r/AusPublicService

I recently sat for an interview with the NSWPS for a 7/8 Project Officer role and, unfortunately, was talent-pooled.

I did the sensible thing and asked the hiring manager for feedback on how I went, so I knew what to work on in future interviews. She said there weren’t any issues with my answers or how I performed (the candidate pool they had was massive, think north of 100 applicants to cull to a few), but she did note that one of my examples was probably too old to use (we're talking about maybe 5 years ago, but it was still highly relevant to the focus capability being tested). She clarified that they couldn’t deduct points for that aspect alone, as it met the focus capability required to the expected level (Adept), so, more than anything, it was really splitting hairs to give me that feedback.

I now ask: is there such a thing as an example being too old to use in interviews?

This may see like a basic or easy question, in clearly over thinking….
Shirt and chinos?
Or shirt, chinos and wear a dress jacket?

I’m guilty of always going over the top.

Can any panelist give a preferred answer.

hello everyone, I want know if its common procedure to do reference check 1-2 days after interview for a govt role. I did an interview with department of education in feb and 2 days after my interview, they contacted all 3 of my referees. My referees replied within 1-2 days and there was radio silence post that. After multiple followups, I was told a month later that I was unsuccessful for that role.

I did another interview 2 days ago with a different govt dept and today my referees were contacted for a reference check. Does that mean I’m one of the preferred candidates or is this just part of the recruitment process? Also if they aren’t sure whether I will get the role, why are they contacting all my referees? This is the second time that my referees will have to spend time on answering questions about me and I’m not even sure whether I’ve proceeded to the next stage of recruitment process. Can anyone tell me if this is common practice for all govt roles?

Thank you.

I feel like a lot of Australian workplaces have shifted from “don’t be a bully” into “avoid any uncomfortable conversation entirely.”

There’s this culture now where people are so worried about sounding rude, harsh, politically incorrect, insensitive, or “not collaborative” that nobody says what they actually think anymore.

Everything becomes:
- indirect,
- over-softened,
- full of corporate language,
- or handled through passive-aggressive processes instead of honest conversations.

And the funny thing is Australians LOVE to think of ourselves as “straight shooters” who “tell it like it is” but honestly I don’t think that’s true in workplaces anymore.

A lot of Australian workplace culture now feels indirect. People won’t tell you directly there’s a problem, but they’ll:
- hint at it,
- complain privately,
- escalate
- avoid the conversation,
- or wrap criticism in 15 layers of corporate language.

You’ll sit in meetings where everyone clearly knows something isn’t working, someone isn’t performing, a process is failing, or a decision is bad but nobody will directly say it. Instead everyone dances around it with vague language like:
- “maybe there’s an opportunity…”
- “perhaps we can revisit…”
- “just circling back…”
- “I wonder if there’s alignment…”

And then later everyone complains privately.

And honestly, I think this avoidance culture is starting to create an accountability problem.

Because if nobody is willing to directly say:
- “this work isn’t good enough,”
- “this person isn’t delivering,”
- “this decision is causing problems,”
- or “you need to improve,”

…then underperformance just drags on.

The burden then shifts onto the competent people to quietly compensate for everything:
- fixing mistakes,
- carrying weak performers,
- rewriting work,
- managing around dysfunction,
- and absorbing stress because nobody wants to have the hard conversation.

So instead of creating kinder workplaces, sometimes it just creates resentment, burnout and passive-aggressive cultures where problems are never actually addressed properly.

We’ve lost something important:
the ability to have mature, direct, uncomfortable conversations without people running off to gossip, holding a grudge, escalating things, or interpreting disagreement as personal attack.

It feels like a lot of workplaces now reward:
- diplomacy over honesty,
- consensus over clarity,
- emotional comfort over truth,
- and speaking in riddles and motherhood statements over real communication.

The best leaders I’ve worked with weren’t cruel people. They were just capable of saying:
“This isn’t working.”
“This needs to improve.”
“I disagree.”
“That approach isn’t right.”
“You’re avoiding the issue.”

Now it sometimes feels like even mild directness gets treated as aggression.

