Interested in a career at the heart of your local democracy? There are three employers operating within the Legislative Assembly precincts:

Office of the Legislative Assembly

Our parliamentary support agency, providing a range of advice and procedural and business services to the Assembly and its members.

ℹī¸ Information: parliament.act.gov.au/.../careers#OLA
đŸ’ŧ Vacancies: jobs.act.gov.au/.../ola
✉ī¸ Email: laolarecruitment@parliament.act.gov.au

ACT Executive

A unit supporting the work of Government Ministers in their capacity as Members of the Legislative Assembly.

ℹī¸ Information: act.gov.au/work-with-act-government
đŸ’ŧ Vacancies: jobs.act.gov.au/.../act-executive
✉ī¸ Email: jobs@act.gov.au

Non-executive members' staff

Staff supporting the work of Members of the Legislative Assembly who are not ministers. Each member advertises and hires independently. Vacancies are often listed on job hire sites such as Seek or EthicalJobs .

✉ī¸ Email: Contact my members



The Office of the Legislative Assembly

The Office of the Legislative Assembly is the Assembly's parliamentary support agency. Headed by the Clerk, it is an apolitical agency independent of direction by the government created under the Legislative Assembly (Office of the Legislative Assembly) Act 2012.

The Office is organised into three branches: Parliamentary Support which supports the Assembly's legislative function, Business Support which provides operational services to the MLAs, their staff, and the Office, and the Office of the Clerk which oversees governance, engagement, and education.

We are a small agency with between 60-70 employees. Due to our size, staff collaborate across branches and subject areas frequently, and cherish the unique work culture that results from this.

As an organisation, the Office works to five values: Independence from executive government, impartiality of advice and support, professionalism, transparency, and integrity.

Eligibility

You must be an Australian citizen, New Zealand citizen on a Special Category Visa, or a permanent resident to work for the Office of the Legislative Assembly. People with valid work visas may also be considered for roles on the casual register.

If you are applying for an identified position of trust, you must be able to gain the required level of security clearance. Due to Australian government restrictions for its clearance processes, only Australian citizens can be considered for these roles.

The Public Sector Management Act 1994 also requires you complete a medical assessment and criminal history check upon being offered a position.

The Office is committed to being an accessible and diverse workplace, inclusive of ability, ethnicity, religion, and sexual and gender identity.

Conditions and benefits

The Office is committed to providing an excellent work environment. Some of the benefits provided under our Enterprise Agreement 2023-26 ( 1.8 MB) include:

  • 12.5% superannuation (to your choice of fund)
  • Flexible hours and work-from-home arrangements
  • 17.5% annual leave loading
  • Purchase leave options
  • 24 weeks' paid birth leave and 5 weeks' paid parental bonding leave
  • Paid Christmas shut-down period
  • Learning and development opportunities
  • An annual health and wellbeing initiative
  • Salary sacrifice options, and
  • Access to the Legislative Assembly library.

Vacancies are advertised on Jobs ACT. To apply for most positions, you must complete the online form and attach your resume and a statement addressing the selection criteria.

We can adjust application or interview conditions to make them more accessible. To organise this, email or call the position's contact officer or the Office's HR and Entitlements team (LAOLArecruitment@parliament.act.gov.au or (02) 6205 0444).

Our process, step-by-step

  • Application period: Vacancies are advertised online and on the Assembly's Facebook and LinkedIn pages, usually with a two-to-three week application window.
  • Shortlisting: After the closing date, selection panel members assess all applications against the selection criteria and shortlist candidates to interview.
  • Interviews: Shortlisted candidates are invited for a 30-60 minute interview with the selection panel. You'll receive a list of questions 10 minutes beforehand  to familiarise yourself and brainstorm responses. There may also be a short written exercise before or after the interview.
  • Ranking: The selection panel rates responses and exercise outcomes to build merit list ranking candidates in order of preference. Referees are contacted at this point, and the merit list and shortlist are escalated to the executive level for sign-off.
  • Contact: All candidates will be contacted with the outcome.

On rare occasions where no candidates are shortlisted for interview, we'll let applicants know, and the vacancy may be re-advertised.

Tips for addressing the selection criteria

Your response to the selection criteria (listed on all position descriptions as 'What we are looking for') is the most important part of your application. If you don't respond to its listed points, your application may be automatically excluded. Below are some tips to make your response stand out:

  • Use the criteria as headings and explain how your abilities, experience, qualifications, and personal qualities meet each one.
  • Focus on quality over quantity. Concrete achievements make a stronger case than a long list of claims without evidence.
  • Email or call the contact officer if you're unsure about specific parts of a position. Every criteria links to what the role is required to do, and it's better to ask for clarification than try and bluff your way through it.
  • Review our Capability Framework ( 394 KB) for expected performance levels.
  • Research the Office and Assembly to make your responses more relevant to our organisation and show your investment in the application process.
Make sure you apply by the closing date. If you need more time, contact the position's contact officer before the closing date - late acceptance is at their discretion.

The Office's Temporary Employment Register identifies people who can be called on at short notice for casual or fixed-term work (up to 12 months) as workloads require. While we accept registrations for all parts of the Office, we have two areas of high need:

  • Hansard editors (Administrative Services Officer level 6) responsible for producing transcripts of Assembly and committee proceedings. Work is generally offered ahead of sitting weeks and may include evening or night work.
  • Attendants (Administrative Services Officer level 2) responsible for front-line customer service, security screening, visitor passes, and support in the Chamber on sitting days.

Casual staff receive a 25% loading in lieu of paid leave.

To register, send your resume and a cover letter to LAOLArecruitment@parliament.act.gov.au. Registrations stay on our register for 12 months.