2025 Graduate Development Program (Gdp) Affirmative Measure - First Nations

Career Opportunities: 2025 Graduate Development Program (GDP) Affirmative Measure - First Nations (44725) Requisition ID 44725 - Posted - $67,207 - $72,569 -  Location of Position (1)  - Ongoing - Full Time -  Position Classification(s) (1)
Affirmative Measure Vacancy – First Nations Employment This position is only open to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples. This is consistent with Section 26 of the Australian Public Service Commissioner's Directions.
The Opportunity Do you want to help shape the future of Australia's infrastructure, transport, regional development, communications or creative industries?
The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (the department) is seeking motivated graduates to join our highly-regarded Graduate Development Program (Graduate Program/Program).
Get involved planning the transport and telecommunications systems of tomorrow, designing liveable future-facing cities, or preparing for the global digital economy.
You can also help empower our regional communities, promote our thriving arts sector, or protect and celebrate the culture, heritage and languages of First Nations people.
If you're seeking an exciting and rewarding start to your career, improving the lives and opportunities of Australians, we want to hear from you.
Why Choose Our Department? Our department spans many great portfolios and provides graduates with the opportunity to rotate through three different work areas to find the best career fit.
Our work touches the lives of all Australians and underpins our economy and society. Our values and objectives are to be respectful, informed, collaborative, adaptive and accountable. Through our commitment to our values, as well as continuous learning and development, we maintain an inclusive, fulfilling and supportive environment that promotes the wellbeing of our people.
With opportunities to apply your skills across a uniquely diverse portfolio, you can find your purpose and discover new and rewarding opportunities that enrich and connect the lives of all Australians.
We understand the transition from study to a career can be challenging. Many of our graduates relocate from other parts of Australia and, for some, it is also their first experience of living away from home. We work hard to make it as easy as possible and offer a generous travel, accommodation and storage package.
We value our diverse and unique workforce and are committed to creating an inclusive culture where our people feel connected, valued and respected for who they are and what they bring to the workplace. We know a culture of inclusion enhances our work performance and the wellbeing of everyone. In 2019, Diversity Council Australia recognised us as an inclusive employer for our diversity measures and we continue to build on these measures to ensure that the department is an inclusive, safe environment in which people from all walks of life can thrive.
We have 6 staff-led diversity networks that provide professional and social networking for you as well as support, learning and advocacy relating to their focus areas. These include the Gender Equality Network, Disability and Allies Network, Indigenous Staff Network, Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Network, Pride and Allies Network and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Network. We encourage graduates of all backgrounds and identities to apply and are committed to supporting you during the Program and beyond. This is supported by our 2021-24 Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .
Don't just take our word – you can hear directly from our previous graduates and their experience in the Graduate Development Program on our department's website.
The Program Our Graduate Development Program will help you kick start your career, build professional skills and contribute to high profile and diverse work with real impact. The Program is designed to enhance the skills you have acquired at university and introduce you to working in the Australian Public Service (APS). You will develop professional public sector skills through a combination of work rotations, internal training and formal learning and development. The Program provides a unique 11 month accelerated career progression, with salary increases and advancement from the APS Level 3 to APS Level 5 on successful completion.
The Program includes:
ability to grow your networks and provide you with access to our senior leaders three challenging and diverse work rotations across our high-profile portfolio commencement as an APS3 employee (from $67,207 plus 15.4% superannuation) upon successful completion of rotations one and two, advancement to an APS4 (from $74,464 plus 15.4% superannuation) upon successful completion of the Program, advancement to an ongoing APS5 (from $83,132 plus 15.4% superannuation) Access to our internal staff networks, experience contributing to key corporate events, and involvement in the department's Social Club. *Listed salaries are as at 14 March 2024
Throughout the Program you will have access to professional development opportunities. Upon successful completion of the Program, you may receive financial support and paid leave to undertake further study in relevant areas, and broader Australian Public Service and mobility and career progression within the department.
Throughout our Graduate Program, you will undertake three workplace rotations over 11 months. This allows you to get a sense of the diversity of work across our portfolio and make a meaningful contribution in each area. Rotation placements are determined through an Expression of Interest (EOI) where individual preferences are matched with organisational requirements as much as possible.
Workplace rotations vary significantly and could see you:
helping to set the course for Australia's digital future developing policy that supports and protects our cultural heritage regulating airports implementing the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan developing policy for broadband, telecommunications or broadcasting working on the development of the North-South Corridor or Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail supporting regional development and local communities around Australia No matter the rotation, you will enjoy exciting, rewarding and challenging experiences that will kick start your career in the APS.
Some of our past graduates have shared some of their rotation experiences, here .
Support It's important to us that as a graduate, you feel supported and welcomed into our department and, if you've just moved to Canberra, that you settle in to your new city with ease. Being part of our graduate cohort gives you an immediate social network and is one of the many benefits of the program.
You'll also have:
A mentor —during the Program, we'll pair you up with a senior executive who will provide advice, guidance, and support to enhance your career progression within the APS. Your mentor will help you to start building your network early. A dedicated Entry Level Programs (ELP) Team —the ELP team will guide and support you throughout the recruitment and relocation process. Once you commence, the ELP team will organise monthly meetings, training and development, and be your primary contact and support network throughout the year. Your work team —you'll have three rotations throughout the year and that means three different teams to get to know and work with. Your team supervisor will also support you in your day-to-day work. Recruitment Process 2025 Graduate Development Program applications are open from 4 March 2024 and close 26 April 2024. Affirmative Measure Vacancy We are committed to support the employment and career development of First Nations Australians. Our participation in the Affirmative Measure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Scheme means we will progress a First Nations applicant to a further stage in the recruitment process, where they opt into the scheme and meet the minimum requirements for the vacancy.
Affirmative measure vacancy – First Nations employment This recruitment round is advertised as an affirmative measure. The affirmative measure is designed to address the under-representation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander staff in the Australian Public Service (APS).
Subsection 26(2) of the Commissioners Directions provides that the agency head or delegate must ensure that for a vacancy under this affirmative measure, the only eligible applicants:
are of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent; and identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander; and are accepted by their community as being Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Candidates who apply under the affirmative measure will need to meet minimum benchmarks to progress through the assessment stages.
Evidence of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status An agency head or their delegate must be satisfied that applicants under the affirmative measure meet the three criteria above.
Evidence is not required at the time of application but will need to be provided before commencement of the program.
Suitable evidence of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status may include:
a letter signed by the Chairperson of an incorporated Indigenous organisation confirming that the applicant is recognised as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person, or a confirmation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent document executed by an Indigenous organisation. The first stage of the application process is online. Allow yourself around one hour to complete the application process and submit by 11.30pm (AEDT) on the closing date to avoid any technical issues. In addition to providing information about your interests, work experience and general application criteria (e.g. educational experience), you will require a copy of your current resume and academic transcript. You will also be asked to complete capability assessments that are described below:
Situational Judgement Questions : You may be asked to respond to a series of situational questions that reflect experiences which graduates may encounter in the program as well as some questions that will require a response. These questions will examine the fit between your preferred working style and the working environment and culture in the department.
Written Motivational Question : You will be asked to respond to the below question in 500 words. We aim to assess your motivation behind applying for the Program and what skills you will bring to the role. Don't forget to respond using the STAR method and think about the capabilities we are looking for that have been outlined in this job pack.
What has motivated you to apply for a Graduate position at the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts? Based on your skills and experience, how do you think you will be able to contribute to the work of the department? Step 2: Video and written submissions If you are successful in progressing to the next stage of the process, you will be asked to complete the following two online assessments:
Targeted Questions/Work Sample: You will be asked to provide written responses that demonstrate your competency in an area critical to success in a graduate role. This may be in the form of multiple questions or as a work sample to an important piece of work you may likely perform as a graduate.
Online Video Questions: You will also be asked to record an online video response to some behavioural interview questions. This is your chance to showcase any research you have done into the department and outline the skills you have acquired in your working/university career. You will have the opportunity to test out how the interview works with some sample questions prior to responding to the actual questions.
You will need to submit your targeted questions and video response within a set timeframe of receiving your invitation, we will provide you plenty of notice and will be available to discuss if you have any questions or concerns. Step 3: Virtual Assessment Centre After shortlisting is complete, you may be invited to attend our virtual Assessment Centre. This is where the team will be able to chat with you and get to know you a little better, while assessing you during some virtual activities. The Assessment Centre will run for around three hours and will involve:
an interview Step 4: Referee Checks We may contact your two chosen referees to confirm your work experience and employment history.
Please make sure your referees are aware that they may be contacted.
Step 5: Offers Congratulations, you did it! Our team want you to join the department as part of a fantastic cohort of future leaders.