Curious if others feel this shift too, or if I’m just becoming old and cynical.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working as an APS6 in Sydney in a policy/governance role within the APS and have recently been speaking with DFAT about potential opportunities.

I’d really value hearing from people who have:
- moved interstate (especially to Canberra) for an APS/DFAT role
- worked at DFAT specifically
- made the jump from APS6 to EL1

A few things I’m trying to understand realistically:

-Was moving to Canberra worth it for your career and lifestyle overall?
-Did DFAT or your agency provide any relocation assistance or support with moving/housing?
-What’s the current expectation around days in the office/hybrid work?
-How difficult did you find adjusting to Canberra socially and professionally if you moved from another state?
-If you were already an experienced APS6, would you move for another APS6 role or hold out for an EL1 opportunity?

For context, I’ve been operating at APS6 level for around 3 years now in policy/governance and stakeholder-heavy work, so I’m trying to work out whether moving interstate makes the most sense for the right APS6 role or whether it’s better to aim for EL1 before making that jump. I’m looking to gain more international policy exposure and go down the diplomatic route, but wondering whether the lifestyle change would be worth it ( I have read on some forums that DFAT offers very little flexibility /burnout culture due to the hanging carrot of international postings).
Would really appreciate any honest insights or experiences — especially from people who’ve done the move recently.

Thank you :)

I’m asking this because I know government recruitment works differently to private recruitment.
I am pretty high in my respective field (I work with children and child protection) and have been looking at making the jump from private sector to public sector, at an equivalent or higher job role. I was successful in gaining an interview, which occurred last Monday via Teams.

I usually feel really confident during interviews - my skills and knowledge back me up and I know how to communicate that well. However, this interview was unlike any other I’ve experienced - 15 minutes prior to the interview, the panel sent me a list of scenarios to peruse and the entire interview was them gauging how I would respond or react to these scenarios, as well as some others that they threw at me that I didn’t get the opportunity to peruse in advance. I’ve never been interviewed in this format, and left the interview feeling like I’d absolutely bombed it. I have spent the last week just putting it out of my mind and assuming I’d be unsuccessful. I was quite devastated, as this is what I consider to be the next step in my career, and public sector jobs in this field are few and far between.

A week later, the following Monday, my references reach out and let me know that they’ve both been contacted and asked to complete a reference check for me. They screenshot the reference form, and it’s very comprehensive - about 3 standard word doc sized pages of questions, asking my references to match my ability to things like the Queensland Leadership Framework, Child Safe Standards, ect.

I know for private organisations, references usually aren’t contacted, and especially not for such comprehensive checks, if the potential employee isn’t in high contention for being selected for the role. But before I get my hopes up, I thought I would see if this is the same for the public sector/Queensland Government, and I would gauge what you all think this may mean for me and my potential employment.

Thank you!

I am backfilling in a leadership role (APS 5). We are a combination of F2F and back of house. Most people prefer working F2F.

I was told to schedule certain people more to F2F because they their productivity so much better when they work F2F. It's mostly been fine.

There is a team member Sam who is starting to complain about it...constantly. Though I don't have a diagnosis, Sam appears to be on the spectrum. Looking at his behaviour and mannerisms makes it obvious. Sam doesn't like he was overlooked and that I was stepped up. He does have a big ego and thinks he is the agency's saviour.

Sam and I usually get along well. I muck around with him and am a bit of a smartass to him but he knows I joke around - I make sure he is comfortable and he doesn't take what I say to heart. I think he appreciates that I talk to him like I talk to everyone else and I make him laugh at my dickheadedness.

The issue is Sam wants to be F2F more but the management don't want him there. While he has a comprehensive knowledge of policies and procedures, his communication skills are a problem. He may be with a customer and he talks to himself, he doesn't look at them in the eye, he uses jargon and they don't understand. The notes he leaves are terrible grammatically and spelling wise. Sometimes I have had to ask him to explain his notes when I am working on a customer's record. He once gave advice to a person about the medication they were on. Myself and another colleague were horrified, and we called a team leader while I sort of distracted him and took over. I was still a 4 when that happened. He didn't understand why that was completely inappropriate. Another time while he was serving a pensioner they started to feel faint and asked for a glass of water - he refused to get it. Luckily someone next to him overheard and helped the pensioner. His response: "when I was in hospital no-one here helped me".

