Choose your path.
Shape your future with the ACT Public Service
Are you a recent graduate with a passion for making a difference?
The ACTPS Graduate Program offers you the unique opportunity to kickstart your career in public service and contribute to the community that you live and work in. We are looking for motivated, innovative, and dedicated individuals to join our team and help shape the future of our national capital.
You'll gain hands-on experience through diverse rotations across various ACT Government roles, enjoy personalised learning and development opportunities tailored to enhance your skills, and secure a promotion following the successful completion of the program.
We offer you:
To be eligible for the 2026 ACT Public Service Graduate Program, you must have completed a tertiary qualification within the past five years and be ready to start in early February 2026.
ACT Public Service is an inclusion focussed employer: The ACT Public Service actively supports workforce diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive workplace. As part of this commitment, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, neurodiverse people, culturally diverse people and those who identify as LGBTQIA+ are encouraged to apply.
Candidates will undergo a range of assessment for the 2026 ACT Public Service Graduate Program. All assessment is designed and developed to assess candidate's alignment with the ACT Government Values and Behaviours and our ACTPS Shared Capability Framework. All our assessment is virtual.
Applications for the 2026 program open Monday 28 April 2025 at 09:00 AEST.
Our process includes:
During interviews you should anticipate behavioural or evidence-based questions, practical exercises (eg aptitude test, situational role-plays, written exams). Evidence-based questions usually aim to gather concrete and specific information about you and usually start with the following phrases:
Candidates with full working rights in Australia can participate in the ACT Public Service Graduate Program.
Note that a New Zealand citizen who resides in Australia and holds a Special Category temporary residence visa (SCV) under the Commonwealth Migration Act 1958 is treated as a permanent resident of Australia for the purpose of assessing that person's eligibility to be employed by the ACT Government but does not affect a person's residency status in relation to any other federal, state or territory law.
The 2026 ACT Government Graduate Program offers a starting salary of $86,750 per annum plus superannuation. On successful completion of the program, graduates are promoted to an ASO5 (or equivalent) Classification on a salary of $95,722 per annum plus superannuation.
ACT Government employees are entitled to various types of leave including four weeks of annual leave and 3.6 weeks of personal leave per annum. Employees can also use compassion, Defence reserve, community service, maternity, bonding and parental leave.
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