Offers will be made to successful candidates. A merit pool may be established dependent on how many suitable candidates are ranked for any potential late offers. All unsuccessful candidates will be notified via email and will be able to receive feedback.
Expected timeframe for assessment and selection We receive a large number of applications for the Program and want to ensure all applications are carefully assessed. We know you put a lot of time and effort into writing your application and so try to let you know the outcome as early as possible. The outline below is an approximate timeframe for the selection process:
Activity Timeframe March–April 2024
Shortlisting
May–July 2024
July/August 2024
Process finalised—offers made
September 2024
January/February 2025
To be eligible for our Graduate Development Program you must submit a completed application before the closing date and time, and provide evidence or confirmation of the following:
be an Australian citizen by October 2024 have completed (at least) an Australian Qualifications Framework Level 7 qualification (a Bachelor Degree), equivalent, or higher equivalent by January 2025 have completed the most recent degree no more than five years from the date of the application being submitted have a credit grade average be able to obtain and maintain a valid Australian Government security clearance once accepted into the Program be willing to undergo police, character, health or other checks as required be willing to relocate to Canberra. If you require adjustments to be made to the assessment process, please note this in your application and we will contact you to discuss any additional support.
Who are we looking for We are looking for innovative, curious, future-focused graduates with a desire to learn and help shape Australia's infrastructure, transport, regional development, communications and creative industries.
Successful applicants demonstrate they are motivated to explore opportunities and exemplify drive and adaptability. They are responsive and comfortable with change. As a graduate in our program you will thrive on being challenged in a flexible and fast-paced environment. Above all else, you will have a positive attitude and a desire to learn.
We are looking for graduates who aren't afraid to do things differently and create an impact—those who want to make a difference and are bold enough to take the lead.
Apply now!
Applications to apply directly with the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts will be open from 13 March 2024 and close 26 April 2024.

Click here to apply now!
We are also a participating agency in the following Graduate opportunities:
Australian Government Graduate Program (AGGP) Applying through the Australian Government Graduate Program (AGGP) means you will only have to go through the application and selection process once to be considered for a range of Australian Government agencies. Wherever you start your public service career as a graduate, you'll do meaningful work from day one, be asked to contribute, be recognised for your perspective and see the impact you can make in the Australian community we serve.
In 2024 we are a participating agency in the Generalist, Data, Digital, Economics, Finance, Legal and STEM Graduate streams.
As an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, you will be able to complete one application and be considered for multiple Agencies and Departments within the Australian Public Service (APS). 
Whether you start your career with us, or somewhere else in the APS, you will do meaningful work from day one.
Applications to apply through the Indigenous Graduate Pathway Program will open on Monday, 4 March 2024.
For information not contained within this job information pack or on our website, please contact us at:
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