14Parliamentary Service Value 5—Impartial

14  Parliamentary Service Value 5—Impartial

  Having regard to an individual’s duties and responsibilities, upholding the Parliamentary Service Value in subsection 10(5) of the Act requires the following:

 (a) providing the same standard of high quality professional support to the Parliament, irrespective of which political party is in power and of personal political beliefs;

 (b) ensuring that the individual’s actions do not provide grounds for a reasonable person to conclude that the individual could not serve the Parliament impartially;

 (c) ensuring that management and staffing decisions are made on a basis that is independent of the political party system, free from political bias and not influenced by the individual’s political beliefs;

 (d) understanding the needs of the Parliament and providing it with the best objective, non‑partisan advice based on the best evidence available;

 (e) providing advice that is relevant and comprehensive, is not affected by fear of consequences, and does not withhold important facts or bad news;

 (f) providing advice and support in a way that takes account of the context in which the advice and support needs to be implemented, the broader needs of the Parliament and, where appropriate, implications for the longer term;

 (g) implementing or providing advice and support in a way that is free from bias and in accordance with the law.

Division 3—Integrity of the Parliamentary Service