Guidelines on timeframes

Published

1 April 2025

Timeframes	Steps in review process	Further information
Within 2 business days of application	Receive and record application	An application for Promotion Review is received by the MPC when it is received at review@mpc.gov.au. Within 2 business days of the email being received, the application will be recorded in the MPC database and allocated a reference number. The Agency is notified of the receipt of the application so the promotion can be put on hold.
Within 3 business days of application	Acknowledgement sent to applicant	Written acknowledgement of the application is sent to the applicant. This correspondence will include the reference number, further information about the review process and what will happen next.
Within 4 business days of application	Assess application	The application is assessed to determine if it is eligible for review. If further information is required to make the assessment, the MPC will contact the applicant requesting the further information that is required.
Within 5 business days of application	Assess application – not eligible	If the application is determined to be not eligible for review, correspondence is sent to applicant explaining the reasons for this assessment. The application is closed in the MPC database without any further action taken.
Within 7 business days of application	Assess application – eligible	If the application is eligible, a further assessment is conducted to establish if a review is justified in the circumstances, vexatious or the selection process has previously been reviewed.
Within 7 business days of application	Action application – review not justified	Correspondence sent to the applicant with reasons for decision to not review the selection exercise. The application is recorded in the MPC database as closed.
Within 7 business days of application	Action application – review justified	If it is determined that review is justified, advice is sent to the applicant. Information is provided about the review process and the anticipated timeframes.
Within 7 business days of application	Request papers from Agency	If the MPC determines that a review will be conducted, a request for information is sent to the Agency. The Agency will have 14 calendar days to provide the documentation the MPC (unless another date is agreed upon by the MPC and the Agency).
Once Agency papers received 3 business days	Assessment of Agency papers to determine the complexity of the review	Agency papers are triaged to determine complexity of the review. A number of factors will impact the length of time to complete the review. Characteristics of a complex review matter Reviews which require more time to be conducted may include the following characteristics: Review requires large numbers of documents to be analysed Gaps or missing information provided by Agency resulting in additional requests in writing from MPC to Agency for additional information Delays in provision of documents due to external issues such as involvement of third-party holding information or Agency not complying with timeframes High degree of novel drafting to finalise report due to volume of information or seriousness of non-compliance Additional evidence needs to be gathered by MPC to assess compliance Significant amount of work to clarify views and provide Agency head with opportunity to respond to adverse comments Additional consideration of the Agency Head response to MPC recommendations
Once Agency papers received 20 business days	Less complex reviews - review conducted	Review completed. Outcome of review is provided to Applicant and Agency. Review is finalised and closed in MPC database.
Once Agency papers received 25 business days	Complex reviews - review conducted	Review completed. Outcome of review is provided to Applicant and Agency. Review is finalised and closed in MPC database.