This year’s State Election will be held on Saturday 26 November 2022 with the Caretaker period starting from 6pm on Tuesday 1 November.
Caretaker Conventions apply from 1 November until the election result is clear or (in the event of a close result) a new government is sworn in.
At all times, we work under the Public Administration Act 2004 and 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.
Under the Public Administration Act 2004 and the Code of Conduct, employees are required to remain apolitical and, in the course of work, avoid involvement in political activities, not just during an election period.
For all local, state or federal elections, please 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, or considering running as a candidate, you should escalate to your Director of Clinical Operations or General Manager for approval.
Employees do not need to disclose their personal political views.
Caretaker Conventions
During the Caretaker period, health services are required to remain apolitical and should not provide any public comment on election issues.
To protect the political neutrality of our health service during the Caretaker period:
- Don’t share personal views with media outlets
- Check our own social media use
- There should be no political activities on work time
- Don’t use public sector resources for electioneering.
If you are unsure about volunteer political work or any aspect of the caretaker conventions, please ask your manager, or contact communication@monashhealth.org.
For any election activity, only make a personal public comment if (item 3.5 of the code):
- it isn’t about government activity you’re involved in or connected with as a public sector employee
- it is clear the opinions are yours
- it doesn’t compromise your ability to do your job in an unbiased manner.
Approved by Michael Holman