r/AusPublicService

I have grand daydreams about flipping tables and sending department-wide emails telling some truths, but I'm not one to burn my bridges.

Let me live vicariously through your stories!

Now that the 2026 Budget has been announced, what's the outlook for you and your workplace?
Does it foreshadow better resources, opportunities and plenty of interesting work? Or, from where you stand, does it offer an exit strategy?
Hope it is positive for you and your colleagues, even the annoying ones.

I'll preface this rant by saying that this is an extremely privileged position to be in. I work in Health, specifically something related to Aged Care as an allied health.

Used to work in a busy hospital but transferred jobs to something that I could only describe as a glorified admin role. I went from being swarmed in work to finishing whatever task I have by 8:30 AM. And it's killing me.

I'm paid the same amount since I'm on an award, and I cannot believe that taxpayer money is being wasted paying someone 100k+ to do nothing all day. I can't even ask for more work because we can't take any more clients due to no funding.

And yet, there is this obsession about looking busy in the office; where my coworkers are just typing, erasing. And typing again while looking at their phones from time to time. Any time any newcomer asked about why we have so much free time, the seniors would do their hardest to convince them that we actually are very busy. I've never seen so much effort being spent on trying to be busy rather than doing a job.

This is happening at the same time that other departments in health are screaming for more workers. I'm at the point where I feel guilty leaving my old workplace. I want to change jobs again, but nothing suitable is coming up yet...

Please share your worst experience/s of corruption, misconduct, nepotism, cronyism, bullying, victimisation, etc. you've personally come across while working in the Aus Public Sector. Ideally post-1980s because we all know it was a free-for-all back then 😅

And obviously with any and all identifying details removed. Burners only please 🕵️‍♀️

Also... to your knowledge, did the culprit/s get away with it?

Cheers all 👍

As the title suggests, I’ve been place into the merit pool for an APS4 role at the Administrative Review Tribunal.

What does this actually mean? What are my chances of actually being offered a place? Have any of you been merit pooled? If so, were you offered a position, and if so, how long did it take?

I’m just unsure if I should be happy about it. The email states placement and offer decisions are currently being considered. I am so over the job hunt 😓 and I just need some good news :)

TIA

Putting aside the conditions side of things, what is your prediction for pay increase over the next 3 years?

I’m guessing it’ll be similar to last time with CPSU asking for 5% per year and ending up at 4%, 3.5%, 3.5%.

I’m 35, work in a high-pressure NSW Government role, and I’m currently undergoing IVF while also trying to leave a job that’s become psychologically unsustainable for me.

I feel completely trapped in this awful loop:
• I can’t easily quit because IVF is expensive and I need income/security (plus future maternity leave if IVF works)
• but the job itself is contributing massively to my stress and burnout
• and job searching/interviewing while doing IVF hormones has become emotionally brutal too.

I’ve reached the point where even emails and Teams notifications trigger anxiety, but I’m also terrified of making impulsive decisions that could hurt me financially or professionally long-term.

I guess I’m asking:
Has anyone else been through this kind of overlapping burnout/fertility/career crisis? Did you pause job applications and just survive for a while? Did leave help? How did you stop feeling completely trapped?

Not really looking for legal advice, more just perspective from people who’ve been through something similar.

Really feeling for staff being asked to deliver increasingly participant-focused scheme changes without resourcing or leadership to get the bigger issues right (fraud, registration, market changes etc).

I know there is work in the pipeline for this but it seems really unbalanced compared to the squeeze on participants (especially young kids).

I have over the past year come to terms with the fact I gave inattentive ADHD. I am on a waitlist for diagnosis so it is very much unmanaged and undiagnosed.

I am not sure what accomodations I could ask for. How do others manage their ADHD in the workplace meds aside?

My team is making us attend “interactive lunch” where we’re expected to bring our own food and do structured social/team activity during our unpaid lunch break.

Anyone else forced to do this shit or is it just us in QLD DETSI?

So with great excitement and anxiety, after a lot of back and forth, I’ve finally received the formal letter of offer for an APS6 role with the ATO.

I’m super excited yet at the same time, I’m also nervous as I’m returning to accounting/tax after a long time away from the industry. I’ve spent the last few years in education, so returning to my original passion - tax - this feels pretty surreal.

I am so grateful …with all the redundancies and hiring freezes everyone has been talking about… I made it! Yay! 🎉 I can finally breathe a sigh of relief and look forward to starting within the next few weeks.

I had the following questions - which I would appreciate guidance on:

Superannuation:

• If you already had an existing super fund like QSuper/Australian Retirement Trust, did you stay with it or move to the APS preferred fund or another option? Any suggestions are welcome.

Other questions:

• What helped you most when adjusting to APS systems, processes and ways of working in the beginning?

• If you start at the lower end of APS6, how does progression usually work point by point within the level? Is it generally one point per year?

• I understand EL1 is a much bigger jump and probably something that happens much later on, but generally …how many years does it usually take for people to move from APS6 to EL1 if that’s something they want? What are some of the things to focus on and some of the things to be wary of?

• Also, for people who seem to progress more quickly than average, what qualities or behaviours tend to make leadership see them as someone ready for higher responsibilities sooner? Any tips or strategies on how to build those skills and demonstrate them professionally?

Really looking forward to starting this next chapter and keen to hear any advice people might have.

Thanks!

Hello all,

I am in probation at my current job and it is not what I expected, after some restructuring early into starting here my role was impacted a lot and I am no longer doing what I want to do / what I need to build my career. Anyway, I have found another role very promising in private sector, I was fast tracked to the final stage. Problem is that they will likely want me to start basically as soon as the job offer and background checks are done. Budget also made it seem less likely that internal mobility would be possible in my department unfortunately...