When he is back of house he is an absolute gun. He has one of the best stats in the office. So obviously management want him at the back because he is good at it and keeps out of trouble at F2F.

I have been scheduling him for minimal F2F sessions and he wants to know why, He said he thinks I'm picking on him. I have alluded that I'm catering to his strengths and that some people are better suited to F2F but he doesn't think I'm being fair. I am not putting him less at F2F than previous leaders. I told my TL about Sam's concern and he thinks I am doing the right thing.

I just feel bad for him. But what do I do? How do I tell someone that their autism/neuro divergence makes them a risk when working F2F? I'm a pretty direct person and will call a spade a spade but the last thing I want is to shatter or hurt this kid...but he deserves to know the truth...right?

I joined the APS in 2018 as a graduate at the APS4 level, and was an APS6 for the bulk of my time there eventually acting at EL1 level

Left the APS in 2023 to go explore some private sector work, had a lot of fun, got to travel and do some exciting work

I've been looking to rejoin the APS since February and applying for roles regularly, mostly because I prefer the work pacing and nature of the roles, also appreciate the nature of the work I've done, plus I have a young family.

I have applied for dozens of roles, I started off focusing on EL1 roles, but have mostly been applying for APS6, as I wasn't getting any responses on that front, even though I lead a team of 5 in the private sector

Now I'm so desperate I'm also applying for APS5 roles...

I've had 12 interviews out of 70ish applications. 6 of these have responded and I've been placed in a merit pool for all 6 so far...

I really don't get what I'm doing wrong or what the issue is, all the interviews have been APS6 roles, I have multiple years of experience in these roles, either in the APS or private sector, and the feedback seems to be really generic too.

I receive better feedback for roles where I'm outright rejected prior to an interview, instead of the ones where I'm placed in the merit pool.

Any ideas/thoughts/suggestions on what I could be doing wrong or what I should be doing? I'd highly appreciate it

Anyone done this?

What is it like?

From reading the description, it seems you would be required to travel to random people's houses on your own, go inside and have a chat about why they haven't provided their information and convince them to do so.

Is that right?

If so that's insane.

Even cheap skate companies who send out door knockers for electricity or charity sales always work in pairs for safety reasons. Might be two people working the same street and still going into houses alone, but at least someone knows exactly where you are and will notice if you're gone too long.

This is totally insane for the government to ask people to put themselves at risk like that.

And yes you could just not apply, but there is an expectation, that if it's a government job there is a certain level of basic safety measures involved - which doesn't seem to be the case.

And I can see especially stay at home mums take this job on, because it's easier to find someone to watch the kid in the evenings and on weekends.

And many would think "the government wouldn't be allowed to advertise these jobs if they weren't safe, right?"

But I don't see how it could possibly be safe for someone to go off on their own and go into some randos house without anyone having their back.

Insane.

How is anyone okay with this? They should have to pay for at least two people to partner up and go together.

You are risking your life for $30/hour - and does that even include travel?

If you think I'm exaggerating the danger of this, then I am glad you've lived such a sheltered life - but I've done similar work before (in a team) and it is dangerous as fuck even when your partner is just across the street and you have a walkie talkie on you.

You come across people on drugs who are pissed off at being disrupted, people who see you as a representative of the government they are pissed off as, or people who just see an opportunity to let off some steam in the privacy of their own home, without having to worry about witnesses.

I substantively won a Grade 7 role around 4 years ago, was promoted into a temporary Grade 9 assignment after only about 11 months, and have now been performing at Grade 9 level continuously for ~2.5 years.

We’re now going through a restructure and my substantive role is being consolidated, resulting in a “many-to-few” scenario and I’ve been told I need to go through an invited EOI/interview process for Grade 7 roles again.

I honestly feel completely demoralised by it.

I understand restructures happen and temporary assignments aren’t permanent, but I’m struggling to understand how someone can perform successfully at a higher grade for and then effectively be told to compete again for a role they already fairly won years ago.

Is this just considered normal in NSW/Australian public sector restructures? Has anyone successfully challenged role matching/placement decisions or had unions help in situations like this?

