Members would be aware that the existence of the Optional Disengagement Scheme (ODS) came about at the insistence of the Association and PANSW Conference Delegates and has always been about providing officers with an ability to leave the organization with dignity at a time of their choosing, enabling them to embark on a new career path or focus on their own personal interests.
Your Association has continued to be involved in the ODS process including the preparation for Round 2 in 2023.
The Enquiry Stage/ODS Financial Estimate has been available from 7 November 2022.
The Expression of Interest stage for the ODS opened this week on 18 January 2023 at 9.00am.
The closing date will be 24 January 2023 at 5.00pm. In the unlikely event that insufficient numbers of EOI’s are received, the closing date may be extended.
The BluePortal system will be activated to accept an Expression of Interest (EOI) between these dates and times only. No early or late EOI’s can be accepted.
If you are interested in participating in the ODS and haven’t already done so, please access the BluePortal ODS Registration page and complete the Enquiry Stage to obtain an ODS Financial Estimate (Estimate), as this is a pre- requisite to the EOI.
Ensure you pre-read and have available the BluePortal Knowledge Article How to submit an ODS Registration Request located on the ODS Intranet Page under Information and Resources and within BluePortal before commencing the EOI steps. If you make a mistake submitting your Expression of Interest, it may affect your place in the first in, first served process and the ODS Team cannot intervene to assist individuals.
Important Information
In line with the ATO class ruling, all EOI’s will be considered on a first in, first serve basis. Eligible EOI’s will be subject to the availability of funding in the round and the maintenance of operational continuity across regions or commands as well as the officer maintaining their eligible status. Only commence the EOI stage if you are genuinely interested in exiting the organisation. Make sure you have read all the available information and have obtained your independent financial advice.
As part of the EOI process, an acknowledgement and consent form will be required. This occurs within BluePortal and cannot be completed in advance. The acknowledgement form does require a witness at the time of uploading and submitting your EOI and cannot be completed at a later stage. Incomplete, incorrect and forms completed in a previous round cannot be accepted and will void an EOI if they are submitted.
The eligibility criteria as set by the ATO and NSWPF is strict. Officers are reminded that when they are undertaking the self-assessment stages, you are required to be truthful and answer all questions to the best of your ability. If during the assessment process it is identified that you have knowingly incorrectly conducted your self- assessment, this may preclude you from the current and future rounds.
Officers offered ODS in this round will be required to exit prior to 30 June 2023. The ODS Team will allocate dates and notify successful applicants. These exit dates are not negotiable and cannot be changed.
If you submit an EOI and then resign prior to the EOI being assessed as eligible and/or an ODS offer is made, your application will lapse and will no longer progress.
Officers who have submitted an EOI for ODS are encouraged to have discussions about their career plan including their interest in ODS with their Commander/ Manager, Supervisor or Mentor. These discussions could extend to what options and support is available in the event an EOI for ODS is not successful.
Officers who are not offered the ODS in a round are not necessarily precluded from submitting an EOI in any future advertised rounds. However, officers interested in a future round must commence at the beginning of the process from the Enquiry Stage ODS Financial Estimate. Applying in a previous round does not entitle you or give you any preference in any future rounds you may apply for. Each ODS round is assessed independently from any potential future rounds (no EOI will be carried over to future rounds).
All officers must submit their own Expression of Interest using a NSWPF computer via Blue Portal (Chrome). Note: using a work laptop may cause access issues when completing the EOI.