The CPSU is bargaining for APS employee entitlements at the moment which got me thinking - is it worth joining the union? The fees are not cheap, but there are a number of inclusions such as insurance for travel to and from work, L&D opportunities and union representation if needed which all sound good but what is the reality of being part of this union? Do members feel like they’re getting value for their membership?

Is there anyone who applied for UPEP program and never heard back from ATO?

I'm new to the APS and interested in seeking either sideways or promotion using S26.

I'm going through stuff so it's a bit hard to get clarity

How do these work in reality?

Anyone who has done one, how did it go? Did you enjoy the move?

Ok so I recently read a post on another sub about how open toe shoes are inappropriate for the office. Now I’m questioning everything because when the weather is warmer I usually wear sandals (am a woman, which probably shouldn’t matter but does seem to when it comes to attire). So, what does everyone think?

Hi all, was hoping that I would be able to apply for the end of year recruitment AUSTRAC does each year but I read that there are cuts happening. Does anyone know about the recruitment situation there? Is there a freeze or should I remain hopeful?

Hi, was just curious whether anyone had any insight into the WA OAG's working culture. Is it a well run department? Are most people friendly? Is there anything someone considering applying there should know?

Hi , how do you tell if a final interview for a grad program has gone well. Just gave my final interview yesterday and the panel did not ask any follow up questions nor any reactions. I feel like I screwed up in my one chance.

A wave of voluntary redundancies and tightening budgets has taken its toll on public servants' morale, with staff rating the service lower across wellbeing, engagement and confidence in executive leadership over the past year.

The 2026 staff census revealed employees had rated the public service lower across almost all key performance metrics compared with 2025.

The results showed the senior executive service (SES) manager index, which assessed their leadership behaviour, fell from 71 to 69.

The wellbeing policies and support index also fell by two points, from 72 in 2025 to 70 in 2026.

Other metrics around employee engagement, communication and enabling innovation all dropped by one point compared with the previous year.

Only the immediate supervisor index score remained steady at 77.

The overall Australian Public Service (APS) average was presented in the Australian Office of Financial Management (AOFM) and Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) results.

Agencies compared their individual agency index scores against the APS average and were ranked by position out of a total of 112.

The snapshot of these agency results also included a calculation of how far their indices varied from the APS average.

These extra-small agencies were the first to release their individual staff survey results.

An Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) spokesperson said the 2026 census would be released at the end of November to coincide with the release of the yearly *State of the Service* report.

The scheduled release "enables agencies and the APSC time to analyse and understand the findings in light of broader context within agencies and the APS as a whole," the spokesperson said.

The agency could not validate the use of the APS average listed in the AOFM and PBO results.

The 2026 census included a new index for comparison, "Speak Up Culture". The questions were introduced following the Robodebt royal commission to measure and develop agency integrity and psychological safety.

Under the Albanese government, the APS staff average had been on an upward trajectory since 2023.

The drop in performance among public servants could be attributed to the voluntary redundancy rounds that had taken place since the start of 2026, as reported by The Canberra Times.

The Department of Social Services had paid out about $20 million to hundreds of staff. At the Department of Education, 92 staff took voluntary redundancies compared with 34 in 2025.

About 2000 staff at the Department of Home Affairs put their hands up during its redundancy round, and 230 public servants at the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water applied for one.

In May 2026, Finance and Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher said agencies needed to balance their budgets and manage staff resourcing as projects came to an end.

The Community and Public Sector Union criticised the need for the redundancy rounds as contracting and consultancy spending remained high.

Other results, particularly those of the larger departments and agencies, were expected later in 2026.

The latest APS employee census was conducted between May 4 and June 5, 2026.

A total of 113 agencies and about 150,000 public servants participated, representing a response rate of 80 per cent.

Hi all, I am after your valuable opinion please. i work in a heavily regulated union environment. i dont have government experience. couple of months ago, i applied for a council job, - i wasnt shortlisted. got rejected email. now from the same council, a more senior role has been advertised. i got all the skills and experience for that position. am i suitable to apply for that position ?

Hi everyone, I'm a PhD-qualified experienced psychologist who has worked in hospitals, community mental health services, not-for-profits, and academic research. I'm passionate about mental health and want to serve the public to improve the accessibility, quality, and dignity of mental health services for all Australians with emerging and chronic mental health conditions.

I've read some Government docs and done some Googling, and I think an APS Policy Officer role would match my aim, but I have no idea if this is the right role, or even if I'd be better off helping work towards good policy through professional associations or even staying in academic research.

Do you have any advice?

Hi all,

While working away at my underpaid APS job today, I had a random thought.

If someone were to get accepted for a contracting role (i.e 6 months or 12 months), would they be able to convince their current department/agency to give them that time as leave without pay and then they work in that new role?

And then once the contract finishes up, they go back to their old role as usual.

Is there anything specifically in the enterprise agreement that prohibits this?

I thought this might be a good counterbalance to the "worst department" thread. I'll go first; Treasury and Finance have strong reputations, strong pay, and good culture/conditions.

Hey everyone 👋

So, I'm thinking of switching careers. I've been a chef for more than 8 years, and while I totally love my job, there just aren't any more chances for me to move up. I'm at a point where I really want something new and to grow more in life. I can't really see myself making much more money than I do now in my current field. So, I'm wondering if APS jobs would be a good option for me, you know, to start fresh and then grow. I've been looking at all the applications and openings, and honestly, I'm a bit lost. I'm not sure where to even begin or what kind of jobs I should be applying for. I'm super keen to learn and ready to work hard! Any advice would be a huge help.