I am wondering if anyone has had a similar experience.

I am currently pregnant and suffering from HG. I was told by work I can access flexible working arrangements (standard under our EA) to help with managing symptoms. Since then there has been a range of things happen (listed below) that I believe could be considered pregnancy discrimination. I have flagged this with HR multiple times and they seem to brush it off and have the standard line of ‘we are trying to support you’.

They hired an additional member for our team, I was told this person was to fill a lower level role with the plans he would step into my role when I commenced maternity leave. I found out from other team members that infact this person would be stepping straight into my role and I would be moved into the lower level role and then have the responsibility to ‘find enough work’ to justify making the lower level role at the same level as mine or I would be downgraded. When this happened I question if it was to do with a performance issue to which I was told it was not.

I have been told today that I am either to be working in the office or if I am not well enough to be in the office I will be required to take leave. I questioned if this was to do with an issue with my performance but was told no and this is simply expectations of my role (for context everyone in my team including my manager have access to flexible working arrangements).

I feel very lost at what to do as HR really aren’t helpful and I feel like they’ve over extended their budget and are wanting me to leave. I only have a few months left at work till I have a year of mat leave but it’s causing me so my stress already I worry how I am going to manage.

My big big big boss (cant mention classification) is someone I was very close to for years. We went through it all, she was someone I looked upto.

Lastyear, I accidentally slipped sth I should’ve not shared to a team member. Anyway, long story short - it backfired and got my boss in trouble and in turn she has drawn the line and we’re not as close anymore. I understand what I did wrong, I have lost her trust.

Im contemplating on whether or not its worth sticking around when since then, I haven’t been feeling too welcomed anymore as she has told me; all communication with her is professional etc. I have been finding it difficult to ask for guidance since, and she has indirectly ‘’palmed-off” my tasks to ask my current supervisor now.

I’ve learnt the hard way to never trust anyone and treat coworkers as just that. I thought I’d try “repair” our friendship but it seems far-fetched as its been months now. Suck that many years of our friendship has gone down the drain.

I’ve been more determined since to just focus on work & learn from my mistake. I feel robotic at times just signing in to work my 9-5 and get out. However, I won’t lie it sucks going into work and seeing her and feeling that “off” feeling from a mentor/friend who was part of your everyday stability.

Anyone been in this situation?

- Female, 25

I have recently started a new job with QLD Gov and just found out I’m pregnant. QLD Gov requires 12 month continuous service to be eligible for mat leave and at this stage my due date will be about 11 months into employment.

I’m looking for any advice around how to negotiate with my workplace around still being eligible for mat leave. Can I make an agreement that I’ll return to complete 12 months after accessing mat leave? Is there any kind of flexibility or am I shit out of luck?

Hey all,

I’ve been hopping around government in various roles over the last few years and have left each place due to various reasons, but the one thing I keep struggling with is knowing what job/workplace/type of work is the right fit for me.

Previously I switched between operational and project/policy work for more variety, transferable skills and growth opportunities as I was getting bored and saw my job as a dead end. But then I found the fluctuating and chaotic nature of project/policy work quite unsettling to deal with which impacted my mental health (when on the surface I appeared to be thriving) and found myself seeking more structure and certainty in my day-to-day duties. But now I’ve recently started a new operational role - I’m feeling the same thing as I did before when I was in my last operational role - on top of that I’m bored and disengaged, it’s a struggle to get through the training, I’m not interested in the subject matter, and in hindsight I find what I was working on in my previous role more interesting (maybe because of familiarity and the high profile nature). The job was not what I expected in reality and I wonder if I made the right decision or just needed to have more boundaries in place and/or find another project/policy role in a different department. I’m debating going back to my old employer but part of me remembers why I left and knows I probably should give this role more time. Another part of me wants out sooner rather than later if these are my early thoughts and to explore other options (again).

But then again, perhaps I just won’t find a great fit at all because at the end of the day, it’s just work?

For all you APS s26 job hoppers:

1. What are your personal indicators for knowing you’re in the right role/type of work?
2. What are your non-negotiables in a job and what trade-offs are you willing to accept?
3. If you realised a job wasn’t a good fit for you - why, how long did it take you to realise and what did you do?

