An independent Commonwealth statutory agency with a national regulatory remit.

Its regulatory area administers the federal framework that requires political participants to disclose their financial activity, and that governs the public funding paid to eligible candidates and parties.

Its regulatory functions are expanding significantly.

Reforms to federal political funding and disclosure laws, including new donation and expenditure caps and faster disclosure timeframes, begin from 1 January 2027, with transitional rules in place since 1 July 2026.

The Opportunity

Multiple APS6 investigations roles are available as the agency grows its regulatory team ahead of these reforms.

The team coordinates political financial disclosure, runs compliance reviews and investigates potential contraventions of the legislation, producing work that has to be transparent, defensible and able to withstand external scrutiny.

You will work under limited direction, with real autonomy and accountability for your own investigations.

You’ll have the chance to:

- Build investigations experience in a current legislative scheme from the start, as the regulatory function expands
- Run risk-based investigations into potential anti-avoidance schemes, rather than routine case processing
- Use data and intelligence tools to identify high-risk behaviours, entities and schemes before they escalate
- Help shape the policies, procedures and compliance strategies that underpin the new scheme
- Lead and develop junior staff, and gain or complete a Certificate IV in Government Investigations with the agency's support

The Role

As an APS6 Investigator, you will lead investigations and intelligence work into potential non-compliance with federal political finance legislation.

You’ll be responsible for:

- Applying a risk-based approach to conducting investigations into potential anti-avoidance schemes under the relevant electoral and referendum legislation
- Using data and intelligence tools to draw insights that proactively identify high-risk behaviours,



entities and schemes, supporting further compliance action
- Contributing to the development of targeted compliance strategies
- Preparing high-quality briefs, reports and correspondence to inform decision-makers
- Contributing to the ongoing development and refinement of policies and procedures related to electoral funding and disclosure
- Providing leadership, guidance and support to junior staff, building team capability and maintaining quality outcomes

The Ideal Person

You are curious and methodical, and you like following a trail through documents and financial records until you can explain what happened.

You are comfortable running your own investigations and writing them up so a decision-maker can act with confidence.

You will bring the following skills and experience:

- Experience conducting investigations, ideally in a regulatory or legislative environment
- The ability to analyse documents and financial information to identify gaps, inconsistencies and risk indicators
- Experience using data or intelligence tools to identify patterns of behaviour and inform compliance action
- Strong written skills for briefs, reports and correspondence aimed at decision-makers
- Sound judgement and the ability to work under limited direction
- Experience guiding or supporting less experienced colleagues

It’s also desirable if you have:

- A Certificate IV in Government Investigations (PSP40416), or willingness to complete it with the agency's support
- Experience investigating financial arrangements or schemes, or contributing to policy and procedure development

Salary / Rate

- $99k – $111k + 15.4% Super
- Multiple 12-month non-ongoing roles available
- Canberra or Melbourne-based

An Australian citizenship is required.

How to Apply

To apply online, please click on the appropriate link.

For a confidential discussion about the role, please contact Sian Foster on 02 •••• •878 quoting ref no. 21948.

HorizonOne is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce and we encourage applications from people of all cultures, capabilities and backgrounds.

📌 Investigator (Melbourne)
🏢 HorizonOne Recruitment
📍 Melbourne