**Contact**:hiringManagerName **Phone**: 0479 188 281
**Period of Vacancy**:Ongoing
**Number of Vacancies**: Several
**Who can apply**:
Please note this opportunity is available to current Australian Public Service employees and all eligible members of the community.
**About the Department of Home Affairs**:
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The Department of Home Affairs is responsible for centrally coordinated strategy and policy leadership in relation to domestic national security arrangements, law enforcement, emergency management, counter-terrorism, social cohesion, the protection of our sovereignty, the integrity of our border and the resilience of our national infrastructure.
The Australian Border Force, an operationally independent body within the Department of Home Affairs, is Australia's frontline border law enforcement agency and Australia's customs service. The Australian Border Force's mission is to protect Australia's border and facilitate the legitimate movement of people and goods across it.
**Department of Home Affairs - Legislation Branch
- Executive Level 2 / Principal Legal Officers - Multiple vacancies**
A number of roles and vacancies at the Executive Level 2 (EL2) / Principal Legal Officer (PLO) level are available for immediate filling. A merit pool will also be established to fill roles becoming vacant over the next 12 months. The roles to be filled in the short-term in Legislation Branch are likely to be in areas dealing with national security, migration and citizenship issues and legislative strategy management.
**Overview of Legal Group**:
The Legal Group in the Department of Home Affairs is one of the largest in-house public service legal practices in the Australian Government. The Group actively manages legal risk across the Department of Home Affairs (including the Australian Border Force) through its litigation, advice and law design practices to keep Australians safe and prosperous. Legal Group reports directly to the Secretary (Head) of the Department of Home Affairs.
**Legislation Branch**:
The Legislation Branch plays an important role in designing legal and regulatory frameworks, using innovative approaches to reduce red tape whilst embedding national security safeguards and maintaining and enhancing the integrity of Australia's migration program. Joining our branch is a great way to transition into the public service and / or the Department of Home Affairs, as our Branch has visibility of work across the entire Portfolio and plays a central role in supporting stakeholders across the Department and the Australian Public Service.
**Overview of the work in the Legislation Branch**:
The roles that we will be looking to fill in the short-term are likely to be in the areas of:
- Legislation Strategy
- Security of Critical Infrastructure and Transport
- National Resilience and Emergency Legal Policy and Legislation
- Legislative Drafting
- Counter Terrorism and Social Cohesion Legislation.
Areas with likely immediate vacancies
- 1. Legislation Strategy (new role)_
This will be a new team that plays an important role in supporting the Assistant Secretary, Legislation to manage the whole of portfolio legislative program. The team will provide broader project management and coordination support, strategic planning and administrative support to legislation teams and the Branch. The team is responsible for ensuring a strategic approach is taken to managing the portfolio's legislative program ensuring that the Branch can efficiently and effectively deliver on Ministers' legislative priorities. The role involves engaging, coordinating and building good working relationships with a number of stakeholders internally across Government, including the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, Ministers and Ministers' Offices; managing the legislative bids process (bills and legislative instruments) and the subsequent prioritisation of legislative proposals; reporting on the status of the portfolio's legislative program to internal and external stakeholders including Ministers and Ministers' Offices; engaging with and coordinating responses to Parliamentary committees and building good working relationships with Committee Secretariats; and drafting corporate instruments such as delegations, authorisations and appointments. We are seeking to recruit an experienced officer at the EL2 level or PLO level to lead this section. This role would suit a strong EL2 looking to develop their strategic thinking and engagement with senior level stakeholders, and could suit those looking towards the SESB1 level. This is an excellent opportunity to design and establish a new team from the ground-up.