Welcome

The Australian Public Service Commission promotes good practice in managing people, supports leadership and learning and development in the Australian Public Service (APS), fosters ethical behaviour and workplaces that value diversity.

We also have an important evaluation role in working with agencies to ensure that the APS is performing effectively and consistently with the APS Values.

Ensuring Leadership Continuity in the Australian Public Service: A guide to succession management

Succession planning minimises the risk of relying on the external labour market to fill positions which can be an increasingly fraught approach in the current highly competitive context. International research has found that succession planning is also linked to organisational success, with internally developed leaders proving better performers than their externally sourced equivalents.

The idea of succession planning in the APS sits uneasily with many managers and staff who see it as raising concerns of nepotism, nonalignment with the Values and the creation of a ‘chosen’ group. It is time that these attitudes moved on and people accepted that succession planning is about ensuring the ongoing success of agencies and the APS.

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