Human Resources > Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality Procedure for Staff of Funding Bodies
Authorised by Chief Executive Officer
Revised Date: 31 January 2020
Kyeema will ensure that all managers are aware of, and comply with, the Department of Health and Human Services’ guidelines and expectations around gifts, benefits and hospitality to staff. Kyeema will apply this guideline to both state and federal funding departments.
Relevant Legislation and Policy
Standing Directions of the Minister for Finance 2016 (Vic).
Organisational Procedures
To assist government departments in implementing their policies on gifts, benefits and hospitality, organisations are expected:
•Not to offer department staff gifts or benefits, either directly or indirectly, and offers of hospitality will be limited to token offers of basic courtesy (such as tea and coffee during a meeting); or
•Not to take any action in order to entice or obtain any unfair or improper advantage.
Organisations receiving funding should be aware that public officials are not to solicit gifts, benefits or hospitality and must refuse these if they:
•are money, items used in a similar way to money, or items easily converted to money;
•give rise to an actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest;
•may adversely affect their standing as a public official or which may bring their public sector employer or of the public sector into disrepute; or
•are non-token offers without a legitimate business benefit.
Public officials must refuse all offers of gifts, benefits or hospitality from people or organisations about whom they are likely to make decisions involving; tender processes, including managing a contract once the tender process has ceased, procurement, enforcement, licensing, or regulation, awarding of grants, sponsorship or funding allocations to agencies or organisations.
Public officials must:
- Declare all non-token offers (valued at $50 or more) of gifts, benefits and hospitality (whether accepted or declined) on their organisation’s register, and seek written approval from their manager or organisational delegate to accept any non-token offer.
- Refuse bribes or inducements and report inducements and bribery attempts to the head of the department or their delegate (who should report any criminal or corrupt conduct to Victoria Police or the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission).
Any employee of Kyeema who contravenes these guidelines will be subject to performance management procedures that may range include counselling or disciplinary procedures.
Related Policies, Procedures and Documents
Health and Wellbeing Monitoring
Occupational Health and Safety