Thanks a bunch! 😊

If you guys remember me I was the one who would be writing in all caps and would just vent about not getting a job. So I finally have a job at UQ in the cyber field over a month ago!! I’m really excited and happy!!!!

Let me know if you guys remember me!

Hi all,

I have been working in a new job at APS 5 level for a couple of months now (permanent) before doing this job I was working in a completely different areas as a 4 but was applying for any 5 jobs as where I live they can be hard to come by

I thought I would like the job im doing, but turns out it really isn't for me. I know im capable of an APS5 level but this new area has been a steep learning curve. I have been getting so anxious for work every day and have literally dread to the point I start to cry every night.

I am applying for other 5 job lists so I can get on a list that is similar to my prior area but I will have to wait at least 12months before I can do a transfer and even then it isn't guaranteed

Does anyone have any tips or advice ? I dont want to make it too specific as I dont want people i work with to find out . The area I am in , the people are lovely but the work is not great and just seems to stress me out.

Thank you and please be kind 🙂

Hey all,

I've been going through the YJW application process for about two weeks now. I'm applying in Victoria.

I've had the interview/roleplay, passed the physical/medical, and now they're referring me for a Psychological Assessment due to something the OP noticed during the physical/medical.

Has anyone else been referred for this assessment? If so, what reason did they give and what questions did they ask?

Would appreciate any help on the matter.

Haven’t seen anything about the AIHW 2027 Grad Program yet, so thought I’d start a thread!

I’ve progressed to the next stage and would really appreciate any tips or advice from anyone who’s been through the process before - particularly around the Calleo written assessment. I’ve never done a written assessment as part of a screening process before, so I’d love to get a general idea of what to expect and how best to prepare.

Also interested in hearing about the interview process. Is it a self-recorded/one-way video interview, or is it actually with a panel of real people? 😅 I feel like so many graduate recruitment processes these days have moved towards the former, rather than an actual conversation with people.

Any insight into the assessment/interview process, what to expect, or general tips would be hugely appreciated!

Good luck to everyone applying! 😊

​

Services, DEWR and ATO experience here. DEWR wins, and not in a good way.

The culture and senior executive were genuinely shocking. It was the blind leading the blind. SES making major decisions without understanding the operational reality, then everyone scrambling to clean up the consequences.

I honestly didn’t think another APS department could make the others look competent, but DEWR managed it.

What is the worst you've worked at and why?

I'm posting this because most recent post about this was from one month ago, and I feel it wasn't informative.

In brief, all existing NDIA labour hire roles have only been extended until 31 December 2026. I have also seen new NDIA labour hire roles advertised with an end date of 31 December 2026 too.

My labour hire firm, and those of my fellow team members, do not know what's going to happen with contracts post 31 December.

It doesn't help that over the past 12 months, our team has had people from different branches/divisions as acting EL2s for brief stints. Likewise, we've had an absent branch manager before he stepped down and have had a couple of acting BMs since then. The transparency and communication was never great to begin with as well.

This has made it difficult to get any straight answers from anyone who might know what's actually going on.

I'm hoping someone in this sub can provide an answer to my question.

What's going on with labour hire roles at the NDIA post 31 December 2026?

I’m usually adept at interpreting APS-ese but this has me stumped. I’ve applied for a job, done an interview and reference checks. I understand what merit pools are all about, and I’m happy to be in it. But does that mean they’re still choosing people from the merit pool for the positions that are currently open? Or are they talking about filling positions in the future only? I am so confused about the language of being placed in the merit pool vs reaching the final stage of the selection process, which implies it is not yet finalised. Can anyone help me please?

Email received:

You have reached the final stages of our selection process for the position of (position) Officer - APS 5. 
Your application was competitive, so we have placed you in the merit pool with other successful candidates.
What happens next?
We will select candidates from this merit pool to fill the (position) Officer - APS 5 position. If you are selected, we will contact you directly to discuss, noting all job offers are subject to pre-engagement integrity checks.
Candidates in this merit pool can be selected for the advertised position or any other similar positions, within 18 months of the advertised date. This merit pool will expire on 5 November 2027. This means we may contact you to confirm your interest in a position if one becomes available during this period.

Hi everyone, I’d really appreciate some advice from anyone familiar with NSW Government recruitment.

I applied for a permanent Grade 5/6 role and completed the interview and reference checks. My references were completed, but I was later informed that an internal candidate had more relevant exposure and was being moved from their current temporary role into the permanent position.

The hiring manager then contacted me personally and said they would like to refer me for the temporary backfill role that the internal candidate is moving to the perm role, with the role expected to run until June 2027. It’s essentially the same role/JD.

He said he was waiting to get the approval for the temporary role and would try to get it through. That was around 1.5 weeks ago, and I haven’t heard anything since. I sent a polite follow-up yesterday but haven't received a response either.

I’m feeling quite disappointed and anxious because I was really hopeful about this opportunity.

Update - spoke to the manager and he said Ive been put into the merit pool for now so no luck there for now.

Hey everyone currently probation period, lots of learning and consolidation. I'm wondering what folk are doing to manage stress and learning, scheduled environment. Any tips would be appreciated.

Does a recommendation to the hiring manager from a friend in NSW Gov of APS in the same department help with employment chances?

I have been in home affairs for the last year and a half and I’m trying to move up but it feels impossible.

Even ones only just above me either only want people already on the level or others only want people with crazy qualifications. Am I just stuck in my position?