Contact Officer:

Renee Osburne [email protected]

0499 746 734

Closing Date:

11.59pm AEST, Sunday 27 September 2026.

The filling of this vacancy is intended to constitute an affirmative measure under section 8(1) of the 'Racial Discrimination Act 1975'. This vacancy is only available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait people.

The opportunity we have available

Operating in a dynamic and complex environment, the Government and Business Services Branch is a trusted, client‑focused branch which enables the department to support Ministers’ Offices through fit-for-purpose services and expert advice to support ministers and the department to make informed decisions and satisfy ministerial and parliamentary obligations. It is a respectful, inclusive and enjoyable place to work and grow.

There are several expected opportunities in our ministerial, parliamentary and Cabinet teams.

The Ministerial Services and Cabinet Section and the Parliamentary Services Section play pivotal roles in the efficient and effective management of workflow between the department and Ministers’ Offices, Cabinet coordination functions, and supporting Parliamentary activities through providing strategic advice and support. This includes managing high-priority matters, coordinating processes, clear communication, and building and maintaining robust relationships with others.

The Assistant

Directors work closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure timely and seamless delivery across the department.

The Ministerial Services team leads and is responsible for the delivery of the ministerial workflow process and provides advice to the department and agencies on ministerial business processes and documents such submissions, briefs, and correspondence. The team manages workflows via PDMS+ ensuring documented procedures are followed and provides a daily courier service to ministers’ offices.

The Cabinet team leads and is responsible for the delivery of the department’s Cabinet business and support for Cabinet and Cabinet committee meetings, documents and procedures in accordance with Cabinet protocols via CabNet+. The team administers CabNet+ and manages the lodgement of the portfolio’s Cabinet submissions, and coordinates and lodges departmental views on non-portfolio Cabinet submissions. The team also manages the handling of classified information via secure systems including the distribution of international cables.

The Parliamentary Services team leads and is responsible for the delivery of the department’s involvement with Parliamentary processes and committees such as Question Time Briefs and Questions on Notice; manages the Tabling, Senate Estimates, Orders for the Production of Documents, and Parliamentary Committee Inquires functions and oversees the management and administration of the Parliamentary Document Management System (PDMS+). The team administers PDMS+ and the management, coordination, clearance and tabling of parliamentary documents, including reports, responses, and submissions. The team also manages the distribution of parliamentary material, sitting week products and committee correspondence.

What you will do

- Assistant Directors in the ministerial, parliamentary and Cabinet teams provide high-level strategic and operational advice and support to the department including the Executive, departmental liaison officers, and ministerial offices. They exercise a high degree of autonomy, judgement and initiative to manage competing priorities, support decision-making and ensure the effective delivery of business outcomes. The role requires flexibility and responsiveness, including the capacity to meet demanding and often competing deadlines, with occasional work outside standard hours to support priority business.
- You will have a varied and dynamic role with the following key duties:
- provide strategic direction to the team to deliver efficient and effective services, support for the department’s processes, and to meet applicable government requirements
- oversee the management and handling of ministerial, Cabinet or parliamentary business documents and coordination and liaison with business areas
- build positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders including the Executive, Departmental Liaison Officers, divisional/group support units, and colleagues in portfolio agencies and other portfolios
- uplift staff capability and understanding of relevant protocols across the department and ensure the department and relevant agencies have access to high-quality support and training
- drive business improvement, including initiating, reviewing and managing implementation of streamlined workflows, quality assurance processes, guidance materials
- lead, manage and develop team members and manage the team’s workload, particularly during peak periods, and promote wellbeing, inclusion and psychological safety.
- These roles may require the successful candidate to have occasional out-of-hours availability for Cabinet and Parliamentary related work including in the lead up to and during Budget, MYEFO and Senate Estimates periods.
- All positions are expected to work collaboratively with Assistant Directors across the section and the wider Branch to coordinate activities, resolve cross‑team issues and provide operational coverage as required.

