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;
- Occupational 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, 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 Values provide for Agencies to “establish workplace relations that value communication, consultation, cooperation and input from employees on matters that affect their workplace”.
The Bureau has embraced the APS Values 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 Occupational Health & Safety Plan
The Bureau of Meteorology Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) Plan is designed to meet legislative requirements in respect of the health, safety and welfare of employees at work.
The essential elements of the plans are set out below.
Occupational Health & Safety Objective
To provide a working environment for all employees that is as safe and healthy as is reasonably practicable.
Overall Objectives
To develop appropriate organisational arrangements to facilitate implementation of the OH&S (CE) Act:
- To provide suitable learning programs in respect of OH&S;
- To provide up to date information and advice on OH&S issues;
- To promote and monitor safety and health in the workplace;
- To provide adequate facilities for the welfare of employees at work; and
- To provide detailed OH&S 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 & Bureau of Meteorology Values and Code of Conduct
All APS employees, including Bureau of Meteorology employees, are required to uphold the APS Values and APS Code of Conduct. These may be found at http://www.apsc.gov.au/index.html and are provided here for your information.
The APS Values provide the real basis and integrating element of the Service, its professionalism, its integrity and its impartial and responsive service to the government of the day.
The APS Values
The Australian Public Service:
- is apolitical, performing its functions in an impartial and professional manner;
- is a public service in which employment decisions are based on merit;
- provides a workplace that is free from discrimination and recognises and utilises the diversity of the Australian community it serves;
- has the highest ethical standards;
- is openly accountable for its actions, within the framework of Ministerial responsibility to the Government, the Parliament and the Australian public;
- is responsive to the Government in providing frank, honest, comprehensive, accurate and timely advice and in implementing the Government's policies and programs;
- delivers services fairly, effectively, impartially and courteously to the Australian public and is sensitive to the diversity of the Australian public;
- has leadership of the highest quality;
- establishes workplace relations that value communication, consultation, co-operation and input from employees on matters that affect their workplace;
- provides a fair, flexible, safe and rewarding workplace;
- focuses on achieving results and managing performance;
- promotes equity in employment;
- provides a reasonable opportunity to all eligible members of the community to apply for APS employment;
- is a career-based service to enhance the effectiveness and cohesion of Australia's democratic system of government;
- provides a fair system of review of decisions taken in respect of employees.
The Code of Conduct requires that an employee must:
- behave honestly and with integrity in the course of APS employment;
- act with care and diligence in the course of APS employment;
- when acting in the course of APS employment, treat everyone with respect and courtesy, and without harassment;
- when acting in the course off APS employment, 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:
(a) inside information, or
(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 the APS Values and the integrity and good reputation of the APS;
- while on duty overseas, at all times behave in a way that upholds the good reputation of Australia; and
- except in the course of his or her duties as an APS employee or with the Agency Head’s express authority, not give or disclose, directly or indirectly, any information about public business or anything of which the employee has official knowledge.