Thanks everyone!

I’m curious whether anyone has gone through a Review of Action (RoA) process after raising a complaint where there was no finding of bullying, no change to reporting lines, and the expectation remained to continue working with the same manager despite concerns being raised.

In situations like this, I’m trying to understand how the process is intended to support a positive and safe workplace outcome, particularly when a staff member does not feel comfortable or psychologically safe continuing in the same reporting relationship, and the complaint does not appear to have resulted in a meaningful change.

I’ve also heard mixed views that a RoA can sometimes feel ineffective or even add further stress, so I’m genuinely interested in whether others have successfully gone through the process and what the outcomes were in practice.

At this point, I’m trying to weigh up my options and understand whether pursuing a RoA is likely to lead to a constructive resolution, or whether it’s more realistic to consider other pathways forward.

What should I do if my team leader isn't responding to my questions in a timely manner and it's blocking my work , not coding flex leave or medical cert on time pls ? Even for coaching sessions they never remember and have to send them lots of messages to join coaching session & they never inform me that they are running late for it & mostly I have to use my coaching time for L&D time. How to approach them without making them feel bad ? 😞

I am looking at taking a contractor role in the APS and I realised I know very little about contracting as a whole.

I'd love to know your tips and tricks for moving forward in the process.

Some questions I can think of:

*If it's a 12 month contract, are you guaranteed employment for 12 months, or can it be cancelled at any time?

*What's the ettiquette for applying for other roles, or leaving during a contract if a better or more permanent opportunity comes along?

*Are there any tax implications I should be aware of?

I will ask the recruiter all these as well, but sometimes it's good to hear from people who have lived experience. Thank you!

Keen to hear about your experiences lodging a conflict of interest/secondary employment declaration, successful or not (especially if there's a lesson in it). Particularly if you own your own business or do contract/consultancy work for expert panels internationally. Asking for advice from those who understand governance and disclosures as well as procurement policies and have done it or assessed those themselves.

Background: long term public servant. I finished a government fixed-term role last year and started my own engineering consultancy shortly after. It's a properly registered company (ABN, GST, professional indemnity, Pty Ltd, sole director and employee). My clients are governments at various levels here and overseas. I acquire work exclusively by applying to open public tenders and through vendor panels, in line with standard procurement as well as taking some specialist short term contracts through niche agencies. I've just been offered a full-time local government position which I have accepted.

I have been doing expert panel work for a few years now but it was done through a different tax system as it was under the cap for ABN requirements and always declared rather than having to "apply for approval".

Under this council's policy I'll need to declare this/seek approval. I've been upfront about that throughout my negotiations. Policy is standard non-specific.

My business is in the same field as my qualifications and the role I'm going into, so the overlap is real, but I'd argue the conflict risk is manageable given how I operate, scope and the fact that I'd avoid any work related to this particular or neighbouring LGA. I also only operate through procurement supply.

Looking for advice on putting together a declaration that's thorough and honest, addresses any perceived or actual conflicts head-on, and anticipates the questions the approver is likely to ask. Has anyone navigated something similar?owning and operating a business with government clients while working as a public servant?

What helped, what didn't?

If you had an unsuccessful application and you learnt something from it, I'd also be keen to hear it.

TL;DR: Started my own company, been offered a PS role, need to declare the business, looking for advice on writing a solid conflict of interest/secondary employment declaration.

edit: clarification.

Hello all,

Feeling really stuck and looking for advice regarding career direction please.

-I live rural so courses needs to be online but I can do placements

- I have 9 years experience in child protection

- 2018 graduated with Bachelor in Psychology (bad GPA)

- I'm on mat leave till mid next year

- two kids under 3.

Really enjoy child development, investigation work and research. Looking at getting out of child protection but don't know where to go, happy to study whatever. Thank you

I'm thinking about applying to several IT roles.

If you are a hiring manager/manager

In government, what are you looking out for in a person trying to enter into the APS specifically in tech fields.

Does it differ much from the private sector?

I have a bachelor's in IT and certs in cybersec, worked a few it jobs at big corps but looking to cater my resume / cover letter for more government roles with stability.