Merit Protection Commissioner

The Merit Protection Commissioner is an independent statutory office holder appointed by the Govenor-General.

The Merit Protection Commissioner is an independent statutory office holder, appointed by the Govenor-General, who conducts independent reviews of employment actions and merit-based decisions.

The Commissioner has a wide range of statutory responsibilities including fee-for-service functions such as agency staff selection and inquiries into allegations of a breach of the Code of Conduct.

The Merit Protection Commissioner helps agencies to meet the requirements of the Australian Public Service (APS) Values and Code of Conduct, providing independent external review of actions that affect individual APS employees.

In addition to administering the statutory review of actions scheme, the Commissioner has a range of other responsibilities, as set out in sections 50 and 50A of the Public Service Act 1999.