Public Service Act 1999 and Public Service Regulations 1999

      Most people think that the Public Service Act 1999 and the Public Service Regulations 1999 are designed to protect APS employees from workplace bullying, harassment, victimisation and discrimination. Of course, on paper, this is a correct interpretation. Yet, the reality can sometimes be that the PS Act and PS Regulations are used as both a sword and a shield by perpetrators higher up in the APS hierarchy, leaving targets lower in the APS hierarchy astonished at their discovery that the source of protection they thought they could rely on rings hollow. When this happens, there are a number of options for targets to consider, but the first line of defence is to have confidence in your knowledge of the APS legislative framework.