Inherent requirements for the role The inherent requirements for this role include demonstrated capability against the El1 Work level standards and:

- Strategic thinking - Providing clear direction by aligning daily activities with the Department’s strategic objectives, clearly communicating purpose, expectations,



and how individual contributions support broader goals. Demonstrating a strong understanding of the Department’s mission, considering the long-term impacts of decisions, and ensuring operational alignment. Uses sound judgment and critical thinking to gather and analyse information, exploring different perspectives, identifying gaps, and developing solutions to support effective outcomes.
- Achieving results - Contributing own expertise to team goals. Reviewing performance to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and enhanced outcomes. Adaptable to changing requirements and leveraging the knowledge of others. Supports others through change, fostering collaboration by sharing information, and seeking stakeholder feedback to inform improvements
- Cultivating productive working relationships - Building and maintaining strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Anticipating and responding to stakeholder needs through open communication and collaboration. Working effectively as part of a team, encouraging different perspectives and fostering inclusive, high-performing team environments. Identifying development opportunities, delegating tasks to build capability, setting clear expectations, and providing timely feedback
- Exemplifying personal drive and integrity - Upholding the APS Values and Code of Conduct and acting with professionalism, ethically, and impartiality. Representing the Department effectively, providing forthright, impartial advice and constructively engaging with issues. Demonstrating accountability, taking ownership of own and team deliverables, showing initiative. Pursues continuous personal and professional development with a proactive and growth-focused mindset.
- Communicating with influence - Communicates with clarity and confidence, using concise and unambiguous language tailored to audience. Structuring written and verbal communication for maximum impact, actively listening to others, and ensuring mutual understanding. Engages with stakeholders to build support and work toward outcomes that deliver mutual benefit.

RecruitAbility The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts is committed to supporting the employment and career development of people with disability. Our participation in APS RecruitAbility means we will progress an applicant with disability to a further stage in the recruitment process, where they opt into RecruitAbility and meet the minimum requirements for the vacancy. The RecruitAbility minimum requirements are listed above under ‘inherent requirements for the role’.

You will be asked to indicate if you wish to opt into RecruitAbility in the application form. You must tick the 'opt in' box to participate in RecruitAbility. Simply declaring that you have a disability will not automatically include you.

We provide reasonable adjustments such as access, equipment or other practical support at relevant stages of the recruitment process. Please advise in the application form or get in touch with the contact officer if you need any adjustments made.

More information can be found at RecruitAbility scheme: A guide for applicants | Australian Public Service Commission.

Desirable requirements

Desirable requirements include experience in using relevant information management systems such as the Parliamentary Document Management System (PDMS+) and CabNet+, or the ability to quickly learn use of these systems.

Cultural capability requirement The department believes every role contributes to cultural safety and that building staff cultural capability helps us deliver better policies, programs and services for First Nations people and the broader Australian community. Candidates will be required to demonstrate their willingness to develop their cultural capability as part of the assessment process. In making it a requirement across all roles in our department, we are taking a practical step in delivering our commitments under the Our Stories on Country Agreement and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy 2025–28.

As an EL1 you will be expected to:

- Lead the integration of cultural considerations into work area outcomes.
- Build trusted relationships with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander stakeholders.
- Champion cultural capability within teams and challenge culturally unsafe practices.

What else can we offer?

We are dedicated to fostering personal and professional development, empowering individuals to set goals, acquire new skills, and cultivate unique qualities that define who they are. We believe that this not only leads to a more fulfilling and happier life but also enhances the overall quality of our work. Some of the benefits we offer include:

- Access to our study Assistance Program that provides paid leave and financial support for you to undertake courses of study that contribute to the improvements of your professional skills and knowledge relevant to our work and broader Australian Public Service.
- Through our investment in learning and development opportunities, and a positive performance culture, we provide diverse career pathways for our people to enable their mobility and adapt in a rapidly changing world.
- Improve your leadership skills,



through the department’s Professional Coaching Scheme and tailored leadership opportunities for staff members.
- Flexible working opportunities, including part-time hours, home based work and job sharing.
- We offer generous leave entitlements of 20 days personal circumstances leave per year, with one month’s accrual of leave credited on commencement and 150 hours of paid annual leave (based on a full-time employee), plus a range of other miscellaneous leave options to support you.

