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DEPARTMENTof EDUCATION
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Selection panel recommendation, report and delegate approval

(September 2009)

Please note that this information applies to vacancies advertised:

  • within the Department of Education, Tasmania by means of Infostream; or
  • in the State Service Notices Section of the Tasmanian Government Gazette.

After considering the evidence obtained from written applications (if applicable), the selection assessment and any verification of claims, the selection panel must make a decision about the relative merit of each applicant for the vacancy. Commissioner's Direction No. 2 notes that a decision relating to appointment or promotion of a person in the department is based on merit if:

  • an assessment is made of the suitability of the candidates for the duties; and
  • the assessment is based on the relationship between the candidates' work-related qualities and the work-related qualities genuinely required for the performance of the duties; and
  • the assessment focuses on the capacity of the candidates to achieve outcomes related to the duties; and
  • the assessment is the primary consideration in making the decision.

The selection panel must then prepare a report using the approved Department of Education, Tasmania selection report template [Word 175KB]. All members of the selection panel must sign the report before it is forwarded to the Manager (HR Policy and Workforce Management) within four weeks of the closing date for applications.

Selection panel recommendation

(September 2008)

The decision to recommend an applicant for appointment or promotion should be reached by consensus of the selection panel, but does not need to be unanimous. A selection panel member may dissent from the decision of the panel and the reasons for their dissention noted in the selection report or in a separate "minority report".

The selection panel recommendation must be contained within the selection report. The panel must indicate if each shortlisted applicant is suitable or unsuitable for the vacancy. If an applicant is rated as suitable against each of the selection criteria, they are automatically considered suitable for the vacancy. Conversely, any applicant who is rated as unsuitable against any of the selection criteria cannot be rated as suitable overall for the vacancy.

All applicants rated as suitable for the vacancy must be ranked in order from highest to lowest. If the highest ranked applicant declines or is unable to take up the vacancy, it must be offered to the next ranked applicant. If that applicant declines the vacancy, it must be offered sequentially to all applicants who were rated as suitable by the selection panel. Given that the selection panel has already rated these applicants as suitable for the vacancy, it is contrary to the rating and ranking process to seek to refer the vacancy back to the selection panel for further consideration if one of the suitable applicants does not take up the vacancy.

Ranking is also important given Commissioner's Direction No. 1 allows the Head of Agency (or delegate) to make a subsequent selection from the same selection process where, within a period of six months from the date of advertising the vacancy in the Gazette:

  • the successful applicant has failed to take up the appointment or promotion; or

  • the successful applicant has vacated the duties to which he/she was appointed or promoted; or

  • another vacancy occurs that requires a person or an employee to undertake identical or substantially the same duties at the same Award or Industrial Agreement classification level and under the same conditions as the originally advertised vacancy.

If the recommendation of the panel is that no applicant should be appointed to the vacancy, it is still necessary for a selection report to be submitted outlining the assessment process followed and the reasons for that recommendation.

Panels should be mindful of the fact that in the case of a review against the selection decision, the selection report will be required to stand up to close scrutiny. As a result all information used in forming the recommendation should be clearly identified in the selection report.

Commencement salary

(September 2008)

The successful applicant will normally be placed on the bottom rung of the classification scale for the vacancy. If the selection panel considers that there are exceptional circumstances warranting appointment at a higher salary within that classification, a recommendation must be made in the selection report. Acceptance of the recommendation will be subject to award provisions and conditions. 

Approval by the delegate

(September 2008)

The Head of Agency (or delegate) will approve the recommendations in the selection report if:

  • the selection process complies with the requirements of the State Service Act 2000 and State Service Commissioner's Directions;
  • the selection panel has used proper and valid processes in arriving at its recommendations;
  • the claims of all applicants have been given fair and thorough consideration; and
  • they are satisfied that the selection panel's conclusions are correct and will withstand detailed scrutiny.

The Head of Agency (or delegate) may seek clarification or additional information from the convenor of the panel. This may result in the selection report being amended or the selection process being undertaken again. The selection report will be returned to the selection panel convenor for review if it is not signed by all members or submitted in the correct format.  

Confidentiality

(September 2009)

All information in relation to the selection process is strictly confidential. Only after the selection report and recommendations have been approved by the Head of Agency (or delegate) can the selection panel convenor advise shortlisted applicants of the outcome of their application. The Establishment, Recruitment and Reporting Services unit will then notify applicants in writing of the decision and any review rights.

Individual assessments will not be automatically send to applicants. A copy of the individual assessment for shortlisted applicants should be provided by the panel in conjunction with post-selection feedback not as an alternative to post-selection feedback.

Contact details

For further information or assistance in relation to the above please contact the Establishment, Recruiting and Reporting Services unit on (03) 6233 7251 or via e-mail: Recruitment@education.tas.gov.au

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