2025 National Graduate Program - Legal Stream (Jan 2025)

The ideal candidate  

We want graduates who are bold and forward-thinking and who can bring big ideas.
  
We're looking for a range of people to join us and are committed to providing an inclusive workplace. We value our staff for their unique qualities, ideas and perspectives and support all staff to bring their whole self to work.  

For our legal stream, we're looking for graduates with qualifications in either:  

• Bachelor of Laws; or
• Juris Doctor.

You must also have:   

• Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice, or be eligible to obtain one following commencement
• Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 60 or above.

You can apply to both our legal and generalist streams if you have either of the above degrees. If you’re assessed as suitable for both streams we’ll try to match you in the legal stream first. Once you start in the legal stream you’ll continue there for the duration of the program.  

Range of work  

Services Australia has one of the largest in-house legal teams in the Commonwealth. We help to support the delivery of essential national government services, such as social security, Medicare and child support payments. 

The Legal Services Division consists of over 90 dedicated lawyers and operational staff, who operate over a range of specialised practice areas. These areas include:  

• in-house legal advice related to our payments and services
• commercial law and employment law
• privacy, Freedom of Information (FOI) and compensation claims
• litigation, including advocacy and Administrative Appeals Tribunal reviews.

As a graduate within the legal stream, you’ll complete rotations within the Legal Services Division. The legal stream pathway is designed to give you a broad knowledge of the legal issues faced by both Services Australia and the Australian Public Service. We also support graduates, including financial assistance, to complete their Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice or equivalent and to obtain admission as an Australian Lawyer.

What you'll get  
  
We offer:  

• a competitive salary, ranging between $66,310 - $73,906 depending on your qualification level
• progression to an APS5 classification at successful completion of the program
• a range of development opportunities to shape your career in the Australian Public Service 
• flexible working arrangements to help you maintain your work-life balance
• a variety of leave options, including 4 weeks of annual leave
• employer superannuation contributions of 15.4%
• a variety of leave options, including 4 weeks of annual leave

Why you should work for us  

We make government services simple so people can get on with their lives.   

Every hour of every day in Australia, people in need turn to the Australian Government for help. In those moments, our agency responds.  

We rise to challenges fuelled by the knowledge that what we do matters. Our work can be challenging but is also rewarding, and suits people who are resilient and embrace innovation and change. We help customers at key moments in their lives. Whether helping customers, supporting strategic policy, leading whole-of-government initiatives, or excelling in various roles, everyone in the agency makes a real difference to Australians.

We're an agency that helps people and we're committed to progress, constantly moving forward to deliver services that are simple, helpful, respectful and transparent.   

Eligibility  

To be eligible for the program, you must be an Australian citizen.

You’ll need to have successfully passed and completed:

• an undergraduate degree within the last 5 years
• a postgraduate degree within the last 5 years.

If you got your degree overseas, you’ll need to have it recognised by the Department of Education.

Inclusivity  

We're committed to providing a work environment that values inclusion and diversity and supports all staff to reach their full potential. We have a range of workplace diversity and inclusion strategies, policies and initiatives in place to achieve this.  

Our program includes an Affirmative Measure to help employ Indigenous Australians. You can apply to our program using this measure, through the Australian Public Service Commission's Indigenous Graduate Pathway.   

We also have an Affirmative Measure for Australians with disability. Our team would be happy to talk with you about any reasonable adjustment you may need.