I checked my department's enterprise agreement and there really isn't anything clear on notice period for those on probation. I am of course aware when on probation you can basically be let go at any time, so I generally assumed it is okay to do the same when it comes to quitting. To clarify, this new role I am looking at is not in APS. The job market is very rough and didn't even expect to receive something before

I of course would only give my notice once everything is formally signed so If I only provided 1 week or like 1 day of notice - What are some potential immediate consequences and future consequences? Does leaving during probation instead of after probation look bad or have specific consequences too? Especially if I decide to return to APS in the future.

Thank you!!!!!!

Any other VPS out there just feeling at a loss with all the instability lately?

I feel like we’ve been coasting through 2-3 years of constant Clause 11s, restructures and job losses - seeing our department get decimated, belittled and undervalued. Coupled with having to take on more workload now with less staff.

On top of everything we’re 6 months away from a very volatile state election, which could result in who-knows-what!!

How are you all staying sane out there??

I stepped into a senior role working working closely with a senior executive who is lovely. This role, however, feels very different from what was discussed.

My supervisor (who reports to the senior executive directly) seems to be actively limiting my visibility and access to key meetings/resources/systems which I require to do my job. I have learned from colleagues that said supervisor deliberately removed my name from key meetings, which the role is supposed to attend. I have also been advised that I should engage with the senior executive via said supervisor, even though the senior executive directly reaches out to me.

My workload has also expanded considerably beyond what was initially agreed (12-14 hour days) and at the same time, the work is becoming admin tasks, completely different to what I was hired to do and something 2-3 junior people could do. My request for support was denied. When I have led the development of strategic work, my supervisor then handed it over to the other manager to present, despite my excellent presentation skills. The other manager who reports to my supervisor, also seems to be actively ‘managing’ me by assigning me tasks, despite both of us being at the same level.

There is a lot more but can’t go into detail here. This is beyond anything I have experienced in over 2 decades of working.

I am a woman of colour in a predominantly white senior leadership environment, and recently spoke with two other colleagues, both non-white, from the same team who shared very similar experiences with my supervisor.

Hey all. This is my second year in a row applying to graduate development programs. I know this isn't the only pathway into the APS, and is also highly competitive. But I feel like I'm experiencing some inconsistency with application outcomes between last year and this year. Sorry it's a bit of a rant post.

But basically I applied to as many grad programs as possible this year. Because I finished my degree last year and am currently unemployed, I have thoroughly taken time to apply to these programs. I'm talking doing in-depth readings of the job application, researching the department and what they do, drawing from the APS work level standards. And basically being serious with my resume and statements. I even got a senior APS worker to look over my applications and give me the all clear. I have received many rejections, including some where I didn't even make it to the aptitude test stage.

Last year, around the time that all these applications were due, I had some serious personal issues that involved someone close to me passing away, and I struggled to keep up with university courses. It was hard for me to find time and emotional capacity to apply to these programs, but I knew I needed to apply, so I basically just submitted full AI-slop applications.

The AI generated statements were filled with absolute nonsense, sometimes even hallucinating made up stuff completely irrelevant to the department and the program (not an exact example, but imagine applying to Defence talking about how you're excited to contribute to Defence's sole vision of improving language education in Australia. That kinda thing).

Needless to say I managed to get to the final merit pool stage of 3 graduate programs, and made it to many interview stages with barely any outright rejections.

The point of my rant: how did my pure AI slop applications get me so far last year, when they were 100% not my work and didn't reflect the job description or the department at all? This is despite many of them saying they will reject the application if it's evident that AI was used. This year they have been a little bit more open to people using AI. Like do the people who read these applications close their eyes and randomly select applications? I really tried my best this year, and it upsets me that doing the work myself has resulted in such negative outcomes :(

APS2/3 applications for Service Delivery are up again. Hopefully after flubbing my interviews last time I can make it further. I think I just didn't use the STAR method properly which I will review if I make it through to interviews again.

Any other ATO outsource agents going to be applying? Been with Probe for a little over 2 years and desperate to get out. Even if I don't get in, we did recently get an update on the unions equal work equal pay application with expectations for the hearing to be scheduled for late July. So maybe a pay rise is on the horizon regardless.

I have to share my good news - been holding it in for weeks now!
After almost 18 months of applying, having countless interviews and being in merit pools for different agencies, I finally got in! Start on Monday May 4th.
I’m so excited for this journey, I’ve worked so hard to get to this point in my professional career and it feels so good it’s finally paying off!
Good luck to everyone in the same boat, if you want it bad enough you’ll get there eventually!

Hi all,

Looking for honest experiences from public servants, particularly in the VPS.

I’ve been at VPS5 level for 7 years and previously acted at VPS6 for a sustained period. I’ve consistently been told I operate at a higher level and have been doing senior policy/legal work (including legislative reform work, stakeholder engagement, and complex advisory work).

After a restructure and loosing my main Director who was supporting my upgrading, I chose to move into a new area (legal policy) to broaden my experience and capability, but since then I’ve felt quite stuck at the VPS5 level despite continuing to work at a fairly senior level with good feedback from senior executives and junior staff.

I’ve applied for 10-15 VPS6 roles with a few interviews but no job offer and am wondering what makes the difference in moving from VPS5 to VPS6 in practice. Is it usually:
- sponsorship / visibility
- timing and vacancies
- staying in one area long enough
- something about how people position themselves.

I would really appreciate perspectives from anyone who has:
- made the jump after being stuck at VPS5
- acted at VPS6 but struggled to secure ongoing roles, or
- understands how progression actually works in reality

I'm trying to get a clearer sense of whether this is normal or whether I need to approach things differently. It's certainly beginning to weigh on me.

Thanks all!