There is an upcoming federal election on 21 May 2022, which will be followed later this year by a state election scheduled for 26 November 2022.
At all times, we work under the Code of Conduct for Victorian Public Sector Employees, but it is important to recognise that political elections tend to create opportunities for accidental breaches of the code.
The Code seeks to ensure public sector employees remain impartial, apolitical and professional and if necessary, put in place appropriate arrangements to manage any conflicts of interest.
There are no requirements for Monash Health employees to disclose their personal lives or limit their participation in public life.
For all local, state or federal elections, you need to be mindful of these obligations in the code of conduct:
- You should conduct yourself in an apolitical manner. In the course of your work, avoid any participation in activities that support a political party or independent candidate (item 2.2 of the code).
- Only use official information for its official purpose and if you have approval (item 3.4 of the code).
- Where possible, avoid any conflicts of interest and manage those you can’t avoid consistent with your employer’s policies (item 3.7 of the code).
- Public sector employees only engage in other employment where the activity does not conflict with their role as a public sector employee(item 3.8 of the code).
- At work and in your private life, avoid damage to your employer or the public sector’s reputation and the public’s trust in how you do your job (item 3.9 of the code).
- Only use work resources for appropriate purposes as authorised by your employer (item 5.3 of the code).
Employees seeking to volunteer for a political party or candidate do not need to seek permission from Monash Health.
However, if you are engaging in paid political work, you should escalate to your Director of Clinical Operations or General Manager for approval.
Employees do not need to disclose their personal political views.
If you are unsure about volunteer political work, please ask your manager, or contact communication@monashhealth.org
For any election activity, only make a personal public comment if it (item 3.5 of the code):
- isn’t about government activity you’re involved in or connected with as a public sector employee
- is clear the opinions are yours
- doesn’t compromise your ability to do your job in an unbiased manner.
To assist our patients, we have published additional information about how to prepare our patients for the upcoming federal election.