Legal, Risk and Governance Branch

The Legal, Risk and Governance Branch provides legal advice to support the integrity of Commonwealth electoral systems and processes, as well as advice on corporate matters across the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). The branch plays an active role in building capability across the AEC through training, guidance and legal support.

The branch is headed by the Chief Legal Officer and comprises three legal teams, Corporate Law, Electoral Law and Regulatory Law, as well as the Corporate Governance Section. Branch members are predominantly located in Canberra and Brisbane. Applicants from other capital cities will be considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on their skills and experience.

Corporate law

The Corporate Law team provides advice on matters affecting the day-to-day operation of the AEC, including privacy, information law, commercial law and employment law. The team supports the AEC's ICT modernisation project, the funding and disclosure reform program, and a range of procurements that support elections, referendums and ongoing business operations. It also advises on and represents the AEC in employment law matters, including matters before the Fair Work Commission and the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Electoral law

The Electoral Law team provides legal advice on the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, the Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984, industrial elections, fee-for-service elections and ballots, and matters relating to the Torres Strait Regional Authority. The team advises on statutory interpretation and administrative law matters, supports legislative development processes, and assists the AEC to make robust and legally sound administrative decisions.

Regulatory law

The Regulatory Law team provides advice on regulatory provisions in electoral legislation, including civil penalty and criminal provisions under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, the Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984 and other relevant legislation. The team advises on and manages litigation relating to the administration and enforcement of electoral legislation, including authorisation requirements for electoral communications, funding and disclosure obligations, non-voter and multi-voter provisions, anti-avoidance requirements, and other electoral offences.



The team also appears in court proceedings relating to non-voter prosecutions.

The key duties of the position include:

This is an exciting opportunity to join the AEC and contribute to work that has a direct impact on Australia's democratic processes.

We are seeking legal professionals to fill an immediate vacancy in the Regulatory Law Section and establish a merit pool for future opportunities in the Corporate Law and Electoral Law Sections at the Australian Public Service (APS) 5 and 6 levels.

Government Lawyers provide legal advice and services across the AEC and manage a range of day-to-day legal matters.

The roles undertake complex and/or sensitive legal work under broad direction, including providing high-quality legal advice, conducting legal research and analysis, and contributing to section planning that supports the AEC's strategic objectives.

To excel you’ll have:

We are seeking a motivated and capable skilled who can demonstrate the skills, knowledge and experience required to perform successfully in this role, including:

- Demonstrated experience analysing legal issues and providing high-quality legal advice and services in a government, regulatory or comparable legal environment.
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, while maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
- Proven capacity to work independently, exercise sound judgement, manage competing priorities and deliver results within established timeframes.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and lead legal matters to achieve high-quality outcomes, while contributing to team capability and knowledge sharing.
- Experience building and maintaining productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders to achieve shared outcomes and support effective collaboration.
- Demonstrated professionalism, integrity and accountability when delivering outcomes within legislative, policy and resource constraints.




- A degree in law from an Australian tertiary institution.
- Admission as an Australian legal practitioner and a current practising certificate, or the ability to obtain admission and a practising certificate within three months of commencement.

Note: Successful candidates cannot be appointed into a Government Lawyer role until they have been admitted to practice in Australia as a legal practitioner.

Eligibility

- AEC employees must be Australian citizens.
- Any person who is, and seen to be active in political affairs, and intends to publicly carry on this activity, may compromise the strict neutrality of the AEC and cannot be considered.
- Applicants are required to consent to, undergo, obtain and maintain a character clearance.
- Applicants are required to consent to, undergo, obtain and maintain the security clearance required for this role.

Getting to know the Australian Electoral Commission

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is at the heart of Australian democracy. The AEC is responsible for conducting federal elections and referendums, maintaining the Commonwealth electoral roll and making sure the Australian public is informed about all electoral matters. Our goal is to see that all eligible Australians actively participate in our democracy. The AEC values of electoral integrity through quality, agility and professionalism drive strategic and corporate planning and assist in organising the agency in a way that will effectively deliver the business into the future. The AEC is an equal opportunity employer which upholds the APS employment principles and actively encourages a diverse and inclusive workplace. The AEC’s statutory functions in relation to the conduct of elections and referendums require that the AEC and its employees must be, and must be seen to be, impartial and politically neutral. As a result, the AEC Enterprise Agreement and Political Neutrality Policy state that it is an inherent requirement of AEC employment that employees, and prospective employees, are not publicly active in any political affairs and do not publicly engage in such activities. This includes advocating any issues associated with a referendum. Should a prospective employee fail to meet this inherent requirement, they will be ineligible for employment with the AEC.

📌 Government Lawyer, Legal, Risk and Governance Branch (Brisbane)
🏢 Australian Electoral Commission
📍 Brisbane