Join our department and embark on a journey of growth, fulfillment, and well-being. Experience personal and professional development, prioritise your health, and be part of a vibrant and positive culture that empowers individuals and drives exceptional performance.

Eligibility requirements

This is an Affirmative measure vacancy – This vacancy is open only to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.

This is an Affirmative Measures – First Nations applicants only position. The filling of this vacancy is intended to constitute an Affirmative Measure under section 8(1) of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. To be eligible to apply under the Affirmative Measures initiative, applicants must:

- be an Aboriginal person and/or a Torres Strait Islander person
- identify as an Aboriginal person and/or a Torres Strait Islander person, and
- be accepted by their community as being an Aboriginal person and/or a Torres Strait Islander person

For more information please visit - Affirmative measure for recruiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Employment with the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts is subject to conditions prescribed within the Public Service Act 1999 including:
- - Citizenship: candidates must be an Australian citizen at the time of submitting your application.
- Health Assessment: The preferred candidate may be required to undergo a medical examination conducted by the department’s preferred medical provider.
- Security Clearance: The successful candidate must be able to obtain and/or maintain a security clearance at Baseline for ministerial and parliamentary positions and Negative Vetting 1 clearance for Cabinet positions, or the ability to obtain this level of clearance. You must be willing to disclose all relevant and required information. You must have lived in Australia, or have a checkable background, for at least the preceding five years for Baseline Vetting clearances. More information on the security clearance vetting process is available on the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA) website.
- Police check: The successful candidate must complete an Australian Federal Police criminal history check.
- Integrity and Performance check: The successful candidate must satisfy the requirements in an Integrity and Performance check which is completed by your most recent employer.

How to apply Applications for this prospect close at 11.59pm AEST, Sunday 27 September 2026.

Prior to preparing your application for the department, please read our Artificial intelligence (AI) in recruitment at the department principles. The principles aim to help you use AI in a way that supports your application and maintains fairness and transparency while maintaining your integrity as a candidate. They outline what is and isn’t acceptable use of AI in APS recruitment.

In applying for this position, you are not required to address individual selection criteria. Rather, you should provide in a PDF document a statement of no more than two pages outlining your background, capabilities and experiences and how these align with the advertised role.

You should also provide a tailored CV in PDF, no more than three pages. The capabilities and behaviours required to be successful for this role are identified in the ‘inherent requirements for the role’ section.

Your application should be received through the department’s online recruitment system prior to the closing date and time to be considered.

If you experience any issues with the system please contact the recruitment team on 02 6136 8989 or via email at [email protected] to discuss an alternative way to submit your application.

Please advise the contact officer if you require adjustments during the recruitment process. We recognize and value diversity as our strength and promote a culture of inclusion to enhance our work performance and the wellbeing of our employees. We are committed to systems that are accessible, inclusive and safe for all. If you need any further information about accessibility and inclusion at our department, please contact [email protected].

Timeline and assessment A selection panel will be established to assess your suitability against the advertised role.

If a merit pool is established it will be valid for 18 months from date it first appeared in the APS Gazette.

Applications open: 11 September 2026

Applications close: 27 September 2026

Application shortlisting: 2 October 2026

Further assessments: week commencing 12 October 2026

Selection report finalised: 26 October 2026

Offers and announcements: 6 November 2026

The above is indicative only, please reach out to the contact person if you have any questions on the recruitment process or timeframes.

Your application will be assessed against the inherent requirements of the role, the Work level standards and in comparison to other candidates who applied. Once the entire applicant pool has been assessed, the panel will create a shortlist of applicants. If your application is shortlisted, you may be asked to undertake further assessment, this may include work sample testing, interviews and reference checks.

Work with us. Apply now!

📌 Assistant Directors, Ministerial, Cabinet, Parliamentary, Affirmative Measures, First Nations (Canberra)
🏢 Australian Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development
📍 Canberra