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Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR)

4.0
  • 1,000 - 50,000 employees

Human Resource (HR) Stream Graduate Program (Feb 2026)

Location details

On-site

  • Australia

    Australia

    • Australian Capital Territory

      Canberra

    • New South Wales

      Sydney

    • Northern Territory

      Darwin

    • Queensland

      Brisbane

    • South Australia

      Adelaide

    • Tasmania

      Hobart

    • Victoria

      Melbourne

    • Western Australia

      Perth

Remote

Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Darwin, Hobart, Perth

  • Australia

    Australia

    Remote work

    • Australian Capital Territory

      Canberra

Location

Canberra, Sydney, Darwin

Closing in 1 month

Opportunity details

  • Opportunity typeGraduate Job or Program
  • SalaryAUD 82,039 - 90,580 / Year
  • Additional benefitscareer progression from APS Level 4.1 to APS Level 5.1 on successful completion of the program
  • Number of vacancies5-15 vacancies
  • Application open dateApply by 17 Apr 2025
  • Start dateStart date 1 Feb 2026 - 3 Dec 2026

As a HR graduate, you'll contribute to people centric and human resource functions from, recruitment to human resource policy.

Eligibility criteria 

To be eligible for the HR Stream in the Australian Government Graduate Program (AGGP), you must: 

  • Be an Australian citizen at the time of application. 
  • Have completed, or be completing by 31 December 2025, at least a Bachelor's degree in Human Resources or a related field (e.g., Business, Psychology, Commerce, Arts). 
  • Your most recent eligible qualification must have been completed between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2025. 
  • Be able to obtain and maintain a valid Australian Government security clearance. 
  • Be willing to undergo any police, character, health, or other checks required.  

Skills you need

To be suitable for an HR Stream role, you should have most or all of the following skills: 

  • Interest in undertaking meaningful work that serves the Australian community 
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills 
  • Social skills 
  • Ability to contribute to a professional, respectful, and positive workplace 
  • Willingness to learn and adapt 
  • Ability to comply with APS Values and the APS Code of Conduct 
  • Commitment to maintaining a healthy work/study/life balance 

Benefits 

Our HR Stream will launch your career by providing a professional advantage. Working with the Australian Government offers excellent benefits, including: 

  • Specialised learning and development designed and delivered by HR experts 
  • Flexible working arrangements and future mobility opportunities 
  • Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) membership and mentoring program 
  • APS HR Professional Stream Network membership to connect with thousands of HR professionals 
  • Networking and development opportunities with HR graduates and professionals across the APS 

Locations

Most positions are located in Canberra, but some departments and agencies also offer roles in other cities like Brisbane, Melbourne, Geelong and Sydney. 

Relocation assistance may be available for successful candidates. 

What to expect in this program 

HR graduates in this stream can expect to: 

  • Receive hands-on experience in different HR roles within partner agencies 
  • Attend events and network with senior leaders across the APS 
  • Participate in specialised training and development opportunities

Diversity and inclusion 

We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ individuals, people from culturally diverse backgrounds, and mature-aged applicants. 

For candidates with disabilities, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the selection process. If you indicate on your application form that you have a disability, we will contact you to discuss your needs. 

We also encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduates to apply through the Indigenous Graduate Pathway. 

Work rights

The opportunity is available to applicants in any of the following categories.

Work light flag
Australia
Australian Citizen

Qualifications & other requirements

You should have or be completing the following to apply for this opportunity.

Degree or Certificate
Qualification level
Qualification level
Bachelor or higher
Study field
Study field (any)

Hiring criteria

  • Experience requirementNo experience required
  • Working rights
    Australian Citizen
  • Study fields
    Business & Management
  • Degree typesBachelor or higher
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Reviews

user
Graduate
Canberra
6 months ago

I manage my team's email folder and task schedule, check and summarise internal government policy submissions and assist in the budget processes.

user
Graduate
Canberra
6 months ago

Economist - economic/labour market analysis, data and statistics.

user
Graduate
Canberra
6 months ago

Policy development e.g. developing policy, advising on other policies, conducting research to build an evidence base

Show all reviews

About the employer

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Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR)

Rating

4.0

Number of employees

1,000 - 50,000 employees

Industries

Government & Public Service

Our purpose at DEWR is to support people to have safe, secure and well-paid work with the skills for a sustainable future.

Pros and cons of working at Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR)

Pros

  • I still access to flex hours... work between the hours of 7am-7pm if needed on an ad hoc basis, along with working from home one day a week.

  • Seeing the direct positive impact my work has done in improving the lives of people.

  • In the right areas - everyone is incredibly genuine and helpful. There is a real camaraderie and team spirit to achieve a collective goal.

  • It is expected that graduates will move from APS levels 3 to 5 during the year-long program with opportunities to progress to level 6.

  • $500 for 'health purchases' (unmonitored) is nice.

Cons

    • Government administration can be terribly slow and painful to deal with. Red tape is a big problem.

    • Sometimes ridiculous expectations that we should be on-call on weekends or nights when work gets busy.

    • We are no longer given the opportunity to study a graduate diploma in public administration at University.

    • Colleague socialisation exists but is limited outside of among the graduate cohort.

    • Very lengthy, tedious, and bureaucratic... the hoops to jump through and requirements were very demoralising.