates to perform the relevant duties, using a competitive selection process; and
3. the assessment is based on the relationship between the candidates' work related qualities and the work related qualities genuinely required to perform the relevant duties; and
4. the assessment focuses on the relative capacity of the candidates to achieve outcomes related to the relevant duties; and
5. the assessment is the primary consideration in making the decision.

APS Code of Conduct

The Code of Conduct requires that an APS employee must:

behave honestly and with integrity in connection with APS employment.
act with care and diligence in connection with APS employment.
when acting in connection with APS employment, must treat everyone with respect and courtesy, and without harassment.
when acting in connection with APS employment, must comply with all applicable Australian laws.
comply with any lawful and reasonable direction given by someone in the employee's Agency who has authority to give the direction.
maintain appropriate confidentiality about dealings that the employee has with any Minister or Minister's member of staff.
disclose, and take reasonable steps to avoid, any conflict of interest (real or apparent) in connection with APS employment.
use Commonwealth resources in a proper manner.
not provide false or misleading information in response to a request for information that is made for official purposes in connection with the employee's APS employment.
not make improper use of:
1. (a) inside information; or
2. (b) the employee's duties, status, power or authority;
in order to gain, or seek to gain, a benefit or advantage for the employee or for any other person.
at all times behave in a way that upholds:
1. (a) the APS Values and APS Employment Principles; and
2. (b) the integrity and good reputation of the employee's Agency and the APS.
while on duty overseas must at all times behave in a way that upholds the good reputation of Australia.
comply with any other conduct requirement that is prescribed by the regulations.