About this guide

This guide includes general advice that’s relevant to all public servants and specific advice for executives and officers.

It applies to you if you’re:

  • a non-executive public service officer
  • a public service executive who doesn’t exercise the delegated authority of secretaries (generally a director or executive director).

If you’re a public service executive who exercises the delegated authority of secretaries read our guidance for secretaries and senior executives.

This guide:

  • will help you determine when and how your organisation needs to engage and brief your minister
  • applies to the entire Victorian Public Service (VPS) and other public entities that may engage with their minister or their office.

The guide is written broadly to capture a range of circumstances public servants might encounter when considering whether to brief the minister.

Departments and entities will also have their own processes and protocols for working with ministerial offices. You should refer to these processes along with this guidance. If you have any doubt about a course of action to pursue, speak with your line manager in the first instance.

To learn more about working with ministers, check with your organisation to see what training they can offer.

Other advice

Find out more about how this fits into the VPS operating environment in our Informing and advising Ministers – Guidance for Secretaries and senior executives.

In this guide