Public Servant - State
Government
Public Service Executive
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Public servants in the Australian Public Service (APS) work in a wide range
of areas such as community and social services, defence, economic
management, education, employment, foreign affairs, health, housing,
industrial relations and transport. They are employed in a variety of
clerical, technical and
professional careers.
Specialisations:
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Administrative Service Officer who may perform a range of administrative, research and policy tasks, depending on the government department or agency they work for.
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Foreign Affairs and Trade Officer who works on the policy and operational aspects of Australia's foreign policy and trade interests. Officers work for the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and can be located in capital cities around Australia or overseas.
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Information Technology Officer who provides support, and develops and manages networked computing systems. They also install, customise and support various software systems and other information technology products and services.
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Professional and Technical Officer who may be employed in a number of areas within the APS, depending on their qualifications and specialisations. They may work as Archivists, Conservators, Librarians, Meteorologists, Microbiologists, Psychologists, Public Relations Officers, or in other professional and technical areas.
Knowledge, skills and attributes
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able to communicate effectively in spoken and written English
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able to deal confidently with people at all levels
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discreet when handling confidential information
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prepared to learn and use information technology
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Australian citizen or permanent residency with intention of citizenship.
Education and training/entrance requirements
There are various entry points to the APS:
-Trainee Administrative Service Officer who advances to Administrative
Service Officer Level 1/APS Level 1 after completing the Government
Traineeship.
-Graduate Administrative Assistant who advances to Research Officer Grade 1
or Administrative Service Officer Level 3/APS Level 3 after completing their
training programme.
-Administrative Service Officer/Executive Level Officer who enters with
specific skills in response to advertisements for vacant positions, and may
progress to Executive Level 1 or 2, in which they may undertake management
roles.
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Did You Know? Australian Public Service Commission  The Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) is a central agency within the Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolio. The Commission supports two statutory office holders: the Public Service Commissioner—who is also agency head—and the Merit Protection Commissioner. Did You Know The list of APS Agencies is divided into 4 categories: Category A – Departments Category B – Statutory Agencies with all staff employed under the Public Service Act 1999 (the PS Act) Category C – Statutory Agencies which have the capacity to employ staff under the PS Act as well as their own enabling legislation (dual staffing bodies) Category D – Executive Agencies. A fifth category (Category E) includes bodies which employ staff under the Public Service Act 1999 and operate with some degree of independence (e.g. some have their own industrial agreement and/or are separately identified under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 or the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997). However, these bodies are parts of APS agencies rather than separate APS agencies as defined in the PS Act. Examples: Category A - there are 15 Departments including: Attorney-General’s Department & Department of Veterans’ Affairs |
State government public servants are government employees who work in any of
the departments of a state or territory government.
The State Public Service offers a broad range of administrative, clerical,
technical and professional careers in areas such as public policy, planning,
welfare, education, natural resources management, water supply,
construction, legal services, law and order, health, and tourism and
recreation.
Specialisations:
For information on the work performed by professional and paraprofessional
employees, see the separate entries for
Accountant,
Agricultural Scientist, Analyst
(Information Technology),
Environmental Scientist,
Lawyer, Nurse,
Police Officer, and,
Teacher.
The State Public Service may also employ trade and technical people. For
further information, see the separate descriptions for
Bricklayer,
Carpenter,
Electrician.
The main fields of employment are administrative and clerical, and
professional and paraprofessional. These occupations exist across all
departments and agencies, and include positions from entry level to senior
management.
Knowledge, skills and attributes
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good oral and written communication skills
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discreet when dealing with confidential information
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able to analyse and solve problems
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good organisational and time management skills
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responsible attitude
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able to work neatly and accurately
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able to work as part of a team
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methodical approach to work
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Australian citizenship, permanent residency or have an appropriate work visa.
Public service executives manage government departments,
implement government policies and deliver a wide range of services to the
public.
Knowledge, skills and attributes
- management and leadership skills
- excellent written and spoken English skills
- decision making ability
- good organisational and time management skills
- problem solving ability
- the ability to interpret figures and written information
- good IT skills
- Australian citizenship, permanent residency or the appropriate work visa.
Seniority Levels within the
Australia Public Service (APS)
(Source:
PS
Careers)
Duties and Tasks
-
manage a team of public service executives and / or officers
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manage the administration and finances of the department or section
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be responsible for motivating, training and reviewing team performance
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apply policies and procedures to deal with enquiries and complaints
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update records on computer systems and databases
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preparing and presenting reports.
Working conditions
Most government departments work standard office hours, although some may
use a flexible system. In some departments you may be required to work on a
shift basis which would include evenings, weekends and public holidays.
Part-time work and job sharing are common.
You would be office-based, although there may be some travel to attend
meetings, training courses and visiting other organisations.
You could work in any of the Federal or State Government public service departments and agencies that deal with developing government policies and delivering services to the public. All departments and agencies employ people at executive officer grade, although job titles can vary.
Education and training/entrance requirements
You can join the Australian Public Service (APS) either as a Trainee Administrative Service Officer, Graduate Administrative Assistant or Administrative Service Officer/Executive Level Officer. You do not need formal qualifications to become a Trainee Administrative Service Officer, although departments and agencies generally require senior secondary school certificate or equivalent. For all other roles, you will need at least a bachelor's degree.
To become a public servant in State government, you usually have to complete
at least either your junior or senior secondary school certificate,
depending on the entry position. Graduate positions require completion of a
relevant degree. Public service executives generally have many years of experience as public
service officers before progressing to executive levels roles.
Employment Opportunities
Employment of public service executives is driven by the changing structure of Federal or State Government departments and expansion of existing ones.
At the executive level, Federal or State elections may also precipitate such
changes. Both Federal and State governments have, in recent years, been
decreasing the number of public services jobs available overall, though this
applies more generally to public service officer, rather than to executive,
level roles.
However, the public service at both State and Federal levels is a large
employer, so opportunities will continue to exist for qualified employees.
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