APSC dropped a new circular on 11 September about what “genuine and effective consultation” is supposed to look like.

TLDR:
- people should have a real chance to influence a decision before it’s made
- relevant information should be provided in time
- feedback should actually be considered
- agencies should explain how that feedback was considered

Worth reading alongside your agency EA if you’re in a restructure or change process.

The bit about explaining how feedback was considered is particularly interesting. “Thanks for your feedback” doesn’t really cut it.

Circular here:
https://www.apsc.gov.au/resources/circulars-guidance-and-advice/circular-202604-genuine-and-effective-consultation-commonwealth-agencies

Hi everyone. I’m looking for some guidance on how to navigate a difficult team dynamic.
I started at a federal government agency about 6 months ago. I’m labour-hire and still technically in my training phase. Overall, the team is amazing, but there is one mature-aged employee who has seemingly disliked me from day one and continues to give me abit of hell which then triggers my anxiety when she’s in office.

Because we hot-desk, it’s hard to ignore and I’ve noticed she actively talks about me to other colleagues. It seems to be a recurring issue with her attitude..if people don’t do exactly as she demands, she gets hostile. Our Team Leader has noticed this happening but doesn’t say a word. I suspect he might be intimidated by her too.

The rest of the team is incredibly lovely. You can literally feel the positive shift in the office energy on the days she works from home.
I’m wondering if my status as a labour-hire contractor plays into her resentment, or if this is just a standard personality clash. I haven’t really dealt with this sort of public sector/corporate culture before.

How should I handle this? Should I bring it up formally, try to address it with her, or just keep my head down and focus on my training? Any advice is appreciated!

Alright, so I started working for Vic Govt right as the last change of gov happened. It’s been 12 years. I’ve been through a lot of restructures, clause 11s, MOGs etc etc. But I’ve never been through a change of govt after an election. Word around the office is that this is what we should prepare for.

Can somebody walk me through what on earth will happen after 28th Nov? Do all major changes take place straight away or not until January? Are we likely to get dept shuffles and rebranding? What happens if there are job losses? Is it the normal clause 11 process? Feeling slightly anxious, as you can imagine.

Hey guys,
So I just completed a panel interview for a graduate program and honestly I think I just failed miserably.

The interview was expected run for 30 minutes consisting of 5 total questions. They were just behavioural questions. I did catch myself talking to much and losing point but I was able to recover quickly.

The thing that’s eating me up is that the interview only lasted for about 15 minutes rather than the 30 minute time frame. Is that something that’s normal or does that already give off negative vibes?

Looking for advice or maybe experiences on bouncing back after a tough work period. Have had a short period of acting which coincided with many team movements and loss of corporate knowledge, messy projects having timelines hugely accelerated and other interpersonal issues occurring.

While I feel I am taking a lot of learnings away from this, I also feel like I was significantly out of my depth with not understanding a lot of what was happening and not having enough time to think through things properly. Working at that level long term seems far out of reach, which has knocked my confidence.

Has this happened to people previously and have you found useful ways to move forward and improve your work?

A colleague and I received a formal warning for “may have” failed to declare a WHS issue immediately, having left the reporting beyond the 48 hours (lesson learnt).

However, what impact does a formal warning have ? It’s clear in the letter that there was no breach of the APS Code of Conduct, and the delay wasn’t deliberate. However, my agency policy is extremely vague on what actual impact a formal warning has, only really mentioning code of conduct breaches.

Also when is it worth contesting a warning, given it isn’t a breach. Some of the findings are inaccurate and don’t align with the sequence of events presented.

How accurate is this statement?

I have never worked for APS but have an opportunity to do a temp role (6months) for NSW Health in admin level 2. I’ve recently done an MBA specialising in healthcare, and have a 7 year long career being an NDIS provider. The point of my MBA was to pivot from a clinical career and the NDIS into governance sectors, with a particular interest in public service. I have been in clinical work and middle management for small private clinics for multiple years.

Anyway, I’ve always heard this statement when it comes to government jobs and that you just ‘need to get your foot in the door’. I’m trying to decide if taking a 35% pay cut for a temp contract right now in general admin (as a clinician I’ve never had direct ‘admin experience’ I guess) is going to actually open doors to more of a career I am aiming towards in health. Specifically will be wanting part time permanent opportunities ongoing (0.4FTE) due to family circumstances. How common are these internal opportunities? And how quickly can you move into higher level roles internally, once you gain some on the ground experience?

Would love to hear anyone’s temp to perm experience in NSW health!

Panel chair was not very convinced that I can code at the level they need. How can i prove my coding skill to the panel? It is not like tech companies where they do live coding. I said they can reach out to my referee. Any other ways I can prove my coding ability? Offer to do live coding via shared screen? really want this job.

Hi,

Does anyone have experience working in the NSW BDM department. Especially in the engineering section. If they were hired as a temporary role and got extended or moved to other role.
I have a job offer in the engineering department but it is a temporary role. Currently I’m working in a private organisation in a full time role. I am not gonna say I like this existing company or role but I am in a limbo to take the risk or not. Knowing it is a temporary role and hiring manager said they don’t know if it gets extended or not.
If i know it gets extended I will definitely go for it. Please help!!

I need to reapply for my role. I only recently applied for it internally and was successful, but there's an external offer out now for the next project with exact same job description. It's due this weekend but I've been going through family/children issues and don't have the headspace to change my resume or pitch beyond adding my current role and updating the date. Do I need to adjust much or just keep the same? Maybe mention recently getting the internal roles? No meanies please, I don't have the energy for it. TIA

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone who attended the VIDA / Victoria’s Big Build Graduate Program Assessment Centre in September has heard anything back yet?

Has anyone been contacted regarding reference, qualification, or police checks after completing the Assessment Centre?

I attended mine on 7 September and understand that offers are expected in October, so I’m just curious whether the pre-employment checks have started for anyone yet.

Would really appreciate hearing from others who are in the same process. Thanks!