DEEWR is supported by two in-house legal teams—Corporate Legal Branch and Workplace Relations Legal Group.
Our legal teams, comprising nearly 100 lawyers, are located at our National Office in Canberra, facilitating the department’s desired outcomes through the provision of accurate legal advice.
The Corporate Legal Branch provides a broad range of legal advice to the department on issues including legislation development, litigation, torts, commercial law, statutory interpretation, intellectual property and employment law.
The Workplace Relations Legal Group provides legal policy advice on workplace relations, occupational health and safety, workers’ compensation and building and construction industry improvements.
We are looking for high-performing, motivated and enthusiastic individuals who have great communication skills and a willingness to learn and develop. We are looking for DEEWR’s future leaders.
To be eligible, applicants must have completed, or be due to complete, a three-year undergraduate Bachelor of Law degree from an Australian university (or equivalent) by the end of the 2008 academic year.
Graduates within Corporate Legal will participate and assist with a variety of complex and important issues including:
- purchasing and contracting of employment services worth over
$6 billion
- development of social security legislation
- management of a strategic litigation program designed to protect the integrity of the social security system
- insolvency law issues arising from the department’s status as the largest priority creditor in Australian corporate insolvencies
- providing advice on the Australian Government’s digital education revolution
- litigation matters involving tort, statutory interpretation and even High Court challenges.
Workplace Relations graduates will assist in:
- monitoring the operation of current laws
- developing legislation and progressing it through Parliament
- preparing legal advice
- assisting in policy formation
- preparing submissions to tribunals, courts and parliamentary committees.
Graduates are given the opportunity to experience different facets of DEEWR’s in-house legal environment. While working as a legal graduate you will have the opportunity to work in a challenging environment developing legislation, advising on the Australian Government’s digital education revolution and other education initiatives, employment programs and workplace relations law.
Over the past few years, the Workplace Relations Legal Group has been involved in a number of significant legislative projects, including the development of workplace relations reforms, as well as reforms in OHS, workers’ compensation and the building and construction industry. We advise the Deputy Prime Minister and work closely with other government departments to prepare these legislative changes and facilitate their passage through Parliament. The group has recently been working on the Government's transitional legislation abolishing AWAs. We are also working on the Australian Government's Forward with Fairness reforms to workplace relations legislation which will be introduced into Parliament this year.
The Workplace Relations Legal Group provides advice to Ministers and all areas of the Australian Government on workplace relations, OHS, workers’ compensation and building industry specific legislation. Our advice often spans both legal and policy issues relating to the legislation we administer.
Working as a graduate legal specialist at DEEWR has several benefits:
- interesting work
- competitive pay and conditions
- sponsorship of the ANU Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice and study leave
- exposure to other legal practitioners, both internal and external to the department
- the opportunity to complete a rotation to a non-legal area of the department.
During the DEEWR Graduate Program, you will be provided with substantial training, mentoring and coaching throughout your placements to maximise your career potential with courses in:
- APS writing skills
- project management
- policy formation and advice
- Senate and legislative process
- career directions.
After the DEEWR Graduate Program, Legal graduates have the opportunity to access assistance for practical legal training and study leave for further studies.
DEEWR legal specialist graduates will finish the DEEWR Graduate Program at the equivalent of an APS 4 classification and transfer on to the department’s government lawyer broadband as government lawyers. Under the government lawyer broadband, promotion is based on merit rather than having to apply for a particular position. Within two or three years of completing the DEEWR Graduate Program, graduates who continue to maintain superior levels of performance can be expected to advance to Senior Government Lawyer classification (the equivalent of an EL1).