114. Where a significant government appointment is proposed, the responsible minister must write to the Prime Minister seeking approval of the appointment before any action is finalised. While significant appointments will require Cabinet approval, the Prime Minister may determine that Cabinet consideration is not required and authorise the appointment.
115. The appointments to be brought to the Prime Minister’s attention include:
     1. significant full‐time or part‐time appointments to boards, commissions or statutory offices
     2. full‐time chief executive officer (CEO) positions, including in instances where the board selects the CEO (the minister cannot signify agreement without the formal approval of the Prime Minister, or the Cabinet)
     3. appointments to significant non‐statutory tribunals, advisory bodies and commissions of inquiry
     4. appointments as heads of mission, other than Austrade managed posts
     5. acting appointments in the above categories where the appointment is for more than three months (an initial acting appointment for up to three months can be made without seeking the Prime Minister’s approval, but any further extension requires the formal approval of the Prime Minister).
116. For proposed appointments to new organisations, it is for ministers, in consultation with the Prime Minister, to judge whether the proposal should be brought to the Prime Minister’s attention.
117. As a general rule, if appointments to a particular body have been submitted for approval by the Prime Minister or the Cabinet in the past, they should continue to be submitted for approval unless the Prime Minister agrees otherwise. Departments should consult with Cabinet Division for advice on past practice. 
      
118. To avoid pre‐empting any decisions, potential appointees are to be approached initially only to ascertain:
     1. a willingness for their name to be put forward for consideration along with other candidates
     2. whether, if selected, there would be any conflict of interest, in accordance with the Government’s requirements.

Appointments of close relatives

119. Additional procedures apply to appointments concerning close relatives of ministers, Members of Parliament, ministerial staff or departmental secretaries and agency heads. Any such relationship should be noted in appointment proposals.
120. To avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, those involved in the appointments process should have no family relationship with the person under consideration and any ministers concerned should absent themselves from all discussion on the matter (see Annex I – Appointments process).

Circulation and announcement

121. Circulation of appointment minutes is limited on the understanding that no information concerning an appointment is to be divulged until all necessary processes have been completed (for example, the Governor‐General has made the appointment) and an announcement is made by the minister.