Government & Defence Jobs in Australia 

We place candidates across the full spectrum of government employment, from entry-level administrative and service delivery roles through to senior policy, program management and executive positions. In the federal sector, we regularly fill APS roles from APS 3 through to Executive Level 2, spanning departments including Home Affairs, Defence, Health, Finance, Social Services and the Australian Taxation Office. At the state level, we recruit for government departments, statutory bodies, and state-owned corporations across all Australian states and territories. At the local government level, we place candidates into council administration, planning, community services and infrastructure roles. In the defence sector, we place civilian and contractor personnel into the Department of Defence and defence industry contractors across Canberra, Adelaide, Darwin and other bases.

Australian citizenship is required for most ongoing (permanent) positions in the Australian Public Service and for roles that require a security clearance. Many non-ongoing (contract or temporary) APS positions, and the majority of state and local government roles, do not require citizenship, though permanent residency is generally required. Security clearances from Baseline through to Top Secret Positive Vetting are administered by the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA) and require Australian citizenship as a prerequisite. If you are unsure whether a specific role requires citizenship or a particular clearance level, Chandler Macleod's government recruitment consultants can advise you before you apply.

Security clearance requirements vary significantly by role and agency. For general APS roles in non-sensitive departments, no clearance is required beyond a standard pre-employment check. For roles involving access to sensitive systems, facilities or information, a Baseline Vetting clearance is most commonly required and is the entry point for most security-clearanced positions. Negative Vetting Level 1 (NV1) and Negative Vetting Level 2 (NV2) clearances are required for roles involving classified material at SECRET and TOP SECRET levels respectively. Positive Vetting (PV) is required for the most sensitive roles in intelligence, defence and national security agencies. Clearances are sponsored by the employing agency or, in some cases, by the labour hire provider, and processing times vary from several weeks for Baseline to over a year for Positive Vetting. Candidates who hold a current security clearance should prominently note its level and currency when registering.

Government salaries are set under enterprise agreements and are publicly available for most agencies. In the Australian Public Service, APS Level 3 and 4 roles generally attract salaries between $68,000 and $88,000. APS Level 5 and 6 roles typically range from $88,000 to $115,000. Executive Level 1 and EL2 positions attract packages between $115,000 and $165,000. Senior Executive Service (SES) remuneration varies by band but generally starts above $180,000. State government salaries are comparable but vary by award and jurisdiction. Local government salaries vary considerably by council size and location. Contract and labour hire roles in government often attract a rate premium over equivalent ongoing positions to offset the lack of leave entitlements. Full salary schedules for APS agencies are available at apsjobs.gov.au.

Government employment comes in several engagement types. Ongoing (permanent) positions offer job security, leave entitlements and access to the Commonwealth superannuation scheme or equivalent state schemes. Non-ongoing (temporary) positions are fixed-term appointments, often used to backfill ongoing roles or staff specific projects, and typically include pro-rata leave entitlements. Labour hire arrangements, where the recruiter employs the worker and seconds them to the government client, are common for short-term needs, surge resourcing and specialist project work. Consultancy engagements through procurement panels, where work is deliverable-based rather than time-based, are used for advisory and technical work. Chandler Macleod holds panel arrangements with a number of government agencies and can place candidates across all of these engagement types.

Government job applications differ significantly from private sector applications. Most APS and state government roles require a written response to selection criteria or a pitch document addressing the job-specific capabilities outlined in the role description. The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is the standard framework for structuring written responses and interview answers. APS applications are assessed against the APS Work Level Standards and, for SES roles, the Senior Executive Leadership Capability Framework. State equivalents vary by jurisdiction. Key mistakes to avoid include providing generic responses that are not tailored to the specific role, failing to address all listed criteria, and submitting a resume formatted for private sector applications without adapting it to the government context. Chandler Macleod's government recruitment team can advise on application strategy for specific roles.