National Graduate Program

We want graduates who are bold, forward-thinking, and bring big ideas.

We're looking for a range of people to join us and we're committed to providing an inclusive workplace. We value our staff for their unique qualities, ideas, and perspectives.

In our legal stream, we're looking for graduates with either:

• a Bachelor of Laws
• a Juris Doctor.

You must also have:

• a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice, or be eligible to obtain one following commencement
• a weighted average mark of 60 or above.

If you have any of the above degrees, you can apply to both our legal and generalist streams. If you're assessed as suitable for both streams, we'll try to match you in the legal stream first. Once you start, you'll stay in the legal stream for the duration of the program.

You can also apply for the legal stream through the Australian Government Graduate Program and choose Services Australia as your preference.

Services Australia has one of the largest in-house legal teams in the Commonwealth. The Legal Services Division includes over 90 dedicated lawyers and operational staff, who operate over a range of specialised practice areas. This includes:

• in-house legal advice related to our payments and services
• specialised legal advice, focusing on privacy law and digital services
• commercial law and employment law
• privacy, Freedom of Information (FOI) and compensation claims
• litigation, including advocacy in the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) and legal advice on ART matters.

As a graduate in the legal stream, you'll complete 3 rotations within the Legal Services Division. The legal stream is designed to give you a broad knowledge of the legal issues faced by Services Australia and the APS.

We support graduates by providing financial assistance to complete their Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (or equivalent), practical legal training and obtain admission as an Australian lawyer.

We offer:

• a competitive salary, ranging between $71,170 - $79,322 depending on your qualification level
• progression to the APS5 classification upon successful completion of the program
• a range of development opportunities to shape your career in the Australian Public Service
• flexible working arrangements to help you maintain your work-life balance
• a variety of leave options, including 4 weeks of annual leave
• employer superannuation contributions of 15.4%.

We make government services simple so people can get on with their lives.

Every hour of every day in Australia, people in need turn to the Australian Government for help. In those moments, our agency responds.

We rise to challenges fuelled by the knowledge that what we do matters. Our work can be challenging but is also rewarding, and suits people who are resilient and embrace innovation and change. We help customers at key moments in their lives. Whether helping customers, supporting strategic policy, leading whole-of-government initiatives, or excelling in various roles, everyone in the agency makes a real difference to Australians.

We're an agency that helps people and we're committed to progress, constantly moving forward to deliver services that are simple, helpful, respectful and transparent.

To be eligible for the program, you must be an Australian citizen.

You'll need to have successfully passed and completed an undergraduate or postgraduate degree within the last 5 years.

If you got your degree overseas, you'll need to have it recognised by the Department of Education.

We're committed to providing a work environment that values inclusion and diversity and supports all staff to reach their full potential. We have a range of workplace diversity and inclusion strategies, policies and initiatives in place to achieve this.

Our program includes an affirmative measure to help employ Indigenous Australians. You can apply to our program using this measure, through the Australian Public Service Commission's Indigenous Graduate Pathway.

We also have an affirmative measure for Australians with disability. Our team would be happy to talk with you about any reasonable adjustment you might need.